“The breath should be slow, smooth and powerful.
It should be held for 1”-2” after the inhale to prevent contraction.
Retention is also the extension of the hold after the exhale
and it is carried out to retain the state of contraction.
It is necessary to complete an exhale otherwise the inhale will get shorter.
Contraction of the stomach after the exhale will make it more effective.”
– TKV Desikachar England 1992
“Using the breath in Āsana
makes the Āsana adaptable.
For example, by varying the
breath we can vary the effect.”
– TKV Desikachar England 1992
“Here the word Citta is used rather than Manas.
Citta is not used in Chapter Two,
except with regard to Pratyāhāra in verse 54.
Otherwise the term Manas is used,
as in when the mind is automatically
pulled out by external forces.
Therefore for many of us mind is Manas.
Unless there is a shift from Manas to Citta,
it is not possible to do Dhāraṇā.”
– TKV Desikachar on Yoga Sūtra Chapter Three verse 1
– TKV Desikachar Yoga Sūtra Study Quotes Collected and Collated
– T Krishnamacharya Yoga Sūtra Study Quotes Collected and Collated
“The breath presents different possibilities in Āsana.
For example, there can be a refinement of the
posture through developing the breath.”
– TKV Desikachar England 1992
“The breath involves the spine,
and it brings out changes in
the most vital part of the body.”
– TKV Desikachar England 1992
“The Āsana are presented in
Vinyāsa Krama, the way it was
taught to children in the Yoga Śāla.
This should not create the impression
that T Krishnamacharya taught
in this manner to everyone.”
– TKV Desikachar Introduction to Yoga Makaranda
“The whole process of observing
others and observing oneself
is entirely different.
Often we confuse the two.
Ideally, when we observe others,
we should forget about ourselves.
– TKV Desikachar 1981
“The practices dealing with the body and the
breath are known as Āsana and Prāṇāyāma.
They are interlinked, in Āsana the body is
the focus and the breath serves this focus.
In Prāṇāyāma the regulation of the breath is the focus,
the body is prepared adequately via Āsana for this
regulation to materialise without any resistance.”
– TKV Desikachar Madras 1996
“Krishnamacharya’s understanding of Cikitsā
or Yoga therapy and the arrangement and
sequencing of postures, along with modifying
the posture and using different breathing
patterns, plus the use of sound and different
Bhāvana or mental foci was profound.
This allowed for many possibilities to be
offered, for a great number of students
with problems, from a range of relatively
few postures and breathing techniques.”
– TKV Desikachar Madras 1996
“In the Yogavallī, T Krishnamacharya’s commentary on the Yoga Sūtra,
Śraddhā has been seen in a different, very interesting way.
In it, he has said that Śraddhā is a symbol for a special meditation
and he calls this meditation, Ahaṃ Graha Upāsana.
Ahaṃ is the I, Graha is to grasp and Upāsana is to stay near.
Where a person wants to grasp the true nature of the I,
it is called Ahaṃ Graha Upāsana.”
– TKV Desikachar on Yoga Sūtra Chapter One verse 20
– T Krishnamacharya Yoga Sūtra Study Quotes Collected and Collated
– TKV Desikachar Yoga Sūtra Study Quotes Collected and Collated
“Preventive health is a self-discipline and only a minority
seeks Yoga as a preventive measure to prevent illness.
Most people seem to seek Yoga only for therapy.”
– TKV Desikachar 1998
“If there is nervous tension,
it will hold the Mūla down.”
– TKV Desikachar on the Bandha
“We can really see the weaknesses of a body when a person is becoming tired. Sometimes we have to bring the body to its limits for physical or psychological weaknesses to appear.
This need not take a long time; we just have to put the person in an unusual position. Someone who can easily sit in Daṇḍāsana, for example, could be asked to lean backward.
Someone who can do Utkaṭāsana could be asked to squat with one foot slightly in front of the other, comparing the two sides.
Breathing can also be used. It is possible to save time by asking someone to add special breathing requirements to their Āsana. They will be concerned about these and problems in the body may appear faster. For example repeating Uttānāsana twelve times with a 15″ inhale.”
– TKV Desikachar
”Śavāsana
is the road between cities.”
– TKV Desikachar England 1976
“Meditation can’t be taught,
but can be learnt.”
– TKV Desikachar on Yoga Sūtra Chapter Three verse 2
