The Lion of Pune

Certified Iyengar Yoga Teacher and poet Hilary Phillips of Flesherton ON, penned these words to honour B.K.S. Iyengar.

For fifteen years in a very small town,
I’ve been teaching yoga to old and to young.
Not just ‘any yoga’ you understand,
B.K.S. Iyengar style at his command.
What is the difference many will ask,
Why the name and what is the task?

The difference lies in the brilliance of one,
Who made his name famous through a lifetime long.
It is all in the method devised by a man
Who developed a teaching style based on a plan,
Of attention to detail, and deep concentration
To help students learn a bodily meditation.

He taught words to express when to contract or to lengthen,
He taught when to soften, release, twist or to strengthen.
He developed a style that spread overseas,
He was determined that students should lift up their knees.
He wanted students to determine when the body aligned
With a shape that had precision placed well in their minds.

Soon many students and teachers were attending in Pune
In the hope to learn deeply and become knowledgeable sooner.
They struggled with instructions not easy to follow,
But as each day passed they looked forward to tomorrow.
When the month had passed by and they returned home,
Their heads were filled up with much knowledge to burn.

The teachers increased and the students were many,
There was barely a country that did not have any.
The name B.K.S. Iyengar spread far and wide,
And certified teachers held that calling with pride.
So we lift up our hearts and are grateful to HIM,
The Lion of Pune is still living within!