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Who Was Krishnamacharya?
October 24, 2008 by Ray Baskerville · 6 Comments
Krishnamacharya is known today in the world of yoga, because he was the teacher of B.K.S. Iyengar, Pattabhi Jois, and TKV Desikachar, three of the great teachers of contemporary yoga. As such he has been called by some the father of modern yoga. Shri Krishnamacharya’s lineage can be traced to the Yogi Nathamuni, a ninth century South Indian saint who was renowned for his great works in Sanskrit and Yoga – the Nyayatattva and Yoga Rahasya.
Krishnamacharya was born on November 18, 1888, at Muchukundapuram in the Chitradurga district in the State of Karnataka. His parents, Shri Tirumalai Srinivasa Tatacharya and Smt. Ranganayakamma were of distinguished ancestry and lived their lives according to the shastras. Krishnamacharya was the eldest of three brothers and three sisters.
Krishnamacharya had his initial education under his father who taught him the Vedas, yoga sutras of Patanjali and the other religious texts in the traditional gurukula (pupil in the house of the guru) manner. The seeds of yoga were also sown in young Krishnamacharya by his father. He would be woken at two in the morning and made to chant the Vedas and perform asanas. His father who was his first guru planted the seeds of knowledge in him, encouraged and guided him in his quest for learning. He lost this precious guidance at the age of ten when his father died.
At the age of 16, the entire family then moved to Mysore to join his great grandfather who was the head of the Parakala Math. It is here that he studied Vyakarana (Sanskrit grammar), Vedanta and Tarka (logic) under the religious Guru to the Maharaja of Mysore. His thirst for knowledge increased and at the age of 16 he took the examination in Purva Mimamsa and the different shastras at the Maharaja Sanskrit College in Mysore. In his early adult life he studied with the pundits in Benares (Varanasi), and further studies on the Vedanta and advance Sanskrit grammar in Mysore before returning to Benares.
Once while he was practising asanas as taught by his father in Banaras, a saint saw him and advised him to study yoga under Shri Jha who had the title of Yogacharya. Yogacharya Jha advised Krishnamacharya that if he was seriously interested in Yoga, then he must travel beyond Nepal to Tibet, where Rama Mohana Brahmachari lived. He also recommended a book called Yoga Kurunta in the Gurkha language, which gave practical information on Yoga and health. this knowledge secured Krishnamacharya the permission he needed to leave the country when he was unable to improve the health of the Indian viceroy who was ill with diabetes. The viceroy was so pleased, that he made the necessary arrangements, provided clothing and even sent to aides with him.
After a long trek across the Himalayas, Krishnamacharya reached the sacred lake Mansarovar near Mount Kailash. There he searched for Rama Mohana Brahmachari and on finding him Krishnamacharya prostrated and requested him to accept him as his disciple. Krishnamacharya became a part of Rama Mohana Brahmachari’s family and lived there for seven and a half years. For the first three years he memorised the entire texts including the Yoga Kurunta. The following three years he practiced yogabhyasa (Study of Yoga)and the next one and a half years he studied sikshana (teaching) and chikitsa krama (yoga therapy). His Guru then asked him to return to society, lead a married life and spread the message of yoga.
After these 7 years of study, he came back to South India and studied Ayurveda, the traditional Indian system of medicine. His fame as a great scholar led to an invitation from the Mahraja of Mysore Krishnamacharya accepted the offer and lived the remainder of his life devoted to the spread and teaching of yoga. In accordance with his Guru’s wishes that he should live a life of a householder – he married Namagiriammal in 1925.
After Indian independence and the close of the Maharaja’s yogashala, Krishnamacharya and his family left Mysore for Madras. as he aged Krishnamacharya’s teaching style changed. Iyengar said of him "in the early days, he was like a militant. He was a fierce, strong, demanding individual. Pattabhi Jois echoes this saying "if you came one minute early or one minute late you would not be allowed into class. He demanded total discipline and was very tough." His son Desikachar, who did not begin yoga studies with his father until Krishnamacharya was 70 says " Later on, he changed and began to teach people differently. He began to cater to the needs of the individual, rather than to teach everyone the same way. His teaching methodology also involved, which meant that he reduced and adapted it to the needs of individuals, to their culture and mentality. It was not standardization of their "everyone has to do this asana" variety. Although many considered him a Yoga Master he continued to call himself a student because he felt that he was always “studying, exploring and experimenting” with the practice.
T. Krishnamacharya died in 1989, just after his 100th birthday. His work lives on through his son T.K.V. Desikachar who lived and studied with his father for 3 decades. Sri Desikachar still lives in the family home in Chennai and is semi-retired so that he can spend his days translating the library of work that T. Krishnamacharya left for future generations of yogis. So Krishnamacharya will be providing us with yoga teachings for many years to come. He lives on through these teachings and the family that is carefully disseminating them to the world.
T. Krishnamacharya’s work was revolutionary in his time because he believed that yoga was universal to all people, irrespective of age, gender, culture, faith, abilities and interests. He is one of the few masters of m modern times who understood the whole gamut of yoga’s tools and their potentials for health and healing. For him yoga was not merely a form of physical exercise, but one that helped us in our journey towards our authentic selfs.
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Iyengar Yoga
October 17, 2008 by Ray Baskerville · 5 Comments
The Iyengar method of yoga is named after its creator B.K.S. Iyengar. Like Pattabhi Jois, Iyengar studied with Krishnamacharya. In fact Krishnamacharya. was married to Iyengar’s sister. Iyengar studied with him for two years when he was 14 and 15 years old. During that time the teaching consisted of about 15 days, but despite this seemingly short time Iyengar revered Krishnamacharya as his guru. Mr. Iyengar has said that the few asanas that he learnt at that time were the seeds that grew and flourished through the evolution of his own dedication and investigation. In 1961 Krishnamacharya gave Iyengar a gold medal known as Yoga Shikshaka Chakravarti (Emperor of Yoga Teachers, Teacher of Teachers) and encouraged him to begin teaching publicly.
Iyengar has made some very specific contributions to yoga as we know and practice it today. It was Mr Iyengar who introduced and developed the use of props, like blocks, belts, and blankets in yoga practice. Today it is quite common to see blankets, blocks, straps, pillows, chairs, and bolsters being used in yoga studios. The use of these props is comparatively new in the history of yoga and comes directly from Iyengar.
But probably the greatest contribution has been the thing that makes Iyengar yoga distinct…
The primary focus of Iyengar’s method of asana practice is the understanding, and perfecting of the physical alignment of the body in the poses. It is to this end that the props are used. They allow those whose bodies are not yet sufficiently open to learn the correct alignment in the body without strain.
unlike the forms of vinyasa yoga that flow posture to posture, Iyengars method it is more static. The emphasis is developing conscious awareness within the posture, while working with the body to attune and perfect the alignment. However this does not mean that an Iyengar yoga class isn’t physically demanding, as the postures can be held for much longer.
Iyengar in his philosophy of yoga, does not denote differences between the body, the mind, and the self. To him the body is the biggest self, the mind, a small self, and the self, the smallest self. So, in his view they are all interconnected. In his practice the objective is to unite them and to experience how they are all interwoven. He sees the body as a receptacle for the soul and the mind. Greater awareness of the physical body opens the way for better receptivity to the dormant spirituality within. Iyengar sees the practice of asana leading towards the focus of awareness evenly and without interruption throughout all the channels of the body. In this state of equilibrium and harmony consciousness rests in its natural state or in the body, mind, and soul, as one.
Iyengar has has drawn throughout his life, practice, and development of his teaching, on the yoga Sutras of Patanjali and the eight limbs of yoga. indeed it is largely through his translation and interpretation of the yoga Sutras, that they became known outside India. Other books of Iyengar have also become classic texts of modern yoga, for example, " Light on Yoga" and "Light on Pranayama".
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Ashtanga Yoga Of Pattabhi Jois
October 15, 2008 by Ray Baskerville · 1 Comment
Ashtanga yoga as we commonly know it today, was made popular by K. Pattabhi Jois. Pattabhi Jois developed the practice based on the yoga lineage passed on to him by his own teacher Sri Krishnamacharya. Krishnamacharya’s knowledge of yoga was so vast that later in life he taught each student differently. Pattabhi Jois met hin 1927 and studeid with him until 1953
The three most well know students of Krishnamacharya are his son T.K.V. Desikachar, B K S Iyengar and K. Pattabhi Jois. Each developed their own approach to yoga practice, Pattabhi Jois continuing the series of asanas, or poses that Krishnmacharya taught earlier in his life. Pattabhi Jois has said that the most important thing his guru ever said to him was "Make this yoga method the work of your life", and so he has.
Ashtanga means "eight limbs",referring to the eight limbs of yoga compiled by by the great Indian sage Patanjali. When Pattabhi Jois named the style of yoga he developed, ashtanga, he meant it as
a reminder to practice all eight limbs and not just the asanas. When we refer to Ashtanga Yoga, it refers to the fluid style of asanas series of Pattabhi Jois. Asana is the third of yoga’s eight limbs limb.
This style of yoga is characterized by a focus on viṅyāsa, or a dynamic connecting posture, that creates a flow between the more static traditional yoga postures. Vinyasa also means breath-synchronized movement. The breath is the heart of this discipline and links asana to asana in a precise order. By synchronizing movement with breathing and practicing Mula and Uddiyana Bandhas (internal body locks 1), an intense internal heat is produced. This heat purifies muscles and organs, expelling unwanted toxins as well as releasing beneficial hormones and minerals, which can nourish the body when the sweat is massaged back into the skin. The breath regulates the vinyasa and ensures efficient circulation of blood. The result is a light, strong body.
The whole practice is defined by six series of interflowing postures, always done in the same order, combined with a specific breathing pattern (ujjāyī breathing 2). The Yoga Sutra says "Tasmin sati svasa prasvasayor gati vicchedah pranayama." Depending on the individual breathing rhythm, each one requires from 90 minutes to three hours to complete. Thus, the beginner and the advanced practitioner can find a demanding workout suited to his potential and challenging his personal physical and mental limitations.
There are three groups of sequences in the Ashtanga system. Each sequence typically begins with 10 Sun Salutations and the standing poses. This is referred to as the "opening sequence". The student then moves to either the Primary, Intermediate, Advanced A, B, C, or D, depending on his or her skill level, a back-bending sequence, finally closing with a set of inverted postures, referred to as the "finishing sequence". The Primary Series (Yoga Chikitsa) detoxifies and aligns the body. The Intermediate Series (Nadi Shodhana) purifies the nervous system by opening and clearing the energy channels. The Advanced Series A, B, C, and D (Sthira Bhaga) integrate the strength and grace of the practice, requiring higher levels of flexibility strength and inner development.
Pattabhi and Manju Jois (his oldest son and student) brought this form of yoga to the American west coast in 1975. In the past 30 years ashtanga yoga spread worldwide and found more and more enthusiastic students.
Pattabhi Jois: Yoga is one. God is one. Yoga means sambandaha, which is atma manah samyogah, or knowing God inside you. But using it only for physical practice is no good, of no use—just a lot of sweating, pushing, and heavy breathing for nothing. The spiritual aspect, which is beyond the physical, is the purpose of yoga. When the nervous system is purified, when your mind rests in the atman [the Self], then you can experience the true greatness of yoga.
1: There are three bandhas which are considered our internal body locks, prescribed in the different postures. The bandha is a sustained contraction of a group of muscles that assists the practitioner not only in retaining a pose but also in moving in and out of it. The Mūla Bandha, or root lock, is performed by tightening the muscles around the pelvic and perineum area. The Uḍḍīyāna Bandha, often described as bringing the navel to the base of the spine, is a contraction of the muscles of the lower abdominal area – this bandha is considered the most important bandha as it supports our breathing and encourages the development of strong core muscles. Jālaṅdhara Bandha, throat lock, is achieved by lowering the chin slightly while raising the sternum and the palate bringing the gaze to the tip of the nose.
2: Ujjayi breathing is a breath technique sometimes called "the ocean breath" and is typically done in association with asana practice.
Inhalation and exhalation are both done through the nose. For beginners to yoga, the "ocean sound" is created by moving the glottis as air passes in and out. As the throat passage is narrowed so, too, is the airway, the passage of air through which creates a "rushing" sound. The length and speed of the breath is controlled by the diaphragm, the strengthening of which is, in part, the purpose of ujjayi.
