Bellur Krishnamachar Sundaraya Iyengar speaks passionately and laughs heartily; you can tell he’s enjoying his long life. He will soon turn eighty but he continues to practice his postures, asanas, every day. And when something goes wrong, like someone who takes a bottle from the medicine cabinet, then certain exercises are prescribed.
Around him congregate the students of the Madrid Iyengar Yoga Center. They have received him by pronouncing the letter om , which in chorus acquires the prolonged sound of a Tibetan horn. Otherwise, with the exception of the small altar presided over by the figure of the monkey god Hanumán that is in one corner, the room resembles a gymnasium: there are trellises, a rack, ropes … No wonder the method he imparts Iyengar, one of the gurus – teachers – who has contributed the most to the spread of yoga in the Western world, is based on physical effort.
–Can we consider yoga as a sport?
-Not. Athletes don’t use their body one hundred percent. Depending on each sport, some parts of the body develop more than others. In yoga, on the other hand, all areas of the body are cared for. This activity does not increase muscle, but it does teach you to use your muscles in an active way. In addition, in the normal practice of sport, uric acid always accumulates in the joints, causing fatigue and pain in both the muscles and the joints. Yoga improves circulation, so uric acid is removed. That is why athletes who practice it do not experience fatigue, but rather it accelerates them and prepares them to play with more energy and enthusiasm.
–Could it be understood, then, as a form of bodybuilding?
-What I do is called Hatha Yoga, the yoga of the will. It is not what some call power yoga, in which its practitioners appear in the photos showing Herculean bodies. I do the same as them and yet I do not have the Herculean body. Because it’s not about showing potency or sex appeal. Even in the most difficult positions, I show elegance in each of the fibers of my body, without any tension. This is yoga.
Tutored by the famous yogi T. Krishnamachar, BKS Iyengar began teaching yoga at the age of eighteen. Since then his method has been taught in more than two hundred cities around the world. In 1991, he received the Padma Sri Award, the highest civil honor awarded by the President of India, in recognition of his work.
–What are your disciples looking for when they come to you?
-99 percent, even those who say they are interested in the spiritual aspects of yoga, actually come because their stomach hurts, because they cannot sleep or because they have an inflammation in the ear. Why did Krishnamurti, one of the most famous philosophers of the 20th century, come to me? Because he had a lot of problems. People who want to improve their spiritual life have to return to the level of the body to have it healthy. The body is the vehicle of the spirit. That is why I teach intellectuals, athletes, politicians and, of course, also doctors.
Once the student has healed, we ask, “What more do you want?” You may be satisfied by now, but if you want something more, you can also achieve spiritual happiness by practicing yoga. That depends on each. Yoga is very democratic, it is tailored to the person who exercises it.
–If yoga is not a gymnastics, then can it be equated to a religion?
-The practice of yoga is an educational guide that leads to a higher level. Yoga is the union of the body and the mind. When an asana is performed correctly, the body / mind and mind / spirit dualities disappear. The body becomes a spiritual vehicle. The asanas and pranayama – the control of the breath – help to lift the veil so that the intellect can see with total clarity. They are the means that favor the progress of each individual towards evolution.
–In your opinion, is the practice of yoga compatible with the western way of life, where traditionally the body and the spirit have been so far apart?
-All men and women in the world want the same things: to be happy, to be healthy, to improve their life … From this consideration, yoga cannot be divided into eastern and western. It is an oriental science for the simple reason that Orientals began to work in this field at a time when people could not communicate as they are today. Now precisely the practice of yoga is gaining renewed interest in the West. Today’s society has become enormously competitive and the nerves cannot take so much pressure. In these conditions it is difficult to maintain a balanced life. Yoga practice strengthens the nervous system and keeps the body healthy amidst all stresses.
–Does the practice of yoga imply maintaining a life of asceticism?
– I am not saying that it is necessary to live precariously. Needs change with the times. Living in retirement is not the same as living in a competitive society like the current one. Each one must know how to analyze their needs and understand where the need ends and where the desire begins. I am not talking about giving up, but about following conscience.
–And what relationship does food have with yoga?
-Food is the mind builder. I really take the minimum. I am not a fan of food, nor am I a fan of yoga, although I am a disciplined practitioner. My yoga is made for the common man. My advice is that you let yourself be guided by your own body. If when putting food on the table your mouth fills with saliva, the diet is correct. What creates disease is eating when your tongue does not secrete saliva.
–Before, yogis hung upside down and their postures seemed typical of a contortionist. Is it that the Hindus have an anatomy different from ours?
-Yoga is a universal culture. Sitting in the lotus position is easier for Hindus, not because they are more flexible, but because they spend their lives sitting on the floor. Yoga is made for everyone. The moment you say that you are Western or Eastern, you are a victim of the discomfort of the East and the West, that is, you imagine that you are missing something. You have to do yoga for the fun of it and enjoy its benefits.
–How did you get started on it?
-I come from a really poor family. At the age of 14 I fell ill with tuberculosis. There were no medicines to cure it and my sister suggested that I do some asanas with what later became my guru. He subsisted almost exclusively on tap water and yoga. Within five years I was completely cured. Since then, this has been my way of life. Today, at almost 80 years old, I do the same as at 60. Isn’t it a miracle at my age? If everyone practiced yoga, pharmacies would have to close.
His latest book Luz sobre el Pranayama , which has just been translated into Spanish, is the continuation of teachings written in Sanskrit more than 2,000 years ago. It may seem strange that such ancient knowledge is still valid. However, for Yehudi Menuhin, author of the introduction, yoga completes Einstein’s matter and energy equation and translates it to the human being.
– What is the true role of the guru?
-The guide, nothing more. But different from the professor who teaches an academic discipline. The yoga teacher has to be his own critic, because the art of yoga is completely subjective and practical. He has to know the problems and difficulties of his students and, from there, protect them, help them to free themselves from them and gently lead them to the level that the guru has reached.
– And what happens when the student fails to practice yoga correctly?
-Can you all become Picasso or Pau Casals? I teach it but, if you don’t get it, why are you going to worry?
And before we say goodbye, BKS Iyengar, with a wide smile, shows me a clock with this dedication: “To my best violin teacher. Yehudi Menuhin”
Teresa Ricart
This interview was published in February 1998, in number 201 of VERY Interesting.
