Reading Summary

Our journey inward begins with the most tangible layer of our being: the physical body.

In Chapter 2 of Light on Life, Iyengar turns to āsana and to annamaya kośa, the physical or “food” body. Yet the body he describes is much more than an anatomical structure to be strengthened, stretched or perfected. It is the starting point of the inward journey, the place where we first learn stability, sensitivity, attention and awareness.

Iyengar describes the body as both a temple for the soul and a laboratory for life. Āsana can begin with very external aims, such as health, fitness or flexibility, and he does not dismiss these aims. But with sustained practice, something changes. The work becomes increasingly subtle. Firmness is accompanied by sensitivity; physical actions demand attention; and the practice of āsana can gradually become what Iyengar describes as meditation in action.

This chapter therefore asks us to reconsider what we mean when we call a practice “physical.” If we learn through the body to become more sensitive, attentive and stable, where exactly does physical practice end and inner practice begin?

The body becomes the foundation from which the rest of the journey in Light on Life can unfold.

Main Themes

• The body as a temple for the soul and a laboratory for life
• Āsana as meditation in action, rather than merely exercise or fitness
• Firmness (sthira), sensitivity and purity as fruits of practice
• The earth element and the physical body as the foundation for inner work
• Householder yoga and the question of renunciation
• External practice for health and fitness as a legitimate beginning, but not the end of the yogic journey