B.K.S. Iyengar Quotes

Know your capacities and continually improve upon them.

Change leads to disappointment if it is not sustained. Transformation is sustained change, and it is achieved through practice.

The hardness of a diamond is part of its usefulness, but its true value is in the light that shines through it.

Asana is perfect firmness of body, steadiness of intelligence, and benevolence of spirit.

Confidence, clarity and compassion are essential qualities of a teacher.

Any action done with beauty and purity, and in complete harmony of body, mind and soul, is Art.

If you practice yoga every day with perseverance, you will be able to face the turmoil of life with steadiness and maturity.

Do not stop trying just because perfection eludes you.

We can rise above our limitations, only once we recognize them.

There is no difference in souls, only the ideas about ourselves that we wear.

It is not yoga that injures, but the way one does yoga that leads to injury.

Spirituality is not some external goal that one must seek, but a part of the divine core of each of us, which we must reveal.

Asanas penetrate deep into each layer of the body and ultimately into the consciousness itself.

I pick what are my priorities and I limit those priorities to less than five in my life and really in those particular areas put in the energy to try to make good choices.

There is a universal reality in ourselves that aligns us with a universal reality that is everywhere.

Firmness in the body leads to firmness in the nervous system.

As long as the body is not in perfect health, you think about it, and that prevents you from thinking of the mind. The sound mind is a sound body.

Savasana is being without was, being without will be. It is being without anyone who is.

Yoga is more than physical. It is cellular, mental, intellectual and spiritual-it involves man in his entire being

Yoga teaches us to cure what need not be endured and endure what cannot be cured.

Illuminated emancipation, freedom, unalloyed and untainted bliss await you, but you have to choose to embark on the Inward Journey to discover it

We need sound bodies so we can develop sound minds.

When the restlessness of the mind, intellect and self is stilled through the practice of Yoga, the yogi by the grace of the Spirit within himself finds fulfillment.

Do not allow past experiences to be imprinted on your mind. Perform asana each time with a fresh mind and with a fresh approach.

Knowledge of yoga is no substitute for practice.

The practice of asanas purges the body of its impurities, bringing strength, firmness, calm, and clarity of mind.

We are a little piece of continual change, looking at an infinite quantity of continual change.

An intellectual mind that is unconnected to the heart is an uncultivated mind.

The yogi cannot be afraid to die, because he has brought life to every cell of his body. We are afraid to die, because we are afraid we have not lived. The yogi has lived.

Practice doing yoga with an innocent mind. Then, you will be able to cognize the things happening in your body

Willpower is nothing but willingness to do.

Without the accurate spine movement, one can't exist dynamically.

When I stretch, I stretch in such a way that my awareness moves, and a gate of awareness finally opens.

The ultimate goal of yoga is to realize the brilliance of your soul.

Fear and fatigue block the mind. Face both, then courage and confidence flows into you.

Yoga is effort. Only practice is important. The rest of knowledge is only theory.

When the mind is controlled and still what remains is the soul

Asanas maintain the strength and health of the body, without which little progress can be made. Asanas keep the body in harmony with nature

After a session of yoga, the mind becomes tranquil and passive.

The pose begins when you want to leave it.

Yoga allows you to rediscover a sense of wholeness in your life.

Yoga has to be done with the intellect of the head as well as the intellect of the heart

During inhalation, the breath should move exactly like clouds spreading in the sky.

The aim of yoga is to calm the chaos of conflicting impulses.

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.

Choosing is a creative process, one through which we construct our environment, our lives, ourselves.

The expansion of choice has become an explosion of choice.

Without education, confidence does not come.

Yoga allows you to rediscover a sense of wholeness in your life, where you do not feel like you are constantly trying to fit broken pieces together.

Willpower is concrete, not ethereal. When you do something, you demonstrate your willpower, and it becomes all the easier to have the same power of will the next time.