Ultimate Freedom

The Ultimate Film

Lois Steinberg, Ph.D.

Ultimate Freedom: Yoga with B.K.S. Iyengar

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I regularly show “Ultimate Freedom,” a favorite yoga film, to my students—and I love to hear the “oohs, aahs, and aiyees!” that fill the room as they watch Yogacharya B.K.S. Iyengar, affectionately known as Guruji, demonstrate classic yoga poses.

Shot in 1976 on the University of Michigan (Ann Arbor) campus, the film begins with a short discourse on the meaning of ‘ultimate freedom.’ Guruji states that it is “complete freedom of the body, the mind, and the self (soul) itself… As long as ethical discipline is not maintained, the freedom is not at all experienced.“ He then proceeds, in the 59 minutes of this black and white film, to coordinate movements of his body with his breath. According to those who were in attendance at the filming, the final footage was shot unscripted and uninterrupted on the fifth take. Guruji’s demeanor was genuine, non-rehearsed and relaxed in front of the camera.

All the categories of poses from his landmark book “Light on Yoga,” (Unwin and Allen, 1966) are performed with Guruji wearing an amusing pair of Madras swimming trunks. As he executes the postures, he simultaneously imparts gems of wisdom about the benefits of the poses and meanings of their names. While demonstrating parsva pindasana in sarvangasana (lateral embryo pose in shoulder balance), Guruji states, “Observe the movement on the transverse colon. Constipation is the mother of all diseases!” On the practice of halasana, plow pose, he offers, “As the farmer plows the field to make the soil soft, the yogi, by performing these postures, plows his nerves, plows his organs, so that they can germinate and produce a better life.”

Guruji demonstrates salamba sarvangasana, supported all limb pose (shoulder balance), and all of the variations in its cycle of poses. If the time to practice is short, he says, all systems of the body benefit with this cycle of postures. Upon completion of this series, he stands and states: “You can see that I have shown so many movements, my body is not in one piece…Because my body is in pieces, so my mind is free. And for the average person, the body is one piece, so their minds are in pieces.”

These asanas are demonstrated upon a carpet that is partially made of silk, and very slippery. Before filming commenced, Guruji was offered a non-skid carpet (the sticky mat had not been invented at that time!). He refused it. His endeavor is clearly observed in the dynamic work of his legs in the standing postures and other poses, without slipping on that carpet. The backbends, towards the end of the film, elicit gasps from viewing audiences. Finally, he steps away from the camera and returns dressed in a beautiful Indian kurta (shirt) and dhoti (leg covering), giving his final words on what ultimate freedom means.

Having viewed the film, students often relate an appreciation of Guruji’s tapas — his burning effort — while performing the asanas. Realizing and recognizing his effort and exertions, they identify with his struggle, becoming inspired to new heights of awareness in their own practices.

I would like to express my gratitude to Susie Vidrih and David Ufer for relating the history of this film and its production.

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Historical Footnote:

Mary Palmer, Priscilla Neel, and Susie Vidrih were the prime movers, the first generation of Iyengar Yoga practitioners to transmit the teachings of Iyengar Yoga in the U.S. They were all doing what they later called “supine yoga;” and started to realize there was more to yoga when one of their colleagues, the late Barbara Lindeman, went to Mysore (1967) to study with Krishnamacharya. She wrote that they were jumping into poses, which surprised them.

Mary and Priscilla started teaching yoga when their first teacher, Barbara Rose, moved away from Ann Arbor. Barbara Rose told Mary about B.K.S. Iyengar. She had only heard of him and intuited that Mary might like his teaching.

Mary Palmer went to Pune, India, in 1970. She, Dona Holleman from Holland, and the late Martin Jackson from Australia, were the only non-Indian students being taught by Guruji in a little house where he lived with his family. As well, Mary went twice to London (1971 & 1972) to study with Guruji when he would teach there during the summers. Eventually, she invited him to teach in the U.S.

In 1973 Guruji came to Ann Arbor for the first time to conduct an intensive course. He visited again in 1974 and in 1976. His absence in 1975 was due to the opening of the Ramamani Iyengar Memorial Yoga Institute. The Ann Arbor “Y” director put together a group to go to Pune for the opening.

The impetus for producing this film, the first Guruji had done, developed during his third intensive course (1976) in the U.S. conducted at St. Basel’s, a former church in Pontiac, Michigan.