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BKS Iyengar, who popularised yoga around the world, died early on Wednesday morning. Iyengar, 96, had been in hospital for the last eight days for age-related ailments.
Bellur Krishnamachar Sundararaja Iyengar had reportedly been admitted to hospital with a kidney ailment over the past week in the western city of Pune.
Born in a poor family in Bellur village in the southern Indian state of Karnataka, Iyengar was a sickly child who suffered multiple illnesses including typhoid and tuberculosis.
When he was 15, a relative introduced him to yoga in an attempt to build his resistance. By the time he was 18, he moved to Pune to practise yoga and to teach its techniques.
Iyengar created his own brand of yoga, called Iyengar Yoga, and established studios in 72 countries.
The popularity of Iyengar Yoga spurred him to write a book called Light on Yoga, explaining the 216 yoga postures that formed what he called the science and art of yoga. The book became a global best seller with more than three million copies sold and has since been translated into 17 languages.
Agencies/Canadajournal
