Instrumental in introducing the ancient Indian practice of yoga to the Western world, BKS Iyengar got honoured on his 97 th birth anniversary with a doodle -- showing the yoga guru in various poses within GoogleÂ’s logo.
It has been said that Iyengar could hold a headstand for nearly half an hour well into his eighties and his style -- Iyengar Yoga -- is characterised by tremendous control and discipline, which he exercised in ways not limited to confoundingly long headstands, Google said in a statement.
"To remember the pioneering and deeply spiritual yogi on what would have been his 97th birthday, Kevin Laughlin used a few of the master’s poses, or asanas, to help complete the logo on today’s homepage,” it added.
Bellur Krishnamachar Sundararaja Iyengar, now popularly known as BKS Iyengar, was born in a poor family on December 14, 1918 at Bellur in today's Karnataka.
Beloved by followers in every continent, Iyengar advised such aspiring yogis as Aldous Huxley, Sachin Tendulkar, and Queen Elizabeth of Belgium.
He is the author of many yoga books including 'Light on Yoga', 'Light on Pranayama', 'Light on the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali', and 'Light on Life'.
At the age of 18 Iyengar became a teacher in the city of Pune, practising what he called an "art and science". His career would last more than than eight decades.
It was in Pune that he began to teach Menuhin. The music maestro had complained that he could not relax or sleep, but in an interview with the veteran India broadcaster Sir Mark Tully in 2001, Guru Iyengar said “within one minute”, he was “snoring happily away”.
The violinist was so impressed that he invited his guru to Switzerland in 1954.
It was the break that launched him on the West, and visits to the US and the rest of Europe followed.
Menuhin introduced him to many of his famous friends and the Queen Elizabeth of Belgium is said to have learned his trademark sirsasana headstand at the age of 80.
Schools teaching his brand of yoga opened around the world and a string of books soon followed - starting with Light on Yoga. He pioneered the idea of teaching yoga to groups, and encouraged women to take up the practice, even during pregnancy.
