Quotes from B.K.S. Iyengar

Yoga allows you to find an inner peace that is not ruffled and riled by the endless stresses and struggles of life.

There is no progress toward ultimate freedom without transformation, and this is the key issue in all lives.

You exist without the feeling of existence.

We must create a marriage between the awareness of the body and that of the mind. When two parties do not cooperate, there is unhappiness on both sides.

Meditation is oneness, when there is no longer time, sex, or country. The moment when, after you have concentrated on doing a pose (or anything else) perfectly, you hold it and then forget everything, not because you want to forget but because you are concentrated: this is meditation.

By drawing our senses of perception inward, we are able to experience the control, silence, and quietness of the mind.

As breath stills our mind, our energies are free to unhook from the senses and bend inward.

As we explore the soul, it is important to remember that this exploration will take place within nature (the body), for that is where and what we are.

Extension brings space, space brings freedom, freedom brings precision. Precision is truth.

The body is your temple. Keep it pure and clean for the soul to reside in.

Health begins with firmness in the body, deepens to emotional stability, then leads to intellectual clarity, wisdom and finally the unveiling of the soul.

We must create a marriage between the awareness of the body and that of the mind. When two parties do not cooperate, there is unhappiness on both sides.

Yoga, an ancient but perfect science, deals with the evolution of humanity. This evolution includes all aspects of one's being, from bodily health to Self-realisation. Yoga means union — the union of body with consciousness and consciousness with the soul. Yoga cultivates the ways of maintaining a balanced attitude in day-to-day life and endows skill in the performance of one's actions.

In forward bends, one uses the outer mind while in backbends the outer mind is silenced and the inner mind is made to work.

Hard work and humility are essential for spiritual sadhana.

People remind me of my age, but while practising I am beyond my body and its age.

In your discipline, if doubt comes, let it come. You do your work and let doubt carry on with its work. And let us see which gives up first!

To be dull is easy, to be active requires tremendous work.

I planted the seed, now you must work a lot otherwise the tiny plant will die.

It is while practicing yoga asanas that you learn the art of adjustment.

Your whole being should be symmetrical. Yoga is symmetry. That is why yoga is a basic art.

Don't practice for cosmetic beauty, practice for cosmic beauty. Practice for inner beauty and inner light.

Confidence, clarity and compassion are essential qualities of a teacher.

Live before you die, so that death is also a lively celebration.