B.K.S. Iyengar's reference manual on hatha yoga, organized as a graduated catalogue of approximately 200 asanas and 14 pranayama techniques, each with anatomical instruction, contraindications, and progression sequences. The introduction frames the practice within the eight limbs of Patanjali's Yoga Sutras, situating posture as one component of a longer arc rather than the whole of yoga.
First published in 1966 with a foreword by violinist Yehudi Menuhin, the book has been translated into at least 23 languages and sold over three million copies. It is the technical foundation of the Iyengar lineage, which became one of the dominant transmissions of hatha yoga in the West. An appendix lays out a 300-week graduated course, making it a long-term practice manual as much as a reference.
Contents
What Is Yoga? (Introduction)
Asanas
Pranayama
Appendix I: 300-Week Course
Appendix II: Curative Therapy Index
Glossary of Sanskrit Terms
Reception
Standard reference for modern postural yoga since publication in 1966 and the technical foundation of the Iyengar lineage that became one of the dominant transmissions of yoga in the West. Cited by virtually every contemporary yoga teacher-training program. Historians of yoga, notably Mark Singleton in Yoga Body, have complicated Iyengar's framing of his system as a continuous lineage from ancient Indian tradition by showing how much of modern asana was synthesized in the early 20th century from Indian and European physical-culture sources.
Frequently asked
What is Light on Yoga about?
It is B.K.S. Iyengar's systematic reference manual for hatha yoga practice: approximately 200 asanas and 14 pranayama techniques described with anatomical detail, contraindications, and progression sequences, set within an introduction framing posture as one of Patanjali's eight limbs.
Is Light on Yoga suitable for beginners?
The book includes a 300-week graduated course that starts at the beginner level, so it is structured for long-term use from the beginning. However, many readers find it most useful once they already have a teacher, as the physical instructions are dense and the photographs are demonstrations rather than step-by-step guides.
Why is Light on Yoga called "the bible of modern yoga"?
The description reflects the book's scope and longevity: it catalogues more postures with more detail than any earlier English-language work, has been the technical reference for Iyengar teacher-training programs worldwide since 1966, and remains in print in over 23 languages after selling more than three million copies.