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B.K.S. Iyengar (1918-2014) Tribute List

Bellur Krishnamachar Sundararaja Iyengar, known as B.K.S. Iyengar or by the Sanskrit term of honor guruji, died on August 20, 2014 at the age of 95. An major innovative force in the practice of yoga, Iyengar popularized yoga both in the western world and in his native India. Here are ten vocabulary words drawn from Iyengar's reflections as captured in his book "Light on Life: The Yoga Journey to Wholeness, Inner Peace, and Ultimate Freedom."
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Full list of words from this list:

  1. judicious
    marked by the exercise of common sense in practical matters
    Breath is the vehicle of consciousness and so, by its slow measured observation and distribution, we learn to tug our attention away from external desires toward a judicious, intelligent awareness.
  2. compulsion
    using force to cause something to occur
    If we become aware of ...limitations and compulsions, we can transcend them.
  3. waver
    move hesitatingly, as if about to give way
    We often fool ourselves that we are concentrating because we fix our attention on wavering objects.
  4. aspiration
    a cherished desire
    Our flawed mechanisms of perception and thought are not a cause for grief, but an opportunity to evolve, for an internal evolution of consciousness that will also make possible, in a sustainable form, our aspirations toward what we call individual success and global progress.
  5. purge
    rid of impurities
    You must purge yourself before finding faults in others. When you see a mistake in somebody else, try to find if you are making the same mistake.
    This is the way to take judgment and to turn it into improvement.
  6. constitution
    the way in which someone or something is composed
    Do not look at others' bodies with envy or with superiority. All people are born with different constitutions.
    Never compare with others. Each one's capacities are a function of his or her internal strength.
    Know your capacities and continually improve upon them.
  7. rile
    disturb, especially by minor irritations
    Yoga allows you to find an inner peace that is not ruffled and riled by the endless stresses and struggles of life.
  8. tranquility
    an untroubled state that is free from disturbances
    Yoga is the golden key that unlocks the door to peace, tranquility and joy.
  9. threshold
    the starting point for a new state or experience
    Do not aim low, you will miss the mark. Aim high and you will be on a threshold of bliss.
  10. emancipation
    freeing someone from the control of another
    Illuminated emancipation, freedom, unalloyed and untainted bliss await you, but you have to choose to embark on the Inward Journey to discover it.
  11. unalloyed
    free from admixture
    Illuminated emancipation, freedom, unalloyed and untainted bliss await you, but you have to choose to embark on the Inward Journey to discover it.
Created on Wed Aug 20 21:27:21 EDT 2014 (updated Thu Aug 21 09:01:03 EDT 2014)

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