Indian yoga guru B.K.S. Iyengar (Bellur Krishnamachar Sundararaja Iyengar) who founded Iyengar Yoga, and authored 14 boks on the subject, died August 20, 2014 at age 95.  He had been hospitalized with a kidney aliment, The Washington Post reported.

He began practicing yoga at 15 years old, when a relative taught him in order to build his resistance to disease, as he suffered from multiple illnesses as a child, and he began teaching others by age 18, the report stated.

He eventually created his own brand of yoga, and established studios in 72 countries. Iyengar is a form of Hatha yoga that emphasizes precision and alignment of postures (asanas) and breath (pranayama). Through the asanas one can gain strength, mobility and stability.

B.K.S. Iyengar’s book, “Light of Yoga,” explains the 216 yoga postures, and has sold more than 3 million copies, and was translated into 17 languages. In 2004, Time magazine names him one of the 100 most influential people in the world.

He is survived by six children. For more information, please visit http://www.bksiyengar.com/.