B.K.S. Iyengar was born on December 14, 1918 in Bellur, Kingdom of Mysore, British India. He was married to Ramamani. He died on August 20, 2014 in Pune, Maharashtra, India.
He was the 11th of 13 children in his family, and was born during an influenza epidemic. He survived tuberculosis, typhoid, and malaria as a child, and credited yoga with restoring him from frail health.
He was the founder of Iyengar yoga, which is now taught in more than 70 countries. It is characterized by long asanas (postures) that require great discipline. His books have been translated into 13 languages.