Ramamani Iyengar Memorial Yoga Institute

»In the presence of the master «

Description

Watching a man in his 90s twist his body into impossible shapes and making it look easy... Just another day with arguably the greatest Hatha guru in history. Named among Time Magazine's top 100 living legends, BKS Iyengar is still giving classes at his center in Pune, India. For those lucky enough to study here, this is a once-in-a-lifetime chance to be near the great man himself while he is still in his present incarnation.

What we love

- BKS Iyengar himself teaching classes
- The props used in this unique style
- Crème de la crème of yoga students

Things to know

- Very difficult to enrol for non-Indians
- BKS Iyengar is well-guarded
- No accommodation

Why to go

- BKS Iyengar
- Unique style
- Elite learning center

Being interested in yoga no more guarantees being able to attend the Ramamani Iyengar Memorial Yoga Institute than being a Catholic guarantees a chat with the Pope. BKS Iyengar may be in his 90s, but he is very sharp, very much alive and teaching, through his grand-daughter Abiji. While she leads the class, he whispers to her the mistakes he sees students making, and the mistakes he sees her making. This teaching-by-proxy is a little bizarre at first, but the idea behind it soon becomes apparent. He is passing on his knowledge to this highly skilled young woman who will probably one day lead the center.

Getting into the institute involves leaping a series of hurdles. One must have been studying Iyengar's style for a minimum of eight years, and have a personal recommendation from a qualified Iyengar teacher. This makes it in a league far-removed from a book-by-the-week yoga center. However, for those devoted to this unique style, it is worth the effort.

The center itself is designed around the principles of the trinity of humanity: there are three levels, representing the body, mind and spirit. The holy number eight (the number of limbs in Ashtanga yoga) is reflected in the columns built to support the center and its height is exactly 71 feet, the two numerals adding up to, unsurprisingly, eight.

Practice halls, or shalas, are filled with props reminiscent of bondage rooms. Ropes, mats, weights, chairs and other paraphernalia line the walls. This is the hallmark of the Iyengar style – using whatever it takes to perfect the physical pose, or asana. To Iyengar, everything can be traced back to the asana, including the blissful meditative state striven for by yoga students everywhere. For him, the body is the vehicle to the divine, so all attention must be focused on perfecting the alignment. Millimeter by millimeter, he tweaks his own asanas and those of his students until the pose is as close to perfection as possible.

There is no accommodation or food facilities on-site. The halls here are purely for yoga, and nothing but yoga. Apartments are rentable in the neighborhood and hotels are always an option. All applications for admission go through Iyengar's secretary, who also doubles as a buffer between Iyengar and the rest of the world. Anyone dreaming of a casual chat with the great man himself can, frankly, keep dreaming. He is actually a very kind and approachable person, just very sought-after and not always available.

For a student of Iyengar yoga, visiting the Ramamani Iyengar Memorial Yoga Institute can be like icing on the cake of years of study. As it's impossible to know how many years BKS Iyengar will be with us in his present incarnation, a little effort and the realization of a dream could bring you here, to the enchantment and chaos of India.

About the area

Pune is not one of the major tourist attractions in India. Although a thriving modern city, it is more akin to Silicon Valley than a traveler’s drawcard like Paris or London. This is the IT nerve-center of the country and growing at a rapid rate. Still, the corporate feel is counterbalanced nicely by the huge numbers of students. With a heavy concentration of learning institutions, Pune has a thriving student scene and as such is home to a bevy of inexpensive, funky cafes, bars and nightclubs. Located on the plains beneath the soaring Western Ghats, Pune has a climate that, like Bangalore’s, is moderate and pleasant year-round.