Yoga guru BKS Iyengar, who turns 92 on December 14, still breathes fire. Age has not diminished any of his energy and spirit.Sipping his favourite filter coffee in his study at the Ramamani Iyengar Memorial Yoga Institute (Rimyi) in Pune on Friday, he launched into a spirited attack on the proponents of ‘power yoga’ and ‘hot yoga’.“Hot yoga makes no sense. Beyond obvious sexual connotations, it means little else. Tell me, if yoga was actually hot, then why were the yoga maharishis performing asanas in the cold Himalayas,” says Iyengar.About power yoga, the nonagenarian says, “Power yoga is hardly new. My guruji taught us power yoga in the 1930s. Power yoga is nothing but a more exertive form of yoga which involves jumping. Yoga is simply the union of mind, body and soul.”
On the eve of his 92nd birthday, the yoga guru prides himself on living in the present. “I believe in living in the present tense. There is no point crying about the past and speculating about the future. I had a very difficult past. I had only two students in 1939 and the people in Pune were actually hostile towards me. However, I worked harder and succeeded. Today, Iyengar yoga has become a massive tree which has spread across the world. Nobody is hostile towards me and I have so many friends. I have every reason to live in the present.”
The yoga guru is happiest about being a yogi and a sanyasi. “God took away my wife 35 years ago and forced me to become a sanyasi. Today, I see God in every asana that I perform. I may not have called my institute an ashram and I do not wear orange robes, but at our institute, the sincere practice of yoga is the only objective.” the yoga guru said.The yoga guru, who still practices yogic asanas for at least three hours every morning said it had become an integral part of his daily life. “Yoga is not an addiction for me. It was an addiction when I was a young man. Today, yoga inspires me. Every day, I learn something new and interesting. I cannot have my meals, without practicing yoga. My practice gives me new ideas, thoughts and feelings,” the guru said.Elaborating on his practice style, the yoga guru says, “There are 300 joints, 700 muscles and 96 kms of blood circulation system in our body. When I practice a particular asana, I need to pay attention to every single part of my body. When I practice, my intellectual awareness is flows from head to toe, like the river to the sea. I find this gratifying and interesting.”