At 9am sharp we entered the gate of the Ramamani Iyengar Memorial Yoga Institute in Pune, and our visit couldn’t start any better as we directly ran into Guruji B.K.S. Iyengar, who was in a great mood.
He let us attend his 2 and half hours of self practice in the main shala. We were emotionally touched by the unity and harmony emanating from him when he sets into his poses. His body, mind and soul are just one. Asana, pranayama and meditation become one – it was so obvious when watching him.
The institute closing over lunch time, we came back at 3pm for a photo shoot and an interview with B.K.S. Iyengar. Every day from 2:30pm onwards he sits in his library reading books and doing his correspondence. For the portrait photo Coni chose a spot near the entrance, drawing the attention of people passing by and stopping to show respect to Guruji. Extremely focused on taking the best shot, Coni didn’t even notice the crowd gathering behind his back: “ah, there were many people on my backside? I did not realize!”.
Afterwards, we went back to the library with Guruji, where we had a coffee while interviewing him for nearly 1 hour. We realized the greatness of his achievements and how unique his approach is, which he developed after he left his guruji Krishnamacharya. His yoga is a quest to the ultimate understanding of the body and emotions down to the cell level. This is why he can utilize his Iyengar yoga style to cure people after heavy injuries, and why he can push people beyond their limits, as he knows where the real limits are.
Before the day found its end, we watched a session conducted by his daughter, Geeta, who has a uniquely wonderful and warmhearted way of teaching Iyengar yoga.
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