“Even though we feel good about Yoga and we have some understanding,
we have problems relating this to others.
Even before saying anything they have one idea or another.
We have problems communicating with people when it comes to Yoga.
Not so with Art, etc.”
– TKV Desikachar France 1983
A Yoga Practice given to TKV Desikachar when 25 years old by his father T Krishnamacharya.
This picture shows BKS Iyengar demonstrating Āsana at an event in Chennai in June 1980 where he was invited to give a Yoga lecture and Āsana demonstration in a tribute to his Guru T Krishnamacharya. I remember he introduced his presentation with the words “I am an artist and I am going to show you my art”.
A day of clear clear blue, no past no future,
just the present with the clarity of the sun permeating every molecule of the sky.
Brings to Mind the Gāyatrī Mantra:
tat savitur vareṇiyaṃ
That sun most excellent
bhargo devasya dhīmahi |
on the radiance of the Divine I meditate |
dhiyo yo naḥ pracodayāt ||
wisdom may (that radiance) our impel ||
I meditate on the divine radiance
of the most excellent sun.
May it impel my wisdom.
Link to Series: 108 Chanting Practice Pointers
Krishnamacharya Yoga Mandiram 1979 in its original home 3 years after it was founded.
“Of the Four Aspects of the breath which is more important,
(such as) holding after inhalation by will and so on?”
– TKV Desikachar Switzerland 1978
“You must have teachers who will have supervision to respond in the following fields:
Health, Psychology and Spirituality.”
– TKV Desikachar speaking with his senior Western students London 1998
“If the Saṅga is at the Puruṣa level it will stay;
if it is at the Prakṛti level it will change.”
– TKV Desikachar speaking with his senior Western students London 1998
“The Indian culture says:
‘Dharma will protect the one who protects the Dharma‘.
If you serve something it will serve you.
The more I honour the other person
the better will be the response,
of course it may take some time.”
– TKV Desikachar speaking with his senior Western students London 1998
“How is it that we fail to to act right, see right, communicate right,
even though we have all the resources?
What are the indications of this failure?
What indicates that all is well?
Arjuna of the Indian epic Mahābhārata represents the model of
what clouds our consciousness and what can break this cloud.”
– TKV Desikachar’s introduction to a seminar on the Bhagavad Gītā 1998
When seeking the light better to verify
that it is the power of the light
rather than the light of power.
Link to Series: 108 Study Path Pointers
Claude Maréchal:
Talking about the alternative healing system, I think we have to be very careful. Sometimes in Western countries, we see that everything is mixed. In the field of alternative systems, a lot of Viveka or discernment is needed.
TKV Desikachar:
What has happened to some of these alternative systems of therapy, including Yoga, is that things have become a bit shallow. It happens that in one week someone can become an expert in massage. With the help of postal courses you become an Āyurveda expert. The intentions are good, some people may want to learn fast, but what happens is that this state of things brings disrepute to some of the great ancient traditions like Āyurveda. It has taken me three years to convince an Indian to go to an Āyurveda doctor. This is because of the bad reputation the tradition now has.
“My concern now is how I can behave with people.
It took such little time to twist the body into Pūrna Matsyendrāsana.
But what of it? I was so lean, and I was working hard.
But now it is so painful if I make a mistake with somebody.
This is the hard part, this is the Yoga part.”
– TKV Desikachar from an interview in the Journal Viniyoga Italia on Yoga and Well Being.
Viniyoga in Italia:
I am very impressed by what you said about your father giving some students an oil bath. Do you think that sometimes a Yoga teacher needs to give a massage or has to touch the student?
TKV Desikachar:
Well, if a person comes with a backache, you have to examine him or her. You have to touch the person and feel the person. As a part of observation, we need to do that. Sometimes as a part of encouragement we can do that. At times, I take the pulse, so they feel that I care. But I have not and I don’t like to massage our students. I always ask the family to do that.
Viniyoga in Italia:
It could also create a dependence.
TKV Desikachar:
Not only that, but if you do it for one, you will have to do it for others. I want the students to be on their own. It is an education in Svastha.
– TKV Desikachar from an interview in the Journal Viniyoga Italia on Yoga and Well Being.
Question to TKV Desikachar:
Do you think it is important for Yoga teachers to mention diet and lifestyle to students?
TKV Desikachar Response:
As you know, here in Madras, when people come to the Krishnamacharya Yoga Mandiram or to me personally, they come because they have some problem. Every day they come, every day with some problem. If we have a problem, especially if it is a chronic problem, it is both in the body and in the mind, whether it manifests as asthma, diabetes, headache, or blood pressure. Thus we cannot help but talk about everything. That is why we, here in Madras, need to know something about Āyurveda, Yoga and western medical science. For these reasons our teachers are taught physiology, anatomy, Āyurveda and Yoga.
Viniyoga in Italia: In this context what about Āyurveda?
TKV Desikachar: Āyurveda, is, in my opinion, the most complete system of life God ever created, because it encompasses everything in nature. And it is a positive system of health. It is called Āyurveda, or knowledge of life. I have no hesitation to say that this system takes into account every aspect, it is not only medicine, not only food, not only life-style, but it is also the philosophy, the religion and the mantra-recitation. I have never come across a system that is so complete for the health of the body as Āyurveda. Unfortunately, it is nearly dead. We don’t have many people. Because Āyurveda is so complete and vast that a doctor would need an enormous experience.
Viniyoga in Italia: Today in Europe there is a going back to what is called alternative medicines, like herbal treatment and the traditional dietary laws, thermal baths and other traditional treatments. Do you think these traditional approaches have a relevance in today’s world?
TKV Desikachar: Today these are even more relevant than before. Because we are becoming like machines. My mother used to give baths to my children. The love and care of the grandmother was there for the child. My father used to give baths to some of his students. He was giving oil-baths to his students, that is how he knew exactly what was happening to their body. He would massage and thus know. Today everything is mechanized. Today, when people take a bath, they have the phone, the radio, the television. Are they really bathing? Mostly it is just the bathtub that is having a bath.
Question : Do you think that a Yoga teacher in the West should go through some therapy or analysis in order to be aware of the developments in this field and to meet the growing demand for psychological help?
Desikachar : The term “Yoga teacher in the West” seems to suggest that everyone has the same way of teaching. This is not so.
There are those who only give instructions about techniques, like explaining how to use a computer to someone. There is not a lot happening in this teaching situation and the awareness of psychological questions would seem relatively unimportant.
But there is another situation where techniques are not the only element involved. These Yoga teachers are personally concerned by the evolution of their students. They cannot be ignorant, otherwise it would be like the blind leading the blind.
In this second case, and I know many teachers in the West who do this, they look to have as comprehensive a knowledge as possible in many fields, including psychology. The way they go about it is up to them.
– Interview with TKV Desikachar May 1999 during seminar on Yoga and the 21st Century.
Article on Yoga and Pregnancy Part 3 by S Ramaswami – Published in the Indian Review January 1981 whilst he was trustee of the KYM
Article on Yoga and Pregnancy Part 2 by S Ramaswami – Published in the Indian Review December 1980 whilst he was trustee of the KYM
