Tirumalai Krishnamacharya
Krishnamacharya | |
---|---|
Madras, India | |
Nationality | Indian |
Occupation | Yoga teacher |
Known for | "Father of modern yoga" |
Tirumalai Krishnamacharya (18 November 1888 – 28 February 1989)
Krishnamacharya held degrees in all the six Vedic
Krishnamacharya's students included many of yoga's most renowned and influential teachers:
Biography
Early life
Krishnamacharya was born on 18 November 1888 in Muchukundapura, in the Chitradurga district of present-day Karnataka, in South India, to an orthodox Telugu[14] Iyengar family. His parents were Tirumalai Srinivasa Tatacharya, a well-known teacher of the Vedas, and Ranganayakiamma.[15] Krishnamacharya was the eldest of six children. He had two brothers and three sisters. At the age of six, he underwent the educational sacrament of upanayana. He then began learning to speak and write Sanskrit, from texts such as the Amarakosha and to chant the Vedas under the strict tutelage of his father.[2]
When Krishnamacharya was ten, his father died.[16] At the age of twelve, he went to Mysore, then the largest city in Karnataka, where his great-grandfather, Srinivasa Brahmatantra Parakala Swami, was the head of the Parakala Matha. He continued his studies under his great-grandfather's guidance and at Mysore University.[15]
Education
Krishnamacharya spent much of his youth traveling through India studying the six
In 1914, he once again left for Banaras to attend classes at Queens College, where he claimed that he earned a number of teaching certificates. During the first year he had little or no financial support from his family. In order to eat, he followed the rules that were laid down for religious beggars: he was to approach only seven households each day and offer a prayer "in return for wheat flour to mix with water for cakes".[20] Krishnamacharya eventually left Queens College to study the ṣaḍdarśana (six darshanas) in Vedic philosophy at Patna University, in Bihar, a state in eastern India. He received a scholarship to study Ayurveda under Vaidya Krishnakumar of Bengal.[2]
Krishnamacharya claimed that he was invited to the coronation of the Rajah of Dikkanghat (a principality within Darbhanga), at which he defeated a scholar called Bihari Lal in a debate, and received rewards and honors from the Rajah.[21] He stated that his stay in Banaras lasted 11 years. He further claimed that he studied with the yoga master Sri Babu Bhagavan Das and passed the Samkhya Yoga Examination of Patna,[2] and that many of his instructors recognized his outstanding abilities in yoga, some asking that he teach their children.[22]
The tale of Ramamohana Brahmachari and the Yoga Korunta
Krishnamacharya told his pupils, including Iyengar, "an imagined history, it turns out, of thousands of asanas".
According to the tale, Krishnamacharya then returned to Varanasi. The Maharajah of Jaipur called him to serve as principal of the Vidyā Śālā in Jaipur; but as he did not like being answerable to many people, Krishnamacharya shortly returned to Varanasi. In accordance with his guru's wish that he live the life of a householder, Krishnamacharya married Namagiriamma in 1925. After his marriage, Krishnamacharya was forced by circumstance to work in a coffee plantation in the Hasan district. It was after a lecture on the Upanishads in Mysore town hall in 1931 that he attracted the attention as a learned scholar that eventually led to his employment at the palace.[29]
Mysore years
In 1926, the Maharaja of Mysore, Krishna Raja Wadiyar IV (1884–1940) was in Varanasi to celebrate his mother's 60th birthday and heard about Krishnamacharya's learning and skill as a yoga therapist.[30] The Maharaja met Krishnamacharya and was so impressed by the young man's demeanor, authority, and scholarship that he engaged Krishnamacharya to teach him and his family.[30] Initially, Krishnamacharya taught yoga at the Mysore Palace.[31] He soon became a trusted advisor of the Maharajah, and was given the recognition of Asthana Vidwan — the intelligentsia of the palace.[32]
During the 1920s, Krishnamacharya held many demonstrations to stimulate popular interest in yoga. These included suspending his pulse, stopping cars with his bare hands, performing difficult asanas, and lifting heavy objects with his teeth.[6] The Palace archive records show that the Maharaja was interested in the promotion of yoga and continually sent Krishnamacharya around the country to give lectures and demonstrations.[33]
In 1931, Krishnamacharya was invited to teach at the Sanskrit College in Mysore. The Maharaja, who felt that yoga had helped cure his many ailments, asked Krishnamacharya to open a yoga school under his patronage[6][34] and was subsequently given the wing of a nearby palace, the Jaganmohan Palace, to start the Yogashala, an independent yoga institution,[31] which opened on 11 August 1933.[30][35]
In 1934, he wrote the book
Krishnamacharya, unlike earlier yoga gurus such as
In 1940, Krishna Raja Wadiyar IV died. His nephew and successor,
Madras years
After leaving Mysore, Krishnamacharya moved to
You may never have heard of him but Tirumalai Krishnamacharya influenced or perhaps even invented your yoga. Whether you practice the dynamic series of
Pattabhi Jois, the refined alignments of B. K. S. Iyengar, the classical postures of Indra Devi, or the customized vinyasa of Viniyoga, your practice stems from one source: a five-foot, two-inch Brahmin born more than one hundred years ago in a small South Indian village.[6]
By developing and refining different approaches, Krishnamacharya made yoga accessible to millions around the world.[6]
Approach
Krishnamacharya was a physician of
Once a person began seeing Krishnamacharya, he would work with him or her on a number of levels including adjusting their diet; creating herbal medicines; and setting up a series of yoga postures that would be most beneficial. When instructing a person on the practice of yoga, Krishnamacharya particularly stressed the importance of combining breath work (pranayama) with the postures (asanas) of yoga and meditation (dhyana) to reach the desired goal.[47]
Krishnamacharya "believed Yoga to be India's greatest gift to the world."
Krishnamacharya's students included many of 20th century yoga's most renowned and influential teachers: Indra Devi; K. Pattabhi Jois; B. K. S. Iyengar; T. K. V. Desikachar; Srivatsa Ramaswami; and A. G. Mohan (born 1945).[12][13]
Student | Relationship | Known for | Founded school | Best-known book |
---|---|---|---|---|
Indra Devi (1899–2002) | pupil | Yoga with Hollywood stars |
— | Yoga for Americans 1959 |
K. Pattabhi Jois (1915–2009) | pupil | Mysore style | Ashtanga vinyasa yoga | Yoga Mala 1999 and
Ashtanga Yoga Manual with Lino Miele 2003 |
B. K. S. Iyengar (1918-2014) | brother-in-law | Precision, props |
Iyengar Yoga | Light on Yoga 1966 |
T. K. V. Desikachar (1938-2016) | son | Viniyoga |
Krishnamacharya Yoga Mandiram | The Heart of Yoga 1995 |
Srivatsa Ramaswami (1939- ) | pupil | Vinyasa Krama yoga | — | Complete Book of Vinyasa Yoga 2005 |
A. G. Mohan (1945- ) | pupil | Svastha Yoga & Ayurveda | — | Yoga for Body, Breath, and Mind 2002 |
Vanda Scaravelli (1908-1999) | pupil by proxy, Krishnamacharya sent Iyengar and Desikachar to teach her[55] | — | Asked her followers not to name schools of yoga after her.[56] | Awakening the Spine 1991 |
Accomplishment as a scholar
Krishnamacharya was highly regarded as a scholar. He earned degrees in philosophy, logic, divinity, philology, and music.
He also had extensive knowledge of orthodox Hindu rituals. His scholarship in various
One of Krishnamacharya's most distinctive teachings was about kuṇḍalinī. To him, kuṇḍalinī is not an energy that rises. Rather, it is a blockage that prevents prāṇa (breath) from rising.[59]
Works
- Yoga Makaranda (1934)
- Yogaasanagalu (c. 1941)
- Yoga Rahasya (2004)
- Yogavalli (Chapter 1 – 1988)
References
- ^ Mohan 2010, p. 125.
- ^ a b c d e "Krishnamacharya Yoga Mandiram". Archived from the original on 11 April 2015.
- ^ Singleton & Fraser 2014, pp. 83–106.
- ^ Mohan, A. G.; Mohan, Ganesh (5 April 2017) [2009]. "Memories of a Master". Yoga Journal. Archived from the original on 15 March 2010.
- ^ "The YJ Interview: Partners in Peace". Yoga Journal. Archived from the original on 21 May 2016.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Pagés Ruiz 2001.
- ^ a b Singleton 2010, p. 111.
- ^ Mohan 2010, p. 7.
- ^ Mohan 2010, p. 38.
- ^ Singleton 2010, p. 240.
- ^ Mohan 2010, pp. 128–130.
- ^ a b c Iyengar 2006, pp. xvi–xx.
- ^ a b c Singleton & Fraser 2014, p. 83.
- ^ Dirk R. Glogau: Lehr- und Wanderjahre eines Yogis. In: Deutsches Yoga-Forum, 04/2013, 02: 19 (PDF 0.4 MB Archived 12 April 2021 at the Wayback Machine)
- ^ a b Mohan 2010, p. 1.
- ^ Pierce, Martin (January–February 1988). "A Lion in Winter". Yoga Journal: 61–62.
- ^ http://malankazlev.com/kheper/topics/eastern/6darshanas.htm. Archived 19 October 2020 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Mohan 2010, p. 2.
- ^ Desikachar & Cravens 1998, p. 38.
- ^ Desikachar & Cravens 1998, p. 40.
- ^ "Krishnamacharya – The King and the Young Man". Ashtanga Yoga Shala NYC. Archived from the original on 14 September 2011. Retrieved 7 March 2012.
- ^ a b c Mohan 2010, p. 3.
- ^ Smith & White 2014, p. 125.
- ^ a b Singleton & Fraser 2014, p. 85.
- ^ Krishnamacharya, Tirumalai. Yoga Makaranda. p. 25. Kannada Edition 1934 Madurai C.M.V. Press
- ^ Mohan 2010, pp. 3–4.
- ^ Mohan 2010, p. 5.
- ^ Desikachar & Cravens 1998, p. 44.
- ^ a b Singleton 2010, pp. 184–186, 197.
- ^ a b c Desikachar & Cravens 1998, p. 87.
- ^ a b Sjoman 1999, p. 52.
- ^ Iyengar 2000, p. 53.
- ^ Sjoman 1999, p. 53.
- ^ Mohan 2010, p. 6.
- ^ Singleton 2010, p. 181ff.
- ^ a b Cushman, Anne (28 August 2007). "Yoga Through Time". Yoga Journal. Archived from the original on 9 July 2014. Retrieved 22 October 2013.
- ^ Goldberg 2016, pp. 370–371.
- ^ Goldberg 2016, p. 375.
- ^ Desikachar & Cravens 1998, p. 94.
- ^ a b Desikachar & Cravens 1998, p. 96.
- ^ Desikachar & Cravens 1998, p. 101.
- ^ Mohan 2010, pp. 38–43.
- ^ Desikachar & Cravens 1998, p. 104.
- ^ Desikachar & Cravens 1998, p. 124.
- ^ Desikachar & Cravens 1998, p. 129.
- ^ Desikachar & Cravens 1998, p. 131.
- ^ a b Desikachar & Cravens 1998, p. 111.
- ^ Desikachar & Cravens 1998, p. 123.
- ^ Desikachar & Cravens 1998, p. xviii.
- ^ "Vinyasa Krama Yoga". Harmony Yoga. Archived from the original on 4 April 2019. Retrieved 4 April 2019.
- ^ Mohan 2010, p. 107.
- ^ Desikachar & Cravens 1998, p. 20.
- ^ Desikachar & Cravens 1998, p. 22.
- ^ Desikachar & Cravens 1998, p. xix.
- ^ Wishner, Nan (5 May 2015). "The Legacy of Vanda Scaravelli". Yoga International. Archived from the original on 24 May 2022. Retrieved 22 June 2022.
- OCLC 1152054676.
- ^ Mohan 2010, pp. 3–5.
- ^ "Interview of the week: TKV Desikachar, Founder, Krishnamacharya Yoga Mandiram". Chennai Online Archives. Archived from the original on 20 October 2008. Retrieved 19 October 2008.
- ^ Atkinson 2022, p. 6.
Sources
- Atkinson, Simon (2022). Krishnamacharya on Kundalini : the origins and coherence of his position. Bristol: Equinox. ISBN 9781800501522.
- ISBN 0-89381-941-7.
- OCLC 926062252.
- ISBN 978-8177640465.
- ISBN 978-1594865244.
- ISBN 978-1-59030-800-4.
- Pagés Ruiz, Fernando (2001). "Krishnamacharya's Legacy". Yoga Journal (May/June 2001).
- ISBN 978-0-19-539534-1.
- ISBN 978-0-19-993871-1.
- ISBN 81-7017-389-2.
- Smith, Frederick M.; White, Joan (2014). "6. Becoming an Icon: B. K. S. Iyengar as a Yoga Teacher and a Yoga Guru". In ISBN 978-0-19-993871-1.
- Srivatsan, Mala (1997) Śrī Krishnamacharya the pūrnācārya. Krishnamacharya Yoga Mandiram. OCLC 39292632.
Media
- Dars, Jean-François (Director); Papillault, Anne (Director) (1989). Hundred Years of Beatitude (Documentary). CNRS.
- Wadiyar, Krishna Raja (Sponsor) (1989) [1938]. T. Krishnamacharya Asanas (Film). Archived from the original on 14 December 2013. Retrieved 8 February 2014.
- Schmidt-Garre, Jan (Director) (2012). Breath of the Gods: A Journey to the Origins of Modern Yoga (Documentary). PARS Media.