BKS IYENGAR FOREWORD BY YEHUDI MENUHIN The a • g on An Easy-to-follow Version of the Classic Introduction to Yoga 'Mr Iyengar's Light on Yoga has, since it was first published over 25 years ago, enabled many to follow his example ... This new concise edition wi ll brin g the basic art of yoga to a much w ider audience and will enable it to be practised at the very highest leveL' Yehudi Menuhin The JIIustrated Light on Yog a is a straightforward and comprehensive introduction for the beginner by the acknowledged expert on the subject. Illustrated throughout with 150 photographs carefully positioned in the relevant part of the text for easy reference , it includes : An introduction to the philosophy and practice of yoga Detailed descriptions of 57 key postures • Techniques for stilling the mind through breathing exercises A 3S-week course progressing from beginner to intermediate level • A full glossary of yoga terms BKS Iyengar has been teaching and demon strating yoga for more than 50 years. He has several million students and has established centres all over the world. RS.250 _ For sale in the Indian subcontinent on ly The Illustrated Light on Yoga B. K. S. Iyengar's classic book Lighton Yoga is a comprehensive introduction to yoga with detailed descriptions of over 200 postures (asanas) and 14 breathing exercises (pranayamas). This book, TheIllustrated LightonYoga, introduces 57 key asanas and provides a brief summary of pranayama. The book is illustrated throughout with photographs positioned in the relevant part of the text. The student can, therefore, practise a posture without the aid of a teacher. An Appendix provides an asana course for the continuing student. TheIllustrated Lighton Yoga is a comprehensive yet straightforward introduction for the beginner by the acknowledged expert on the subject. By the same author: LIGHT ON YOGA LIGHT ON PRAN A Y AM A LIGHT ON THE YOGA SUTRAS OF PATANJALI THE TREE OF YOGA THE ILLUSTRATED Yoga Dipika B. K. S. IYENGAR Foreword by Yehudi Menuhin HarperCollins..Publishers India a joint ­venture with II New Delhi lIarp.."tColhns , "" has 1n.1t~ a IOU1! venture lt lth 111 lnd ra T y ( if( up !'oy arrang eme nt with llarpcrColbns Pu blr. he t .' Luntted FIl10t pub lished !'oy George ..\lI en &. I 'nwin 19 ,(, Jh is abridged edition Ii r~ll'll hl i ,h ed as Tlw ( ' oll clJ<·I .,~ h t nn r og<l hy I 'nwin I'ap erha e~ 19l\O I argc format edilll,n lirsl pub lished by the \" llanan Pre" 199.1 Th orsons edition 19')S / First I'u!'olished in IndIO, hv Il.lrp."tCollin< Pubhshers Indiu I')') Copynglll Ii... r c Allen &. \ 'n\\ 111 l'uhh.h f') lid 1%1>. 191>• • 197(.,1980 B K S Iy·,'tlg.u ~t> the moral n ghi 10 he Ilknillied 'lhe aulh,'r ofthis wor], All n !!h~ reserved ~o tun flhl' puhhQli, I tn3~ be r","11 uced, . I cd 111 .1 retn ' \ ';1 1sy'Inn. transauned. IIIm y orm hy anv 11\':~ns . el nromc, m•cham ca1.phI " \ 1111;- rec nlmg therwtsc, \\ uh ou; til.: prior permu I n the ruh1i"'...... lIarl' r(' ullins Pub/ull.m 1,\ Hamilton 1I0u",. 'onna ughl Place, ~ \\ Delhi 110 OO\. India • 5 Fulham Palace Road, I ndon we. lOB. lnued Kingdom Hazelton J lll.:.s. 5 Avenue Roa d, SUI1 " ~ 9 0 0 . " ronto, Ontario M R JL2 undl ~N :-'Iarl.ham Road. Scarbor ough, Ont.lI '" :-'11 B S:-'Ill. Canada 2S Rvde Road . 1')111 bk • ydncy, ~ S W 207J. •\ ustralia 1 1 VIe" Road . Glenfield, Auckl and 10. ~e\\ 1.:"I,,,,u 10 F."I 5.l,u Street, :'-i.:\\ York . ·Y 10022, I . i\ Printed and hound .11 r horns" n I',es,; (lndi..) I ttl DEDI CAT ED T O MY R EV ERED G URuJi Samkya -yoga-Sikllllmm.li; Yeda-kesari; Vedlilltavagisa; Nyriyriclllirya ; Mimrimsa-rat/ HI ; lvllmrimsa-tllirtlzn Professor, Srlman , T. Krishnarnacharya of Myso re (South India), India r PRAYER 'I bow before the noblest of sages, Patanjali, who brought serenity of mind by his work on yoga, clarity of speech by his work on grammar and purity of body by his work on medicine.' 'I salute Adisvara (the Primeval Lord Siva) who taught first the science of Hatha Yoga - a science that stands out as a ladder for those who wish to scale the heights of Raja Yoga.' Contents page FOREWORD BY YEHUDI MENUHIN xi PREFACE xili Part I: What is Yoga? 1 The Stages of Yoga 3 Part II: Yogasanas 37 Hints and Cautions 37 Technique and Effects of Asanas 41 Part HI: Pranayama 117 Hints and Cautions 117 Technique and Effects of Pranayama 123 APPENDIX: ASANA COURSES 131 TAB LEO F A SAN AS 139 GLOSSARY 141 INTERN A TION ALA DDRESSE S 157 IN DEX 159 Foreword by Yehudi Menuhin The practice of Yoga induces a primary sense of measure and pro­ portion. Reduced to our own body, our first instrument, we learn to play it, drawing from it maximum resonance and harmony. With unflagging patience we refine and animate every cell as we return daily to the attack, unlocking and liberating capacities otherwise condemned to frus­ tration and death. Each unfulfilled area of tissue and nerve, of brain or lung, is a chal­ lenge to our will and integrity, or otherwise a source of frustration and death. Whoever has had the privilege of receiving Mr Iyengar's atten­ tion, or of witnessing the precision, refinement and beauty of his art, is introduced to that vision of perfection and innocence which is man as first created - unarmed, unashamed, son of God, lord of creation ­ in the Garden of Eden. The tree of knowledge has indeed yielded much fruit of great vanety, sweet, poisonous, bitter, wholesome according to our use of it. But is it not more imperative than ever that we cultivate the tree, that we nourish its roots? The practice of Yoga over the past thirty years has convinced me that most of our fundamental attitudes to life have their physical counter­ parts in the body. Thus comparison and criticism must begin with the alignment of our own left and right sides to a degree at which even finer adjustments are feasible: or strength of will may cause us to start by stretching the body from the toes to the top of the head in defiance of gravity. Impetus and ambition might begin with the sense of weight and speed that comes with free-swinging limbs, instead of the control of prolonged balance on foot, feet or hands, which gives poise. Tenacity is gained by stretching in various Yoga postures for minutes at a time, while calmness comes with quiet, consistent breathing and the expan­ sion of the lungs. Continuity and a sense of the universal come with the knowledge of the inevitable alternation of tension and relaxation in eternal rhythms of which each inhalation and exhalation constitutes one cycle, wave or vibration among the countless myriads which are the universe. What is the alternative? Thwarted, warped people condemning the order of things, cripples criticizing the upright, autocrats slumped in expectant coronary attitudes, the tragic spectacle of people working out their own imbalance and frustration on others. xii Foreword Yoga, as practised by Mr Iyengar, is the dedicated votive offering of a man who brings himself to the altar, alone and clean in body and mind, focussed in attention and will, offering in simplicity and innocence not a burnt sacrifice, but simply himself raised to his own highest potential. It is a technique ideally suited to prevent physical and mental illness and to protect the body generally, developing an inevitable sense of self-reliance and assurance. By its very nature it is inextricably associated with universal laws: respect for life, truth, and patience are all indispens­ able factors in the drawing of a quiet breath, in calmness of mind and firmness of will. In this lie the moral virtues inherent in Yoga. For these reasons it demands a complete and total effort, involving and forming the whole human being. No mechanical repetition is involved and no lip-service as in the case of good resolutions or formal prayers. By its very nature it is each time and every moment a living act. Mr Iyengar's Light on Yoga has, since it was first published in 1966, enabled many to follow his example and become teachers to carryon his work. I was glad at the time to share in its presentation and I wel­ come this new concise edition equally enthusiastically. It will bring the basic art of Yoga to a much wider audience and will enable it to be practised at the very highest level. London, 1980 Preface It is only thanks to the persistent encouragement of my devoted friends and pupils that this book is now achieved - for alone I would have repeatedly faltered not only because of my inadequate command of the English language but because I would have lost heart without their buoyant support and assurance. Yoga is a timeless pragmatic science evolved over thousands of years dealing with the physical, moral, mental and spiritual well-being of man as a whole. The first took to systematize this practice was the classic treatise the Yoga Sutras (or Aphorisms) of Patarijali dating from 200 Be. Unfortu­ nately most of the books published on Yoga in our day have been unworthy of both the subject and its first great exponent, as they are superficial, popular and at times misleading. I have even been asked by their readers whether I can drink acid, chew glass, walk through fire, make myself invisible or perform other magical acts.