Yoga's Ambassador to the West Dies

The man crediting with bringing yoga to the West and transforming it into one of the world's most popular exercises has passed away at age 95. B.K.S Iyengar died Wednesday of heart failure, after surviving malaria, typhoid, and tuberculosis as a child. The man who transformed the world of yoga credited the Hindu ritual with saving his life. He began practicing yoga in 1934, but he developed a more accessible version with foam blocks and straps to increase stretching. That modified version spread throughout the West and help him develop a celebrity following, including Madonna, Donna Karen, and Aldous Huxley. “It is sad that he left us but what he left will be there for times to come through his disciples and teaching,” said Yogi Santatmananda Saraswati of Swami Dayananda Ashram.