Yogacharya BKS Iyengar with His Holiness the Dalai Lama

As the Director General of WHO and Government of India, Health Department, "AYUSH" advise people to practice Yoga as a means to prevent Corona, I share my wonderful experiences with the sacred subject and my Yoga teacher, the Michelangelo of Yoga, B.K.S Iyengar, in the wellbeing of the mankind, when we are at a stake and life has come to a standstill in the claws of Corona. Guruji wrote in his legendary book 'Light on Yoga': " Hope should be the shield and courage, the sword." This rekindles our hope and spirit to battle against the devil with the divine weapon of Yoga. If Guruji were alive today, he would definitely say, " Don't worry, Corona affliction has prevention and cure!" Here is a report of Guruji's message published by Sunday magazine, dated April 10, 1999, Kolkata, on the deadliest diseases: DON'T DESPAIR, AIDS HAS CURE ------- Good news for the HIV - afflicted: there is, apparently a yogic anodyne for AIDS. B.K.S Iyengar, who started practicing this ancient form of mind-body exercise way back in 1936, says that his brand of yoga covers everything from the common cold to this modern-day scourge. To the tough-looking, media-savvy guru -- "Yoga was an organic exercise; I made it into an art" -- who has about 200 yoga centers named after him around the world, also claims that a few hospitals even practice his line of treatment for cardiac illness................ He should be knowing: at his age most of us would be doddering old men. The above igniting message of the revered Yoga teacher has profound relevance today in the scourge of Corona. To prevent Corona we need organic health, not merely muscular health. And Yoga does that job wonderfully. In Yoga Rahasya, Vol.7, No.1, Guruji shared: "We only speak of physical health but that is meaningless, the organic health is real health."

The science of the organic or physiological body is explicitly explained by Nobel laureate, Dr. Alexis Carrel, in Chapter 3 of his celebrated book 'Man The Unknown '. From my study and experience, I understand an empire is hidden in the nervous system of each and every human being which can be unlocked through the practice of Yoga. Because it is a holistic and transformative science. Dr. Paul Joire, President of the society of Universal Psychological study, wrote: "..........the nervous system controls the whole organism. The muscles are made to move by the nerves; the nerves regulate the circulation of the blood by their direct action on the heart and by their action on the blood vessels which they dilate or contract. Therefore, the nerves act on all the organs and, by their intermediary action, may influence diseased organs."

Guruji Iyengar in his book ' Light on Life 'writes: "We are wrong to think that we are all dull and inert. If your fire were extinguished, you would not be alive. Yogic fire exists in a latent or pristine state in everyone." According to him, with just breath and soul and courage, a human being can achieve a life to be admired. Through Yoga, a practitioner gets united with God. So, nothing can be impossible for him. To an Astanga Yoga practitioner, the last days of life become of his/her best days. Emile Coue in his book 'SELF MASTERY' wrote: "....To become stronger as you become older may seem to be paradoxical, but it is true..." Yes, the eight limbs of Yoga does make it possible. By the ladder of Yoga, every human being can become a god, and thus the entire human race can become our family. To a Yogi, God appears, not only in human beings but also in all other living and non-living beings.

For the shower of Yoga, which is a blessing of God, the three schools in Bhutan where I worked turned my Yoga Universities. I had abundant opportunities to practice the yogic principles (Karma Yoga) as a teacher, librarian, matron, counsellor, health service provider, Yoga trainer, etc. in the superb education system of the Royal Kingdom of Bhutan. My students turned my gods and goddesses who were my opportunities to practice Karma Yoga. For that, I used to call them "Little Buddhas." I have realized the truth of Guruji's wisdom: " Yoga does not just change the way we see things, it transforms the person who sees."

My yogic life in Bhutanese schools had paved my path for Yoga-Vedanta training, the highest education for my higher life, at Rishikesh, Yoga-Vedanta Forest Academy, in 2019. My Yoga teacher, Shri B.K.S. Iyengar, who surfaced in my life at Tsebar Primary School, a remote school of Eastern Bhutan, was a man of unparalleled compassion, who guided me through personal letters, his books, lectures and his loving touch at his Yoga Institute, Pune, with equal importance as he guided the famous philosopher, J. Krishnamurty, Jayprakash Narayan and the world-renowned violinist Yehudi Menuhin, though my identity was only a humble primary school teacher. To him, no one in the world was unimportant or less important. At my request, Guruji even provided me guidance and syllabus to teach Yoga to my Bhutanese students accompanied with a letter dated 13 March 2000. Such is the grandeur and splendour of Yoga and my Yoga teacher. I offer my obeisance to Guruji.

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