Wisdom from B.K.S. Iyengar

I was taking time today to re-read some of Mr. Iyengar's wise words and hopefully absorb any amount into my intelligence.  Even though I have read similar articles by Mr. Iyengar I felt drawn to write on this article today because some days are harder not to get drawn out by the external world.  It can be hard to move inward with so much going on externally.  Taking time to sit, breath and try to slowly read and absorb, even a few paragraphs at a time helps me to re-focus and move inward - at least a little bit.  The below quotes are from Yoga Rahasya, vol.18, no. 3, 2011.

Mr. Iyengar said in his speech during the China - India Yoga Summit, "The beauty of yoga is that it covers art, it covers science and it covers philosophy and all three aspects are completely free from any demarcations.  They are infinite.  Yoga uses the body as an agent to culture the mind so that the body and mind becomes the agent to culture the intelligence and when the intelligence is cultured then intelligence is one with the wisdom of the self ."

Mr. Iyengar explains how Patanjali presented yoga to cover the art of living, how to culture the self through the five sheaths of the body and through perception.  "Yoga acts like a science, like an investigating instrument to research from the skin to the self from the self to the skin and then takes one towards the spiritual health."

Mr. Iyengar said, "The mind is attracted by the senses towards the objects of the world and when the same mind takes a U turn it moves towards the Self."

How do we help the mind make this U-turn?

Mr. Iyengar gives us help by saying, "Our practice diverts the movements of the mind, which come in contact with the external world though the senses towards the internal world, the intelligence and the consciousness."

By practicing the 8 limbs of yoga written down by Patanjali we will penetrate inward to uncover a vibrant body and mind.

To end, "The integration of the physical body, with the physiological body, integration of these two  with the mental body and the intellectual body and all these four are agents of the self become one with the self.  That is what yoga is meant for and that is why we practice yoga.

Namaste and much gratitude to Guruji and the Iyengar family and teachers.
Pamela Nelson
www.plnyoga.blogspot.com