All language subtitles for Yogacharya B. K. S. Iyengar - Uniting Through Yoga (2019) 720p GAIA x264.en

[MUSIC PLAYING]

BKS Iyengar.

Courage.

What a man.

What a teacher.

Speaking about Iyengar is
like speaking about a mountain.

We say that he lived to
be this many years old.

He was born in the
great influenza outbreak

that his mother was
afflicted with while she

was pregnant with him.

But what does that
speak to of a man?

First, he was my father.

Later, as I began to understand
things, he became a teacher.

And obviously, he is a guru.

And although my teacher
in Glasgow talked very--

with great reference
about Mr. Iyengar,

that was the first time
I heard the term Guruji.

And it was obvious in the
way these people talked

and their demeanor the
huge influence he had,

the great respect
that they had for him,

the love that they had for him.

I was in a bookstore when
I was just a 21-year-old man

and was intrigued by the photos
that I saw with that book that

we have come to see as the
treatise of what yoga really

could be.

And opening the book
and watching the pictures,

I was totally amazed that the
master was totally keeping

the control of the body.

I was interested as to who is
this person and how can he have

the same expression on his face,
irrespective of whether the leg

is around his neck or whether
he's standing straight.

And when I saw the
book Light on Yoga,

I was so enthusiastic to
meet this man and to meet him

in person and get
teaching from him.

I had heard so
much about him,

and I had heard of him
in such high esteem.

And I remember holding my breath
when I heard his footsteps

and he opened the
door and walked in,

chest first, a mighty man
in simple white kurta.

So the first time I
think that I saw him,

what struck me was
how royal he looked--

his immaculately pressed
silk dhoti or his silver hair

and bushy eyebrows.

He walked into the room, and
suddenly there was this light.

And I just knew,
this is the man was

going to teach me everything.

And when he came
out into the platform,

his energy filled the room.

He was not a tall man.

He was a short man,
but his energy which

very tall and very expansive.

And something inside
of me at that moment

knew that my life
was forever changed.

It was a moment where from
the first moment I knew that

this was something very
special that I had encountered

I didn't actually realize
that he is something special.

My father is something special.

I could see that he's
different than others.

He performs something
in a different way.

It was awe and
wonder, and it was--

there was something very
engaging about it that made me

want to do better, to study
the subject more, to practice,

and really get more into it.

He was so inspiring.

I then when I was 16 or
17 years old when I started

catching.

He realized that no more I am
taking it as earlier as a child

will do.

Somewhere he found
that I'm serious

about it regularly doing.

And then, my father understood
that I'm really keen about it,

and he started instructing
me the right way

of doing what has to be done--

how I have to lift
myself, what has to be--

what has to happen
in that asana,

if I'm straightening myself.

Whether it's straightening of
limbs or lifting of the spine.

We were fortunate in Pune
when we were here to see Guruji

not just be the guru--

a guru.

We saw him when he was
teaching, how he taught.

And he taught in a
way which was amazing.

It was masterful
the way he taught.

In the classroom,
he was formidable.

We were all in awe,
slightly scared.

Absolutely fearful and really
wondering whatever was going

to happen.

From the first time
he walked into the room,

into that yoga
hall, was, for me,

was just like a lightning
bolt. He was so relentless,

and he was so challenging,
and he was so confronting,

but he was also
entirely captivating.

We would just whisper amongst
ourselves that the prowler has

entered the class, because
he really was like a lion.

And he would prowl
around the class

with these leonine strides and
basically strike fear in your--

in anybody's heart.

Like most many students, we
were very, very afraid of him.

The Guruji came into our
classes and stood near us.

We would actually go
running to the prop room

and stay there for some time
until we were hauled out of it.

To an outsider who
did not know Guruji,

you would think that he was
sometimes very angry with

the students.

But as teachers, we
realized that it was not

the anger towards
these students,

but it was an anger towards
something which is not correct.

So there was no such
tolerance there for mistakes.

Sorry all are listening.

Not one adjusted.

I will not teach.

I will go back to India
today alone if you do not

listen to what I say.

A lot of people used to
say that he's too strict.

But when you do something,
when you learn something,

so Guruji was the best.

Guruji used to say, it
is not tip of the fingers,

top of the tip of the fingers.

I was surprised.

How can it be?

Tip of the finger
itself is as a top.

How can it be top of
the tip of the fingers?

Then he said, see, this
is what the sensitiveness.

The top of the tip of the
finger means it is so sensitive,

delicate, if you touch the
nose, the moment the finger goes

to the nose, you
should know that.

You should feel it.

There was already an air
of excitement in the room,

because we knew that the Mr.
Iyengar had come in and was

beginning his daily
practice inside.

But after a while,
we forgot about him,

and we were focusing on
what the teacher was saying.

Until suddenly, there was this
roar from the back of the room.

No one is doing much she said.

And he marched up to
the front and took over,

and it was marvelous.

It was terrifying,
but it was marvelous.

He committed a mask to
discipline people rather than

to spread fear.

When he was
hitting, shouting,

we knew that he was
right inside, outside.

There was no doubt
that to remove

this wrong state of mind, he
had to drink in some manner

these wrong feelings,
wrong way of doing.

I was trying to do Bakasana
time after time after time,

and falling off,
and slipping off,

and just getting frustrated.

And I was getting tired.

And Rya had came walking
across the room up to me.

And he said to me, Guruji
sent me over to tell you

that you can't expect him
to come over to you if you

want help with your pose.

I looked up at Rya and
said, OK, I'll come over.

And I walked over to
Guruji, and then he

proceeded to put
me through my paces

for another 20 minutes
of Bakasana practice,

until I didn't even
realize that my arms were

numb from the elbow down,
until I fell out of the pose.

And I tried to break my
fall, and I couldn't even

move my hands.

And he said, that's
enough for today.

Did you learn something?

And he wiggled his eyebrows.

And we laughed.

Oh, and then, the next
day, in the practice hall--

the numbness-- that's right,
the numbers didn't go away.

And so I was a
little worried, but I

didn't want to bother him.

And I was over by the ropes.

I was trying to hold the rope,
but my hand wouldn't work.

And so he came over to me, and
he was so tender and sweet.

He took his kerchief out of his
pocket, and he wrapped my palm.

He said, this
one's worse, right?

And I said, yes sir.

The left one is worse.

And he wrapped my palm
in a very specific way.

And I was so surprised
and grateful.

Then he said, now,
do Bakasana again.

I'm like, oh, no.

He was generous, but
he was relentless.

We were all in Sirsasana--

Salamba Sirsasana, head balance.

And he was walking through
the lines of people

standing on their head.

And when he was coming
close to my place,

I suddenly felt something
pushing my chin.

And I didn't
realize immediately,

but he was just standing
up straight in front of me.

And it was actually his
foot correcting my chin

to go a little more
deep down to the floor.

He would exactly correct,
touching that spot which would

make the person to do
everything rightly.

It was a special touch.

For example, let us say, he
may touch your shoulders,

or he may touch your dorsal
spine somewhere, or somewhere

spine at the lower area--

lumbar spine or sacrum spine.

That touch will be not
much for you at that time,

but he will exactly touch
there, and the hole posture

will change.

And you will come out of the
experience different-- totally

different.

Once I was in
a particular pose,

and he came from behind
and pushed my tailbone.

The comfort that I felt
after that is unimagined.

Some could say that
he had kicked me.

I remember one time, I was in
Sirsasana during the practice,

and I didn't see him coming.

But what I felt was a
kick suddenly just here,

on the ribs.

So I had been sticking
my ribs out in Sirsasana.

and he kicked pretty hard,
and he just instantly

pushed that part back.

And my back, buttocks,
and legs just went up.

I didn't fall.

But he had this way of
doing something like that,

and just recently putting
you into a better pose.

He knew just how much
to kick and where,

and then you would be
there in another pose.

It would just shift your
reality suddenly like that.

Other people would
say, didn't that hurt?

That must have
really been awful.

And I said, no, the touch
was very, very light.

It was light, but it lasted
for a very, very long time.

His ability was to
bring something out

in each student to let them have
their own personal experience.

It was never a generalized
class experience in that way.

[NON-ENGLISH SPEECH]

Without words, he
used to teach me.

He was able to be however
he needed to be for different

people, and he was able
to just switch instantly.

But the real impact, I found,
was in the experience that one

had of oneself when he taught.

When you were in his
classes, he opened up

a sort of hidden potential.

He showed you things,
or he led you,

brought you to things that you
never thought were possible.

There was going
to be a mega class,

and I think it was going
to be-- the first time,

there was going to be 1,000
students in the mega class.

And he was sitting here in
the library, and he says,

I think I can do 1,000
students-- meaning

that all those other mega
classes that had like 300, 500,

700, he wouldn't
take that mega class

just because 300
people wanted to come,

500 people wanted to come,
700 people wanted to come.

No, he had a kind of ethics that
if he couldn't see everyone,

he wouldn't take that.

But he had that ability to see
that many people all at once.

And he would correct people
in the far back of the room.

He would point out
someone's tailbone

in the very back of the room,
someone else, thump their thigh

and so forth.

It's like he has as many eyes
as many students are there that

day.

If there are 100
students, he has 100 eyes.

And he had
penetrative intelligence.

He would go beyond the layers
of the body to go to the soul.

He certainly knew all
about one as a person.

When you met him,
there was no question

of concealing anything.

He knew about you.

So he had seen me in class.

And I was laying
upside down, just--

really bhoga, not
yoga, I have to admit.

My eyes were closed, and
my hands were on the floor.

And I felt a piece of paper
being pushed into my hand.

So I opened my eyes.

My hand was on the floor.

And Guruji was
kneeling on the floor,

looking up at me in the robes.

And I said, oh, sir.

And he said, give
this to Mary Dunn.

Mary Dunn was my wonderful
teacher in San Diego.

And I said, of course, sir.

But how did you know
that I know Mary Dunn?

And he said, I saw you
in class this morning.

You make the same
mistakes that she does.

He told me even before Isaac
was born that you are going

to-- by the way, you are
carrying a male child.

Because many people
have said that Guruji

is the man with the x-ray eyes.

So doesn't surprise me
that he already knew that.

I remember yawning
once in class,

but I had my back
of my head to him.

And he said, why
are you yawning?

And I said, how do
you know I'm yawning?

I've got my head to the back.

He says, your ears
move when you yawn.

If there is going something
going on in your mind,

he will recognize it.

He would take it jokingly.

Hey, where are you What are
you thinking, he may say.

So if you were in the
class and you were inattentive

and weren't appreciating
that he was talking to you,

then you would
certainly know about it.

He will exactly find out
what was going on in your mind--

what was your brain doing.

And that was shocking.

How does he know?

This, I think, was
the quality of Guruji.

Without having to speak,
without having to tell him,

without having to
show him anything,

he instinctively or
intuitively somehow

knew the problems
of each person.

He is exactly
make out the defect--

physical defect,
physiological defect.

He looked at me and he
diagnosed my problem without

looking at my reports, but only
looking at my skin of the neck.

He never asked anyone
to bring the reports.

He never asked anyone go
tested, get pathological report

or radiological report.

If somebody came
with it, he'd say--

turn a blind eye.

I don't want to
look at all that.

She had his own
subjective diagnostics.

As far as the organic
body is concerned,

he would be very sure, whether
kidneys have gone wrong,

or heart is wrong,
or lungs are wrong.

How did he even
know about that?

He had no educational
background on how cells work.

There are no scientific
instruments he had--

no microscopes,
nor stethoscopes.

But still he--

I have no idea how he
saw all those things.

He had his own scanning eyes.

Before the student
would say, Guruji, I've

got this gastric problem
or a lung problem,

he would divulge
it to the patient.

He would say, this
is your problem.

Say if you are tensed, he
won't look at your eyes.

He would look at your throat
and say you are tensed.

He looked at the gestures.

He looked at the throat.

He looked at the shoulders.

He used to say walk.

And when the person
walked before him,

he will know exactly what
is the matter with him.

And then, he starts
his teaching.

Greeta would ask,
because naturally, she

would be surprised.

I asked him,
but he said, look,

there is no method for that.

It's not something-- the
methodology to say that isn't--

I talked to him in this manner.

But he gave me certain clues.

What clues?

He said, look at his eyes--

when I'm talking to him,
where he was looking.

Or the way he talks to me,
find out how he is answering.

Look at the posture,
how he is sitting.

These are the clues he gave me.

This was a great thing
that he had that faculty.

And no student ever bothered
how to get that faculty,

rather than depend upon the
pathologists and radiologists

to tell us what this
person is suffering from.

Some of my closest
interactions with BKS Iyengar

were during the remedial classes
or the medical classes here

in Pune.

And I think what
was most interesting

about those interactions
were learning under him

and the way he worked
psychologically differently

with different people.

I was watching the
medical classes there.

And in those days, we
had to sit on stairs

and had a great view
of the whole room.

And watching Guruji dart around
the room helping everyone,

he just seemed like lightning.

I wouldn't even see him move.

He would just be
somewhere, and then he

was somewhere else,
and somewhere else,

and seemed to be helping
everyone at the same time.

The rhythm that he
would always get into.

And that was magnificent.

It's just the
exuberance of energy

that was just magnificent.

And at one point, he came
to help a woman who was pretty

close to where we were
sitting on the stairs.

And he was helping
her to do drop backs.

And she was a
fairly young woman.

She had long braids
on either side.

And he was giving
her directions to get

her to be able to drop back,
but she was nervous, of course,

and seemed afraid.

She was very flexible, but she
seemed scared to drop back.

So he was helping her, but
she had couldn't really

take the directions that
he was saying to her.

So all of a sudden, he
grabbed her two braids

and pulled them down
and forward and up.

And she went right back
and did the drop back.

And she let out a
squeal and was so happy.

And then he turned to
her and turned to us

and said, see how she
can open her chest now?

I tell you, he was handling
the patient with his own hands.

Helping each individual
into the asanas.

Many times, he used
to use his own head.

Like for example, you're lying
down in Supta Padangusthasana,

where one leg up and you're
lying down on the floor.

And he used to be
standing there behind

and his head hitting out
towards the person's calves

and with his hands pulling in.

Arms, legs, head,
neck, chest, back--

everything he would make
use of to support it.

Not just standing nearby and
saying, do do, I will help you.

No.

He knows exactly.

So he used to actually
make me sit in Baddha Konasana

and fully himself used
to climb on my knees.

So entire Tata on
standing on top of me.

And I used to be really scared
in those initial days, but--

it used to actually--
he actually creeped open

my groins like that,
to give that freedom

and life over there.

I had streptococcus
infection in my throat,

and it affected my
all small joints.

So rheumatoid
arthritis like that.

So I could not hold my pen.

I could not open the lock.

I could not hold the cooker.

Nothing I could do.

Then, when I came
in June to Pune,

he made me to do many postures.

And especially full
arm balance, it

was really-- my
doctors were surprised.

He put the slanting plank
and kept my palm on it.

And I used to do
full arm balance.

And slowly, my pain was gone.

And when I went back to Chennai,
the doctor say it is amazing,

because this is cannot be cured.

Your father has done
something which is really--

medical science tells
me it was surprising.

He's given life to many
people with medical issues,

health issues.

I had a lot of trust
in him and I believed him.

And this finger-- he treated me.

I'm telling you, this was
tough for me, you know?

Especially for a wicket
keeper, the index finger

is very, very important
to collect the ball.

Everything come here.

And this finger was
treated by him totally.

And I still cry, literally.

And he used to push me so hard.

He was hanging on both
fingers, like this.

And it's not only one minute,
two-- but it used to be there

were five minutes, four minutes.

Push me hard.

Now you will be amazed.

He used to put me in some poses.

where I could actually
palpitate my own kidney.

Very difficult to believe.

And nobody, of course,
today knows those

poses or remembers those poses.

But til I was with him, my
blood pressure, kidney function,

and everything else continued
to remain absolutely normal.

Then there were quite a few
who used to come with weakness

in the arms, legs.

Standing itself was
difficult. There

were physically challenged.

He could not be stipulating
the classical postures

and actions of yoga.

So therefore, he
thought that they should

be given some assistance.

Suppose person having a
heart problem, blood pressure,

this kind of patient.

So how to make them to
bend on the backside?

So he understood that
if the asanas are to work,

one must be in the position.

And therefore, the
props were developed.

So you know you will be
surprised that he used to have

whatever in the house
is small like bed.

And in those days, cotton bed
because you could roll it.

So cotton bed he will use.

The chapati roller, simple
thing, he will use it.

We had a stick--

a simple wooden stick.

He will use that, and will
make that area to work.

I have left the
pain over here.

And he gave me a
stick like this.

He picked up a stick,
which was laying there.

And this is what you do.

And you do it a few times,
and your pain will be gone.

Now, this pose is not
given in any yoga book

anywhere in the world.

Only Guruji could innovate it.

Only he could teach you this.

Things that I could not even
imagine could be used would

prove to be such a valuable
aid in enlightening or showing

something.

A couple of thing,
it came accidentally.

So there was a one belt
lying in the institute.

Then he just took the belt, put
it on the backside of his hand.

Then he would do Sarvangasana.

And he said, oh, my god.

Rather than telling to
people go on Sarvangasana

and take your elbow back,
better lock his elbow now only

in the belt and let him go.

So something should sustain
so that posture can work

for remedy.

If you are sustaining
your body, the posture

won't be really working to
disseminate the effects.

So that's why he developed
props for yoga to work on you.

If yoga doesn't work on you,
how will you get remedy?

He observed and he
incorporated props.

So did he invent props?

I think he would
probably challenge that.

He would say, I observe nature
and do repeat something.

So is that invention?

It certainly is.

It certainly is in
some perspective.

There are many people that
started call it as prop yoga.

So they have kind of
bought all the props.

They own it, but
they don't know how

to use it, what to do,
or reach out to the cord.

And these days, I
keep on telling them,

you don't know what
hardship he had to make--

to create these props, because
it has to suite the human body.

Guruji used to say,
this is a chumbal.

This is the Guruji's last
research of the prop.

In 2011, when he went
to China at the age of 93,

in front of the audience, which
was around 1,200 students from

China, he said, look.

Look at me.

I've been teaching
for such a long time.

And till that time, when I
was doing Baddha Konasana,

I used to put the wooden
brick, which was like a block.

I should have realized
that the bucket is shaped--

it's curved and it's
rounded in shape.

And the chumbal is what-- it
is taking that shape and giving

you that support.

So I have been--

this is what I've
invented now, and that's

what I've realized
now-- how stupid I've

been to use a wooden block.

So small things
that he did, actually,

have touched me much more,
especially his simplicity,

and humility, and his
ability to say, you know,

I'm still learning at the age
of 95, and the whole world--

and to say it in public.

He was always ready
to say, I do not know.

In spite of the fact that he
knew so much, if he did not

know, he said he did not know.

Or he may-- there's a
problem which came up

while he was teaching class.

And he, in his younger days, and
if he did not have the answer.

So he says, OK, I'll tell you.

Then he would practice
at home to find out

what is the real answer
to the question which

has been posed to me.

So it's not just he's
going to try one thing

and that's going to work.

Maybe even putting
himself in harm's way,

trying all different things.

If he was going to prescribe
something to somebody,

he wanted to know
what are the things

that work, what doesn't work.

His body was
like a laboratory.

He would practice on it.

He was severe with himself,
not that he pampered his body.

He was a dedicated
practitioner himself.

And he was severe with
his body to experiment.

Therefore, he has often said,
when I teach, I am a scientist.

Actually, if you are teaching,
you should be a teacher.

But then, he never
had that opportunity.

He said, when I teach,
I am a scientist,

because I have to
evolve person to person,

what are the requirements.

If this person
requires this chair,

somebody requires
a taller chair.

So he had to work that way.

He said that his students,
in a sense, were his teachers,

because he saw what
mistakes they were making,

or something that
they were doing right,

which he probably
had not realized.

But he would meet
them and say, oh, this

is something which
is new I am learning.

He was never a one way street
that means I know it all.

So he was, in that
sense, very scientific.

Just like in science, there's
always an inquisitiveness

to know more about more things.

That kind of inquisitiveness
was certainly there, I can say.

His intelligence and
the way he introduced yoga,

the way he studied every day
in the library the yoga texts,

his explanations.

And he was amazing,
that a man who

had had no academic education
had such a lot of knowledge

about this line.

So when he was writing
the Yoga Sutra Patanjali,

the text was ready, but he was
telling me that there are lots

of things that he would like
to experience before being sure

and to put them on the page.

Finally, we reached it in '92 to
the final editing of the work.

In the same place
in this library,

almost on the same table, I
was doing the editing work,

and one of my friends I was
entering them in the computer,

and Guruji was supervising
the whole work.

When we reached Yoga Sutra, that
the meaning was not very clear,

and his explanations, also,
we were trying to write.

And it was not
really corresponding.

It was not very convincing.

We were working day and night.

And one night-- it was around
4:00 in the morning-- somebody

knocked on my door, because
I was living upstairs

in the institute.

And then, I opened the door.

It was Guruji himself.

And he goes, can I enter?

I told, of course you can
enter, but I am sorry.

I am just coming out.

No, no, no.

Go back to your bed.

He pushed me back to my bed.

My friend also was in his bed.

And he sat on the
side of my bed.

And he explained,
amazingly, very clearly,

like a really crystal
clear, the Sutra.

Then he told, now
is it understood?

And we told, yes, you
can write it like that.

Yes.

Then he walked away and
we watched ourselves.

And we knew that it was just
coming from his own practice

in that very morning.

There was one practice where
he had his leg up on the tall

stool, and I was just
there next to him,

just literally this
far away from him.

And I was watching him.

And over two minutes,
every two seconds,

he would shift and do
something a little different,

catch the imprint
of that, and then do

another thing for two seconds,
then catch the imprint of that.

So if you count that
up over two minutes--

30 seconds one minute, 30
seconds the other minute--

he did like 60 different
trials within two minutes.

He had that speed of being able
to catch what was happening,

record it, and then just
go on to the next thing.

Just an incredible speed.

Even well into his 90s,
he would be discovering new

things.

He would be discussing this
with Geeta aunty or Prashantji.

Yesterday, I was trying
this for the last two days.

In Sirsasana, I was doing
this particular variation.

And I spent 10 extra minutes.

And this is what I felt. There's
a relief in a certain thing

that I felt.

He never stopped practicing.

He never stopped learning.

He never stopped exploring
and experimenting.

He made this voyage
from the outside in.

And he did that while
having a loving marriage.

If he has any success, it was
because that [INAUDIBLE] that

energy, that Shakti was
Ramamani, his wife, behind him.

She's a light in my life.

She never demanded
anything from me.

She could definitely make out
that he has something different

in him.

So she gave full
support, full freedom,

to him whatever he wants to do.

Always together
used to practice.

She never objected.

Early mornings is to get up
at 4:00 to do the practice.

She never objected.

She would help.

After marry, my progress
on yoga is on account of her.

I use her as a mirror.

They had a really good
understanding of each other.

He respected my mother
as a householder,

looking after everything--
looking after the house,

children, kitchen, everything.

He used to take
her for shopping.

You see, every Sunday, my
father used to come from Bombay.

And he used to
reach Pune by 3:30.

By 4:35, my father used to
take my mother for shopping.

Many times Sunday, he used
to go to Dadar and bring betel

leaves, because my
mother used to like it.

On Sunday night, we used
to go for for the walking.

And my mother, by walking, she
used to make veeda for him.

And they used to have--
on the road, also,

so she used to have on
one finger, [INAUDIBLE]

and another finger leaves.

We used to wash everything--
clean it, everything.

And while going,
they used to eat it.

Never they fought
with each other.

Never there was a quarrel
or fight, in front of us,

especially.

It never happened.

It at all, they had spoken
to each other so differently.

But there are not
quarrel, as such.

No argument, as such.

She was really wonderful
lady-- very tolerant lady,

very helpful lady.

And looking after everyone
with kind heartedness.

Both of us lived very
happily for 30 years.

But after passing
of my mother,

he was both mother and father.

He use to play with
us, especially myself.

I'm being the eldest daughter
of Guruji, of my father.

I think I enjoyed a lot.

We used to play on his body
when he used to do practices

in different asanas,
like Halasana.

We use to play slide.

When he used to
do Yoganidrasana,

we used to play like
see-saw on his body.

You won't believe it, even at
this-- as a three years child,

I was always doing in front of
him something like toppling.

Sometimes, I'd touch my toes.

When he jumped, I will jump.

Well, I was a
classical dancer,

so I was supposed to give
my first performance.

So, in front of him, I used to
do the practice all the time.

So when he used to correct
me during these yoga postures

and all, he used to correct me.

But even when I
used to have a bath,

he used to come
after having a bath

and tell me that,
Savita, come on.

Do this.

So even during the bath,
he was thinking about my--

how I had to improve my
dance with their expressions,

with the gestures, with
the hand movements.

Hand movements,
palm movements.

He was graceful, actually.

He wanted to learn,
actually, dance.

He was thinking about
actually becoming a classical

dancer rather than practitioner
of yoga at some stage in life.

And that's why he once saw
Uday Shankar in a ballet.

And he was so fascinated.

Then he said, why
not find out the way

that I will teach him yoga,
and he will teach me dance.

But Uday Shankar was not
interested in yoga, it seems.

So he could not continue.

But music, he was
very much interested.

Both my parents were interested
in music to the point that

the interest was in
everybody's-- all the siblings.

And I used to play sitar for
my another sister Sunita.

Prashant and Vanita,
they used to play violin.

Savita danced.

Geeta learned vocal
music, then sitar, also.

So he used to teach us the
technique, how to play--

fingering work, wrist work,
and everything he used to tell.

And it used to make a lot of
difference in the technique.

Renowned and famous and
a great teacher as he was,

but when it came to
normal family life,

he was just like any ordinary
man-- like a very common man.

And that was very
endearing about him.

In the house, as a father,
he was very much lovable.

At the same time,
he was very strict.

He was not at all
strict whatsoever to me.

Actually, when his classes
were going on and while he used

to practice, it should
be pin drop silence.

We children never used
to make any noise.

He never used to like that.

But when and children were
playing, he used to practice.

They used to play cricket.

And he was also sometimes
laughing, playing with them.

Used to play with him a lot.

And he used to
practice as you go--

He would be practicing
in the hallway.

I used to go in the
hall, trouble him.

If he's sleeping, stand
on his legs or whatever.

Just play with him.

He had this thing
he used to say--

OK, I'll make you fly
like an aeroplane.

So he used to lay down on
his back and hold us like--

so we are kids, right?

So we are on-- so
his legs up, and we

are laying flat on his
legs and holding his hands.

And he is making us
fly like an aeroplane.

Sometimes in the morning,
when we would be sleeping late

and we would not wake up,
suddenly we would be woken up,

because he would be
walking on our legs.

So yes.

Then he would just laugh,
and he would walk off.

He was like a child--

full of life, full
of fun, his eyes

twinkling with mischief,
with that mischievous

smile on his face.

He was ready for an adventure.

So there are times
when we would have done

some crazy things with him.

And he would be ready for a game
of cricket, or sit on a swing,

or be ready to stand on
his head in Sirsasana

on the edge of a cliff--

challenge us to do
things which he did.

So if we were at
the top of the hill,

he used to like to go to
the edge and to sort of do

the adventurous thing.

And he used to take us along.

And our parents, my
father, was scared.

Hey, don't go there.

You'll fall down.

So I remember once, we had
been to the Nandi Hills.

And there is this
place called Tipu Drop.

So that's where Tipu Sultan, he
used to push down his enemies.

So there is like a very steep
fall and there is a wall.

And the wall doesn't even like--

the comparable kind of a wall,
it doesn't have a flat surface.

It was a curved
surface on top of it.

And so that does--

so he got up on the wall.

But there's a steep
fall on the other side.

He's wearing his
[INAUDIBLE] and was sort

of walking like a king.

And we are all scared,
because it's very windy

and the other side
is totally steep.

And he's laughing.

So he's enjoying
walking like that.

And he's calling
us-- you also come.

You also climb.

And we had once gone on a
family picnic to Mulshi during

the monsoon.

So Guruji stopped
the car and said--

he said, stop the car.

This will be our picnic spot.

So there was a mild waterfall.

There was some slippery rocks.

And we all just sat
there, opened up

what we'd got for eating, and
laughing, playing in the water.

And he called out to me.

And he said, hey,
do Sirsasana her.

And I was so terrified.

He said, do.

I said, I can not do,
because I can not balance.

He said, somebody will hold you.

So what if you can no balance?

Just do the pose.

And I am fighting with my
grandfather at that time,

trying to convince
my grandfather

that this granddaughter
can balance in Sirsasana.

And that's when the
teacher in him came out.

And he said, if you
don't do it now--

and he said, I will do it.

So I got doubly terrified that
it's so slippery, [INAUDIBLE]

and, you know, water.

But Guruji is
saying, I will do it.

If something happens,
what will my family think?

What will-- they'll
point fingers at me.

So the stress-- that stress
made me do Sirsasana.

And he taught me something
in that Sirsasana, also.

At home, this used
to happen very often,

where suddenly he'd say,
[INAUDIBLE] come here.

Do this.

Let me show you something.

And he's teaching us.

So if you're doing--

like say you're doing
Urdva Dhanurasana.

So you'll fall and you come up.

So he had this way of-- he
used to just hold us out

of the tip of the
[INAUDIBLE] there.

And then, when we had to come
up, he'd just do a small tug,

and we were able to
come up very fast.

It's almost like he
would just say, see,

I have magic in my hand.

I just pull, and
you're able to come up.

Even in the family
lunch occasion,

sometimes after lunch he would
say, hey, come do Sirsasana.

And I would tell
him, no, grandfather.

I just ate.

And he said,
nothing will happen.

Do.

So that kind of yoga
anytime, laughter anytime,

teasing me anytime.

So that always was on.

He used to be always
excited like a child when his

grandchildren and great
grandchildren were around,

especially.

I couldn't resist
taking Guruji's car.

It was an Ambassador
at that point in time.

And I'd take it
out, and he used--

I used to ask him,
Tata, are you coming?

And he would not bat an eyelid.

He would say, yes, let's go.

Let's have fun.

The man loved life.

He was full of life.

And that time, I didn't realize.

I used to just take him.

He would just wear his
slippers and we would just

go and come back after
an hour, going around

on hills around Pune.

That point, I didn't realize.

At the age of 18 and
19, I didn't realize.

Oh, I asked my Tata.

He came.

What's the big deal?

You take it for granted.

Now, you realize the amount of
trust he had in my driving--

the amount implicit trust.

The fact that he would
take his time out.

Nowadays, at the age
of 38, and I work,

and I help around the institute.

And I have a kid and
I know how busy it is.

An hour is a big
deal in my life.

But at that time, for Guruji
to spend an hour of his life

every Saturday, Sunday, just
so that I can have my fancy

and drive around Pune,
that's unbelievable.

Nowadays, we find it
very difficult. One thing,

if we do it.

Another thing, we say
[INAUDIBLE] I can't come.

But he used to practice, take
the classes, come to the shops,

and we used to dine
together always.

Those Small Pleasures
in life, you know?

That he used to be
in one day and he

was to participate
very enthusiastically.

He used to watch
television-- cricket matches.

He used to come with us
on long drives or picnics.

He used to play games with us.

All games he used to enjoy--

football, hockey, cricket.

And Gilli Danda, you know?

That Gilli Danda.

He used to play with
us when we were young.

He was always a sportsman.

Basically, he was a
sportsman in that way--

the yoga he took.

Actually, nobody guided him to
play any sports or anything.

He was very fond of cricket.

That is why the radio
came to our house to list

to the commentaries.

I remember it was the
Champion's Trophy final,

I guess--

India versus England.

Last time, India won the
Champion's Trophy in England.

So we were watching it in Pune.

And everybody had gone to sleep.

We were the only peoples awake.

The match went on til
12:30 or 1:00 our time.

India won the match and
we were watching that.

Not only cricket--
football, especially.

Local football is something
we used to watch together.

And the last finals
one month ago

was the first finals
that in around--

after five straight finals,
I did not watch with Guruji--

'98 to 2018.

So it was a little emotional
watching the match alone.

Watching Investigative
detective shows on TV

on a Friday or Saturday night,
accompanied by cold coffee

is something he used to love.

Every Friday night, it's
going to be a cold coffee

night.

So myself and Hadid, my husband,
we used to make cold coffee.

We give him, and he would
say, oh, it's too strong,

Da, It's too light, Da.

Little less sugar.

Little more sugar.

The blend is a little less.

You should do this more.

You should take this
kind of a vessel.

Many multiple instructions.

He had this thing about
creating your dishes.

Put honey in this, and
mix this with that,

and see how it tastes.

So that was a lot of fun.

Simple things like festivals
he used to enjoy a lot.

So we used to prepare
this [INAUDIBLE],,

like the Diwali snacks.

He was to enjoy all of it.

He used to eat heartily.

He used to make us
also eat heartily.

At the end of the course,
there would always be a big

meal essentially
sponsored by the family.

All my aunts, my mother,
all of them would cook.

We didn't have any kitchen.

The highlight would be that
there is some fruit salad.

Fruit salad was
like an specialty.

And we'd all sit in
the hall downstairs.

And Guruji would insist
on us serving everybody.

He would make sure everybody
took a second helping,

third helping.

And I remember that he gave
me so many jalebis to eat.

I kept putting them on my plate.

I really had a hard
time finishing them.

But because Guruji had given
them, it was like Prasad,

you have to eat them.

So I really ate all of it.

And it was-- my stomach
was probably also hurting.

So he smiled.

I told him that's
too much for me.

So he just smiled and
said, go out to the hall

and do some [INAUDIBLE],,
and everything will be fine.

And I did it.

And believe me,
actually, it helped.

It really helped me
digest all those jalebis.

So in him I found this
father figure-- very caring,

very generous, very, very warm--

full of love, full of affection.

So I was amazed to see how
this man could be at the same

time a guru, a
yogi, a [INAUDIBLE],,

a father for his children,
a grandfather for his

grandchildren, a teacher
for his students,

and an amazing friend.

He was my very good friend.

He was my guru.

He was my everything.

He was for me like father.

[NON-ENGLISH SPEECH]

She's like my daughter, so
you have to look after her.

[NON-ENGLISH SPEECH]

You felt such a deep
connection with him.

It was surprising
how many people

said this over and over again.

I don't know anybody else who
connects with people like that.

I've never met anyone
who has that ability.

Because one of hi main
quality is that he was not

at all selfish.

Not at all.

What's not to like about him?

I really don't understand.

He focused things very easily.

The moment you fight with
him, the next moment he just

forgets.

We had a heated
argument, myself and Guruji,

regarding our trust
activities only.

I was travelling from Bellur
and he called me over phone.

I was in the car only.

We both had a heated
argument over the phone.

And in the family, everybody
was [INAUDIBLE] Pone

what will happen?

[INAUDIBLE] argue
over phone itself.

Then after five minutes,
he had called me

again laughing and enjoying.

I have not seen
anybody like that.

My ego comes into my way.

I tell you, you
fought with me, right?

So let me be angry
for some time,

and I'm not going to talk
to you for some time.

Let me be.

It's not-- it's never
the same with him.

Even in his
most angry moments,

he would waggle his eyebrows
a little bit at you,

and there would be that
twinkle in his eye,

even while he was reprimanding.

It can happen even when
he's calling you in a class,

or it can happen when
he's pulling your leg.

But, he used to have a twinkle
on the side of his glance.

And he was just--

and used to smile a certain way.

He saw one of his
students, Dr. [INAUDIBLE],,

sort of walk into the hallway.

Then he said,
[NON-ENGLISH SPEECH]..

That means, I'm going
to have some fun.

So now, [INAUDIBLE] is
a student of Guruji.

And he take everything
that Guruji says seriously.

So Guruji called
him and says, oh,

do you know that you
are leaning on one side?

So whether he was
leaning or not,

he thought that if
Guruji's saying something,

then it must be true.

So he says, yes sir.

So he says, OK, you know why?

He says, no sir, expecting
Guruji to tell him

how he was-- his
weight was going

on to one side or
something like that.

And then he says, see
when you were shaving,

you have cut your
mustache at one end.

It is cut more than the other,
and that's why you are leaning.

I can guarantee you
that his sense of humor was

unbelievable.

His zest for life, living
life to the fullest,

was unbelievable and you can
see some good photographers

have captured that--

the sheer openness.

He's just in the
moment laughing.

Guruji's laugh was beautiful.

It was like a child.

He would love wholeheartedly.

No doubt.

He used to crack
jokes, play pranks.

And those jokes were cutting.

They were timely, they're apt.

[INAUDIBLE] was
taking a class,

and what we did was we had like
a prank planned, essentially.

So in the beginning of
the class, there were--

prayers were there, looking on.

All the prayers-- probably,
we're saying the prayers.

And while he was
doing that, one of us

just went and kept a
water balloon behind him.

And we thought he'd get
up and he'd get all wet,

and it'd be a lot of fun.

For some reason, that was a
very funny thing at the time.

And he didn't.

He just didn't move
far enough or whatever.

The balloon was in its place.

And we hadn't notice Guruji
had just entered the class

and he had seen this.

We had no idea.

We were sitting in the class.

We were saying our prayers.

And he saw that the
prank hadn't worked,

so he walked all
the way to Pandu.

He said, hey,
Pandu, what is this?

And he pushed him back.

And that was hilarious.

And I remembered
Guruji on his veranda,

on his own little terrace.

And it was [INAUDIBLE].

And he was waiting for the
kids to come out of the class.

So the kids come
out of the class,

and Guruji threw the
water and drenched them.

And the shrieks and laughter.

And Guruji was laughing,
like real laughter.

So that was one of the
first kind of interaction,

seeing him with kids.

He could gel with
people of any age.

So with my baby, or with any
baby, he would play with them,

bring a smile on their
faces, or make them--

even when the baby couldn't
speak, the baby would respond.

In his hands [INAUDIBLE].

Yeah.

He held you as a wee baby.

And he just picked
[INAUDIBLE] up.

And his hands were so
sure and so steady.

And he looked into
the small baby's face,

and he just said, yes sir,
you have seen many lifetimes.

And which one are you in now?

When I look back at
photographs of Guruji with

my daughter, it does
something to me.

I don't know.

I can't pick think of
a word to say what.

So I still remember the
day that I walked home

with the baby in my
hand from the hospital.

And Guruji was sitting,
and he was the first person

I handed out the baby to.

And Guruji fondling the baby,
still I vividly remember that.

So after she grew
up a little bit,

my father would
bring her every day

to the institute, where
Guruji was either in the class

or in the practice.

So Guruji would very playfully
would love, cajole her, or put

her on some prop and make
her slide down the prop.

As my children grew up, I
think they grew up to think

they had three grandfathers--

two were their
biological grandfathers,

and the other was Guruji,
who they would look forward

to coming and
meeting on occasions.

And you know, he would be kind
of fooling around with them,

chuckling away, asking
them little questions.

So they were very happy
to interact with him,

and they didn't think that
he was a big man, or even

a grown man.

I remember times when my
children would put their--

my son, he would put his arms
around his neck and swing

on his back.

I remember, I have memories
of playing with him outside

in the courtyard
of the Institute.

And we'd be jumping on
him, and he'd play with us.

And I remember him
smiling and laughing.

Guruji, as far as I remember,
was the most lovable older man

that we knew.

When I was 11 and I
had joined the institute

in the children's class,
which my mom, Kathy,

was taking and teaching
with [INAUDIBLE]..

So this was essentially the
first children's class that

they had in Pune.

And Guruji would come
into our classes on a Sunday

morning.

I think he enjoyed being
in the children's classes.

We didn't recognize him
to be our guru at the time.

He was just someone who was fun,
who would come into our class

and bounce us about.

We used to often be bribed
with five star chocolates

to do certain asanas.

And he said, you think
you're a five star, huh?

You think you're a five star.

And he gave me this chocolate.

So I think we had a very
relaxed relationship with Guruji

in those days.

It was so much fun.

Different, because Guruji
was different with the kids.

And there was a lot of
laughter and nonsense.

And also, Guruji
knew that if you--

children, there's a
different mindset.

You can't [INAUDIBLE] to stay
in a pose for 10 minutes.

They're just going to get bored.

So he devised a new set of--

and a new way of teaching.

It was more dynamic,
more active,

to keep kids like us more
interested and not get bored.

We had other teachers
taking the classes,

but when Guruji used to come,
it was always a special day.

And often, when he used
to come, he didn't really

announce his coming.

He'd sort of sneakily
come in the back, hiding.

And slowly, some boy would see
that Guruji is in the class,

in the hall.

And slowly, the whisper
used to go around.

Guruji's here.

Guruji's here.

And suddenly, everybody's
poses are 100 times better,

because they all know
that he is there.

Oftentimes, even if
somebody else was taking it,

if Pandu was taking it, he would
just come in, halfway through

the class, and be
standing in the corner.

And as soon as he entered
the class, all of us

knew that, OK, now this
was going to be fun.

As soon as he would
take over-- immediately,

he would take over.

He would let Pandu
or whoever teach,

and he would say, hey,
that's not the way to teach.

That's not the way to do it.

Come, I'll show you.

And then onwards, it
was tremendous fun.

Very, very-- he would be
two steps ahead of us.

He would ask-- he
would do things.

He would say names of
asanas, or he would do it,

and we had to follow.

And it was extremely
fast and a lot of fun.

We would always
enjoy these classes.

I give full credit to Guruji
for highlighting that fact,

that teaching is almost--

it's a science, and one needs to
have many tools, many methods,

to be able to communicate with
people who are all different.

The thing that Guruji always
taught us is not to teach

anything that you
don't understand.

And so, one of the things that
he gave us, as well as practice

for just our life, is
practice for our teaching.

When I was not
really a teacher,

my teacher in San Diego had
asked me to substitute classes

for another teacher who was
pregnant and not feeling well

at that time.

So I had taught
two classes, maybe.

And it was at this
time that Guruji

was in San Diego
after a convention.

And he came to our center.

And it was so funny, because
he asked all of the teachers

to teach in front of him.

And if you have any memory of
teaching in front of Guruji,

sometimes you could get
four or five words out

before he'd stop you
and make a correction.

So he went through all
the teachers in San Diego.

And he put his
hands on his hips,

and he turned to my
teacher and said,

don't you have anybody else?

And my teacher turned to me
and said, well, there's Mary.

So Guruji said, teach.

Teach something.

So I taught [INAUDIBLE] asana.

And the students, they
weren't putting their heels

down on their back leg.

I'm saying, put your heel down.

Press your heel down.

Stamp your heel down.

And inside my head, I was
saying, please, please, please

put your heel down, because
Guruji is watching me.

And Guruji interrupted
and said, do you

want me to tell you
how to tell them?

I said, yes sir.

Thank god.

And he turned
around very quickly,

and he said, unlatch
your heel to the floor.

There was a thud in the
room as 50 heels went down

to the floor.

And he turned to me and
he said, [INAUDIBLE]..

When Patricia Walden and I
went to Pune to ask Guruji what

we're going to do when
he is no more, he said,

when you practice, practice
with honesty and integrity.

And when you're teaching,
observe your students.

The way I teach,
what I teach,

how I teach is directly
influenced by Guruji.

Guruji really gave us a way
of communicating the subject

to other people.

He had such a profound
effect on our senior teachers,

who since the early
'70s trained with him.

He was not able to come
to South Africa because

of political reasons,
but they went

to Mauritius to train with him,
to Swaziland to train with him.

And they had such a close
relationship with him.

To watch him teach
from country to country,

which I was lucky enough
to do several times.

He would even change his
very mode or perspective

to reach the audience
that was in front of him.

Not so much to draw them to
him, because he was belief,

I honestly think, was
not in his own abilities,

but in his belief
in the subject which

he had given his life over to.

Even if you don't
know about Iyengar Yoga,

you're doing Iyengar Yoga,
because it has spread around

the world everywhere.

And no matter where
I go and who teaches,

I find that the Iyengar method
is so rooted in tradition

and discipline that instructions
remain constant and simple

and precise.

I remember a time we're
in a sort tiny little--

a small town in North Carolina,
in the deep south in America.

And I happened to know
a Iyengar studio--

a studio with one of the
teachers in Iyengar's class,

and I went to it.

And it was the same thing.

You know, same thing you
do in Pune, same thing you

do in London, same thing
you do in Cambridge.

It's everywhere.

It's like, in England when
I go, it's in America.

I know studios that
I can just walk in,

and it feels like home.

We are worldwide.

We are renowned for the healing
capacity of Iyengar Yoga.

So even in Germany,
where I am from,

there are two big
university hospitals.

They just do research
work on yoga.

[NON-ENGLISH SPEECH]

Six years ago, I was able to
open my own Iyengar Yoga center

in San Marcos, the
community where I live.

I opened the Iyengar Yoga
institutes of Birmingham

in 2002.

[NON-ENGLISH SPEECH]

In 1988, the Japanese Iyengar
Yoga Association was found with

only seven members.

Now, there are about 120
Iyengar Yoga teachers in Japan.

[NON-ENGLISH SPEECH]

[NON-ENGLISH SPEECH]

Our studio was
dedicated to Iyengar Yoga.

And we started building up
quite a few student base.

And that little
studio became a hub

of Iyengar Yoga [INAUDIBLE].

The yoga community in
Glasgow is growing all the time.

So we now have
some new teachers.

We now have a far
bigger pool of people

who are studding
all the time there.

I don't know that Guruji
intended to unite the world

in that way when she started
practicing as a young boy.

But when you
practice Iyengar Yoga,

you never feel lonely or lost,
because you know that wherever

you go, there is a Iyengar
Yoga teacher and other

practitioners.

And you meet people who
share the same values

and have the same views.

I feel Guruji's art has
brought people together,

not only in Birmingham,
but all over the world.

And sometimes Guruji calls
us my children in the field

of yoga.

So I know I have beautiful
sisters and brothers

all around the world.

Everyone is like a branch and
flower and leaves from all over

the world to spread Iyengar Yoga
knowledge all over the world.

And another joy has been
to be part of that community,

to be part of these
like minded people--

what we share in common.

And the complete sense
of devastation and loss

that community felt when Mr.
Iyengar died, when Guruji died,

was just so overwhelming.

It was almost curious that
somebody who lived so far away

could have that
influence in people.

And everyone felt
entirely bereft.

He has helped
millions of people,

and people who have
different lives.

He was open to expand
and pass his knowledge

to everybody.

He didn't make difference
at all who you were.

He love everybody.

He never had any
discrimination about anybody's

social background,
economic background.

And then he said, I
welcome every student of yoga.

And I feel that
every person needs

to make a beginning somewhere.

Guruji's yoga has
taught me how to be--

how to sit, how just
stand, how to walk,

how to run, how to eat, how
to sleep, how to observe,

and how to absorb.

It satisfies me creatively--
the joy of exploring,

and learning new things,
and trying new things.

And the reason I can
continue to be a photographer,

carry those heavy backpacks,
and movement is because I do

Iyengar Yoga.

[NON-ENGLISH SPEECH]

It was due to Guruji
that I was able to walk.

It was to due to
Guruji that I was

able to put off having back
surgery for over 40 years.

I'm a different person.

I got new legs.

I got new spine.

Through doing this forward
bending, headband wrapping,

slow Iyengar Yoga
rehabilitation process,

we've managed to bring these
headaches under control within

the first two months of
my two brain surgeries.

Today, Iyengar Yoga has
become indispensable for me.

With my medical limitations, I
have learned to live happily.

This was a type of yoga
that I would be able to do

into my golden years.

And since my golden years
are right around the corner,

and here I am, still
doing Iyengar Yoga.

At the ripe age of 60,
I am doing Sirsasana and--

I don't know-- six minutes
every day for a long time.

[NON-ENGLISH SPEECH]

And if I stick to what he has
taught and what he's developed,

I will find my way.

So whatever I am today,
or whatever I am doing,

it's only and only
because of Guruji.

So about his legacy, is what
one is that is his legacy.

What he has made us,
that is his legacy.

And that is what we
are carrying with us.

And he said, as long
as mine students can give

their students a taste of the
sensitivity alertness that

I'm giving you all--

as long as that's there,
this will live on.

29 years later,
I'm grandmother,

and I'm still practicing and
learning from the teachings

of this extraordinary man.

His legacy lives on through
the generations of my family.

[NON-ENGLISH SPEECH]

So he has left behind us a
boon for humanity with all his

research and application in the
field of yoga to heal the human

body and mind.

So I think it is up
to us to use it now.

We also have the
responsibility to keep

on spreading his teaching
and the values he wanted

to promote.

And to help other people to
understand how important it is

to make the proper asanas with
guidance, with understanding,

with alignment.

His fantastic success lies
now for us as a foundation

to build upon further.

So we must pass on to
the next generation for them

to continue Guruji's legacy.

And that's why we
continue to teach.

That's why we want to give.

We want to help people the way
he helped, the way he taught.

Because this is what
we're supposed to do--

to continue, to let go, show.

Plant the seed so
that everybody can

see that Guruji is not dead.

Guruji is only, as he said--

I'm only going to
change my clothes.

I am not going anywhere.

I'm only going to
change my clothes.

Every aspect of my
life is linked with him--

whether I sleep, whether I
eat, whether I practice yoga.

Everywhere, Guruji is with me.

So I am lucky.

I was very lucky to have
been in and around him--

not just in the institute during
the classes or during practice,

but also at home, because each--
now that he's no longer there,

each memory that I have of him
is a valuable thing for me now.

Guruji is never far from us.

He's certainly
never far from me.

He's always there on my mat.

And those lessons and
the tools that he gave

continue to evolve.

And for that, I'm
eternally grateful.

And he really tuned in and
made us understand that his

method wasn't his method--

that he was teaching
yoga, and that we

were calling it Iyengar Yoga.

And that it was something
greater than him.

And then what he taught
us is something so much

greater than all of us.

We can practice,
and go on in our life,

and follow the path so that
maybe one day his sentence,

may my end be your
beginning, may be true.

I always thought of
Guruji's teaching as rainfall.

It was a downpour, and
whoever was lucky enough

to be in that field,
received that.

So he never chose,
or he never selected,

that he would teach this
person and not that person.

So whoever was there
just received it.

So it is the--

the onus is upon
each one of us who

was received that
rainfall to keep it alive

and to pass it on
as [INAUDIBLE]..

If you are practicing
yoga, do not get carried away,

but continue.

The light will come on its own.

The fruit will fall to the
ground when it is ripe.

Is it not?

We are practicing yoga.

So as we practicing,
the fruit has

to come when the body and the
mind is right for it to fall.

Then that is known
as self-realisation.

Because you have to
tend to the tree.

You have to look up to the
tree for the fruit to come.

So also, you have to look after
the body and the mind, which

are the tree of the soul, which
are the branches of the soul.

So they have to
be looked after so

that the essence
may come out and you

drink the essence of the soul.

[MUSIC PLAYING]