B.K.S. IYENGAR

Yoga Master. Born Bellur Krishnamachar Sundararaja, he was noted as one of the world’s best-known yoga gurus. Referred to as “the father of modern yoga”, he founded the style of Iyengar Yoga which established him as an International teacher. In a 2002 article, the New York Times profiled “no one has done more than Mr. Iyengar to bring yoga to the United States”. Time Magazine in 2004, recognized his global influence, naming him the world’s most influential person of Yoga, which is a $10-billion dollar industry. His book “Light on Yoga” (1966), which contains detailed instructions on how to perform more than 200 poses, is referred to as the “Bible of Yoga” according to Yoga Journal Magazine. His rising popularity led to the opening of thousands of Iyengar yoga schools currently spread in over 72 countries. During his tour and visit to the United States to promote his book “Light on Life” (2005), the City of San Francisco, declared October 3, 2005, as “B.K.S. Iyengar Day”. In China alone, there are over thirty thousand Iyengar yoga students in fifty-seven cities and he was honored with a commemorative Chinese postage stamp in 2011. He died from heart failure at age 95. (bio by: John “J-Cat” Griffith)