Amrita 6: Asana through the ages - Magazine - Page 18
Iyengar
“Iyengar would never accept the words ‘cannot do’ but would find
a positive way to enable his students to see through their particular
limitations and so expand their horizons.”
In my late teens I had chronic
back challenges – I have always
been hyper-mobile and loved
showing off, performing back
flips and splits – and was told
that I had to stabilise the lumbar
spine by being in a back plaster
for two months. At about this
time it just so happened that
Iyengar was paying his annual
visit to London and I attended a
talk and demonstration he was
giving at the Barbican Hall. The
room was packed but I happened to find a vacant seat in
the front row.
Iyengar was at his best and I
felt so inspired by what he said
and the control he showed in
his demonstrations that at the
end I jumped up onto the stage
to ask if I could become his student. (In public he was always
surrounded by a bevy of followers who protected him from
people like me!) Anyhow, I
found my way to his classes
and although he does not usually accept beginners, I was
lucky and attended a class
every day until the end of his
month-long stay. He corrected
me with great knowledge, precision and humour.
Iyengar would never accept
the words ‘cannot do’ but would
find a positive way to enable
his students to see through
their particular limitations and
so expand their horizons. He
used belts, blocks, wedges,
sticks, sand bags and chairs
for back arches and, most im-
16 AMRITA Issue 6 / Spring 2021
