Hanumān: Breath, Courage, and Devotion in the Iyengar Imagination
In the landscape of yoga, Hanumān [हनुमान्] is often treated as a hero of myth—strong, loyal, miraculous. But in the way B.K.S. Iyengar frames
In the vast tapestry of Hindu philosophy and the specific lineage of Yogāchārya B.K.S. Iyengar, the origins of Yoga are not viewed as a human invention but as a cosmic revelation. Central to this understanding is the figure of Hiraṇyagarbha [हिरण्यगर्भ]—the “Cosmic Golden Embryo”—who stands as the primordial teacher of the entire yogic system.
Curious how this connects to classical texts like the Yoga Sūtras and Prāṇāyāma practice? See our Light on Prāṇāyāma study pack for a deep dive.
For serious practitioners and teachers, understanding Hiraṇyagarbha is essential to grasping the teaching rationale and culture of the Iyengar method, which seeks to align the individual’s “known” physical body with the “unknown” cosmic source.
The term Hiraṇyagarbha is derived from the Sanskrit hiraṇya (golden) and garbha (embryo, egg, or womb). In broader Hinduism and Sāṃkhya philosophy [सांख्य], he represents the first manifestation of Brahman—the “unevolved primary germ of nature” from which all material phenomena develop.
B.K.S. Iyengar explains this cosmic genealogy in Light on Prāṇāyāma:
“According to Yoga, Yajñavalkya Smṛti, the Creator (Brahmā) as Hiraṇyagarbha (the Golden Foetus) was the original propounder of the Yoga system for the health of the body, control of the mind and attainment of peace”.
While Sage Patañjali is the celebrated father of Yoga for having codified the Yoga Sūtras, Iyengar reminds us that Patañjali was a “collator” rather than the originator. The wisdom itself is timeless and divine, flowing from Hiraṇyagarbha to humanity.
For a broader context on Yoga’s philosophical roots, check out my recorded course “Threads of Patañjali’s Wisdom” on the Yoga Sūtras, that connects these ideas to practice and modern understanding.
In the Iyengar culture, the practice is never merely gymnastic; it is a Sādhana [साधना] (spiritual quest) designed to reclaim our connection to this primordial source. Iyengar teaches that man is a “trinity of body, mind, and spirit”. The rationale behind the meticulous physical alignments in Iyengar Yoga is to prepare the “field” (kṣetra) of the body for the “Knower of the Field” (kṣetrajña)—the Self5.
By working through the Eight Limbs of Yoga (Aṣṭāṅga Yoga), the practitioner moves from the gross (sthūla) to the subtle (sūkṣma). Iyengar uses the metaphor of a tree to explain this integration:
The goal of this “Yoga of Integration” (saṃyama) is for the yogi to “experience oneness with the Creator and lose his identity of body, mind and self”.
Before we move deeper into the practice implications…
Want to explore these ideas with a community? Join Yoga Readers, where we unpack classic texts like Tree of Yoga and Light on Life together.
The connection between Hiraṇyagarbha and the practitioner is most tangible through Prāṇa [प्राण]—the vital energy. Iyengar defines Prāṇa as “the energy permeating the universe at all levels,” including physical, mental, and cosmic energy.
According to the Upaniṣads, Prāṇa is equated with the real Self (Ātmā). Living beings are “born through and live by it, and when they die their individual breath dissolves into the cosmic breath”. By practicing Prāṇāyāma, the student consciously taps into this Hiraṇyagarbha-source, extending the “Golden Embryo’s” cosmic life-force within their own nervous system.
Explore this connection further in my Light on Prāṇāyāma study pack — which includes didactic insights and practical audio/video guidance.
The culture of an Iyengar classroom—characterized by discipline, precision, and “patient and cautious effort”—is rooted in this philosophical descent. Iyengar posits that we must first know the “known” (the body) before exploring the “unknown” (Ātmā).
“First, Yoga deals with health, strength and conquest of the body. Next, it lifts the veil of difference between the body and the mind. Lastly, it leads the sādhaka to peace and unalloyed purity”.
This systematic unravelling—proceeding from the skin to the nerves, from the senses to the mind, and finally from consciousness to the Self—is the practical method of returning to the primordial state of Hiraṇyagarbha.
Interested in how these principles play out in real life and practice? Listen to the recorded lecture “How Iyengar Yoga Becomes an Anchor in Times of Crisis” — a session I gave on embodied resilience and spiritual grounding.
When we stand in Tāḍāsana or sit for Prāṇāyāma, we are not just performing a technique; we are participating in a lineage of “exalted knowledge” (mahā vidyā)14. Hiraṇyagarbha represents the potentiality within us—the seed of the Divine Flame. As Iyengar beautifully concludes:
“When he realises that he is a spark of the Divine Flame burning throughout the universe, then all his past impressions (saṃskāras) are burnt out, and he becomes enlightened”
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In the landscape of yoga, Hanumān [हनुमान्] is often treated as a hero of myth—strong, loyal, miraculous. But in the way B.K.S. Iyengar frames
In the vast tapestry of Hindu philosophy and the specific lineage of Yogāchārya B.K.S. Iyengar, the origins of Yoga are not viewed as a
Date and Time: March 8, 2026 9:30am UTC (Coordinated Universal Time) I’m delighted to host a rare series of prāṇāyāma sessions with Stephanie Quirk,
Agi Wittich is a yoga practitioner since two decades, and is a certified Iyengar Yoga teacher. Wittich studied Sanskrit and Tamil at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel, completing a PhD with a focus on Hinduism, Yoga, and Gender. She has published academic papers exploring topics such as Iyengar yoga and women, the effects of Western media on the image of yoga, and an analysis of the Thirumanthiram yoga text.