He would simply demand a posture and leave it to me or his other students to figure out how it could be realized. He did not instruct me as I do my students, offering them step-by-step guidance in an asana. In fact my own Guru refused to answer any of my innocent inquiries on yoga. When I began yoga, there was, I am sorry to say, no wise, kind teacher to lead me. Today you also have the benefit of many gifted yoga teachers. What held good for me will hold good for you too. I literally emerged from darkness to light, from mortal sickness to health, from crude ignorance to immersion in the ocean of knowledge by one means alone, namely by zealous persistence in the art and science of yoga practice (sadhana). After much time and effort, I began to reach somewhere. I am a man who started from nowhere I was heavily disadvantaged in many ways. Many of you may worry that you are unable to meet the challenges that lie ahead. Just as they reached Self-Realization, so may we. They are great inspirational figures whose example is there to be followed.

They are not film stars, mere idols of adulation. Krishna, Buddha, and Jesus lie in the hearts of all. It is this: By persistent and sustained practice, anyone and everyone can make the yoga journey and reach the goal of illumination and freedom. If this book is to lay any claim to authenticity, it must make one point clear above all others. Iyengar shows how yoga can improve our lives in many practical and life-changing ways. Beyond the physical benefits that have drawn millions to the practice, Mr. Light on Life conveys his discoveries from a lifetime of intensive yoga practice, study, and teaching, and explains the role that yoga postures and breathing techniques play in our search for wholeness, the external and internal obstacles that keep us from progressing along the path, and how yoga can help us live in harmony with the world around us. Iyengar says, the potential for enlightenment lies in the heart of every person and the yogic journey will illuminate the path. One of the world's masters of yoga invites both those new to yoga and those who are experienced practitioners on an inward journey designed to in-crease their physical health, emotional vitality, mental clarity, intellectual wisdom, and spiritual bliss.

Light on life iyengar