"If the body is aligned and upright, calm and balanced, then the mind is, too. If the mind is under control, then the soul will be revealed."

B.K.S. Iyengar

IYENGAR® yoga is one of the most popular and widespread types of modern yoga. B.K.S. Iyengar, its namesake, was born on 14 December 1918 and he lived and taught in Pune (India) until his death on 20 August 2014. He was considered to be the last grandmaster of yoga. In 1975, he founded the Ramamani Iyengar Memorial Yoga Institute (RIMYI), which enjoys international recognition and is attended by IYENGAR® yoga teachers from across the globe who study there. B.K.S. Iyengar dedicated his life to a deeper understanding of yoga, its innovative development and dissemination. Today's familiarity with yoga and the matter of course with which it is practised and taught globally would hardly be imaginable without the inspiring work of B.K.S. Iyengar. In 2004, Time magazine recognised Iyengar as one of the world's 100 most influential people. B.K.S. Iyengar authored yoga reference works. With its illustrations of more than 200 yoga positions and explanatory texts, "Light on Yoga" continues to inspire to this day. The knowledge it contains is authentic, acquired through personal experience and practised daily. The aids he introduced attracted a lot of attention: Walls, ropes, blocks, belts, chairs. With them, B.K.S. made  IYENGAR® yoga available to everybody. Physical fitness or age no longer play a role because asanas are now available in many supported variations, including even therapeutic applications. IYENGAR® yoga training lessons are guided by very well educated teachers who were selected through a certification process. The multi-year education includes training sessions on asana classes, pranaya classes, anatomy, physiology and philosophy. Teachers need to participate in annual trainings to continue to be licensed.