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B.K.S. Iyengar

B.K.S. Iyengar Quotes

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Famous B.K.S. Iyengar Quotes

“Think light! Try to impart a feeling of lightness to the body. Think light. This can be achieved by mentally extending yourself outwards from the centre of the body, i.e., think tall. Think not just of raising your arms but of extending them outwards and when you are holding them still, think again of reaching still further away from your body. Do not think of yourself as a small compressed suffering thing. Think of yourself as graceful and expanding - no matter how unlikely it may seem at the time.”

ThinkingTryingMayStillsMatterFeelingsBodyLightSeemsSufferingArmsYour BodyReachingTallCentreExpandingUnlikelyThink Of YouImpartExtendingLightnessExtending Yourself
Author:B.K.S. Iyengar
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“You must purge yourself before finding faults in others. When you see a mistake in somebody else, try to find if you are making the same mistake. This is the way to take judgment and to turn it into improvement. Do not look at others' bodies with envy or with superiority. All people are born with different constitutions. Never compare with others. Each one's capacities are a function of his or her internal strength. Know your capacities and continually improve upon them.”

PeopleIfsKnowsWayTryingLooksDifferentBodyTurnsBornMistakeFindingsJudgmentYogaCapacityFunctionConstitutionFaultsEnvyImprovementCompareInternalsSuperioritySame MistakesMaking The Same Mistakes
Author:B.K.S. Iyengar
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“Health is a state of complete harmony of the body, mind and spirit. When one is free from physical disabilities and mental distractions, the gates of the soul open.”

MindSoulStatesBodySpiritInspiringHealthHealthyHarmonyYour BodyLifestyleHealth CareWellnessGatesDisabilityDistractionNutritionHealthy LivingMind Body SpiritMind And BodyHealthy LifestylePhysical BodyHealth And WellnessMind BodyPhysical HealthHealthy BodyHealthy MindPhysical ExerciseNatural HealthSoul And BodySpiritual HealthWorld HealthInspirational HealthMind Body And SpiritHealth And NutritionHealth NutritionMind Body And SoulLiving HealthyHealthy NutritionEnvironmental HealthNutrition And ExerciseBody Soul And SpiritYour Body And SoulHealthy Soul
Author:B.K.S. Iyengar
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“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 realization. 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.”

WayMeanSoulSelfBodyActionSuccessHumanityPerfectDealsConsciousnessAttitudeHealthEvolutionSkillsYogaAspectPerformancesUnionsAncientSelf RealizationRealizationBalancedDay To DayMaintainingAsanaYoga InspirationDay LifeDay To Day LifeInspirational YogaInspiring YogaHatha YogaYoga And Life
Author:B.K.S. Iyengar
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“Regarding perfection, that's a very difficult question. I can say that I have superseded most in my sadhana [practice]. I am in it, and my mind and my intelligence gets better in my sadhana, and it reaches a certain place. When I stretch, I stretch in such a way that my awareness moves, and a gate of awareness finally opens... My body is a laboratory, you can say. I don't stretch my body as if it is an object. I do yoga from the self towards the body, not the other way around.”

IfsWayLifeMindI CanSelfBodyMovingCertainDifficultPracticeAwarenessObjectsYogaPerfectionGet BetterGatesLaboratoryDifficult Questions
Author:B.K.S. Iyengar
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“The material body has a practical reality that is accessible. It is here and now, and we can do something with it. However, we must not forget that the innermost part of our being is also trying to help us. It wants to come out to the surface and express itself.”

WantLifeTryingHelpingBodyRealityCan DoForgetMaterialsYogaPerfectionSurfacePracticalsHere And NowCan Do Something
Book:Light on Life: The Yoga Journey to Wholeness, Inner Peace, and Ultimate Freedom
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“In order to find out how to reveal our innermost Being, the sages explored the various sheaths of existence, starting from body and progressing through mind and intelligence, and ultimately to the soul. The yogic journey guides us from our periphery, the body, to the center ofour being, the soul. The aim is to integrate the variouslayers so that the inner divinity shines out as through clear glass.”

MindSoulBodyOrderExistenceClearProgressJourneyAimShiningStartingGlassesVariousGuidesDivinitySageIntegratingPeriphery
Book:Light on Life: The Yoga Journey to Wholeness, Inner Peace, and Ultimate Freedom
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“As long as you do not feel the serenity in the body, in each and every joint, there is no chance for emancipation. You are in bondage. So while you are sweating and aching, let your heart be light and let it fill your body with gladness. You are not only becoming free, but you are also being free. What is not to be glad about? The pain is temporary. The freedom is permanent.”

FeelsHeartLongBodyLightPainChanceBecomingYour BodyGladPermanentTemporarySerenityBondageJointsEmancipationGladnessBeing FreeSweatingPain Is TemporaryBecoming Free
Author:B.K.S. Iyengar
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“The practice of yogasana for the sake of health, to keep fit, or to maintain flexibility is the external practice of yoga. While this is a legitimate place to begin, it is not the end. Even in simple asanas, one is experiencing the three levels of quest: the external quest, which brings firmness of the body; the internal quest, which brings steadiness of intelligence; and the innermost quest, which brings benevolence of spirit.”

EndsBodySpiritThreeSimpleLevelsPracticeFitYogaSakeInternalsQuestsFlexibilityBenevolenceAsanaFirmnessSteadiness
Author:B.K.S. Iyengar
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“You have to create love and affection for your body, for what it can do for you. Love must be incarnated in the smallest pore of the skin, the smallest cell of the body to make them intelligent so they can collaborate with all the other ones, in the big republic of the body. This love must radiate from you to others.”

BodyBigsCan DoSkinsIntelligentAffectionYour BodyCellsRepublicSmallestLove And Affection
Book:Light on Life: The Yoga Journey to Wholeness, Inner Peace, and Ultimate Freedom
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“Health is a state of complete harmony of the body, mind and spirit.”

MindStatesBodySpiritHealthHealthyHarmonyYour BodyWellnessNutritionHealthy LivingMind Body SpiritMind And BodyHealthy LifestyleHealth And WellnessMind BodyHealthy BodyHealthy MindNatural HealthSoul And BodySpiritual HealthWorld HealthInspirational HealthMind Body And SpiritHealth And NutritionHealth NutritionMind Body And SoulLiving HealthyHealthy NutritionEnvironmental HealthNutrition And ExerciseYour Body And SoulHealthy Soul
Author:B.K.S. Iyengar
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“You must do the asana with your soul. How can you do an asana with your soul? We can only do it with the organ of the body that is closest to the soul - the heart. So a virtuous asana is done from the heart and not from the head. Then you are not just doing it, but you are in it. Many people try to think their way into an asana, but you must instead feel your way into it through love and devotion”

PeopleThinkingWayFeelsTryingHeartSoulDoneBodyDevotionYour SoulOrgansVirtuousClosestAsana
Book:Light on Life: The Yoga Journey to Wholeness, Inner Peace, and Ultimate Freedom
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