Guruji BKS Iyengar and his Institute in the 70s

I first started going to study with Guruji, Geetaji and Prashantji at the Ramamani Iyengar Memorial Yoga Institute (RIMYI) in 1976 It was an exciting time to be there, as the institute has just opened the year before. Small groups of students came from all over the world to the local   general classes as well as to take part in special intensives.

A couple of years la my husband George Pedersen was with me attending classes. He asked Guruji for permission to take some photos as he was a keen amateur photographer at that time. A few photos were also taken by me and in total there were 200 black and white negatives sitting in a folder in my filing cabinet since then. It wasn’t until Guruji passed away and we were missing him that I finally got the old negatives scanned. Many people have seen these photos now and have told me what a great insight it gives them into what it was like to be there then. I was encouraged to put together a book so that everyone can have access to them.

In talking to some of the old students who were there at the time, I felt that adding their stories as a narrative would help to give at least an inkling of what it was like to be there then. We were Incredibly fortunate to be there at that special time, and we would like to share it with you. It is my hope that this book can give you a glimpse into           that precious and inspiring time.