Principles behind why Krishnamacharya only taught adults 121…

tkv_tk_3_1980

Principles behind why Krishnamacharya only taught adults 121

“There is another practical thing, it is like what we call Vinyāsa.
At different times, he (Krishnamacharya) has said that any teaching must have the following conditions:

First, from where is the student coming? What is called Deśa. Is he from America, or is he from North India? Teaching must consider whether the person is from one country or another.

Then Deha; Deha means what to teach a fat man; what to teach a lean person; what to teach an old person; what to teach a young person. All those things must be respected, whether teaching music or astrology or vedic chanting or anything.

Kāla, year, the way to teach and what to teach depends on the time of year. Spring teaching is different; winter teaching is different; the time of teaching and what is to be taught also is different.

Vṛtti, what I would teach a runner; what I would teach a philosopher; these must be different. VṛttiBheda, depending on the avocation of the person, the teaching of anything must vary.

And then Mārga, somebody is interested in devotion, somebody else is interested in fitness; somebody else wants to chant because he wants to sleep; somebody else wants to chant because he wants to pray. Depending on the mind of the student, the practice must be adapted.

Śakti, the capacity of the person; how much endurance he has; how much memory he has; how much time he has to study or to practice.

All these things must be examined.”

TKV Desikachar from lectures on ‘The Yoga of T Krishnamacharya’,
given at Zinal, Switzerland 1981.

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