Posts archive: T Krishnamacharya & TKV Desikachar’s Media & Seminar Posts

Question to TKV Desikachar on Yama and Niyama:

Posted on by Paul Harvey

TKV_France_1999

Question to TKV Desikachar on Yama and Niyama:

“The idea behind Yama and Niyama is the attitude we have to the inside and outside.
If I don’t know what is true there is no question of telling the truth.
However there is the intention, because one day it may become a reality.
Even though some of these things are not there in the beginning,
if the intention is sincere then one day it will become an action
if conditions and our psychological state change.
Yama as telling the truth also means discretion.”
– TKV Desikachar France 1983

Introduction to the Yoga Makaranda by TKV Desikachar

Posted on by Paul Harvey

tkv_tk_3_1980

Introduction to the Yoga Makaranda by TKV Desikachar

Extract from the issue of KYM Darśanam published in November 1993,
it was written by TKV Desikachar as an introduction to a serialisation of the Yoga Makaranda
which ran over 10 issues of the magazine until February 1996.

“I would like to bring to the notice some important aspects of this book to help understand the context in which it was written and to avoid misinterpretation.

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The force called Śakti or Kuṇḍalinī is indeed Prāṇa……

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prana

“Then he has certain ideas also about Kuṇḍalinī.
The force is Prāṇa,
the force called Śakti or Kuṇḍalinī is indeed Prāṇa.
The only means that can have any effect is the use of Prāṇāyāma,
with emphasis on exhalation and the Bandha,
aided by devotional chantings.
And the evolution of Kuṇḍalinī is very much linked to the person’s state of mind and Vairāgya.”
– TKV Desikachar from lectures on ‘The Yoga of T Krishnamacharya’,
given at Zinal, Switzerland 1981.

Exhalation is the most important part of the breath……

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“Exhalation is the most important part of the breath,
it encourages the inhalation.
By increasing the exhalation we bring attention to the lower abdomen.”
– From study notes with TKV Desikachar England 1992

The breath makes Āsana part of Yoga.

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“The breath makes Āsana part of Yoga.”
– From study notes with TKV Desikachar England 1992

The focus during Āsana should be on…….

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“The focus should be on
the contraction of the abdomen or
the expansion of the chest during Āsana.”
– From study notes with TKV Desikachar England 1992

Often people have little distinction between Exercise and Yoga….

Posted on by Paul Harvey

siksana

“Continuing the idea of Śikṣaṇa,
it is possible to put further categories into Sādhana.
It is important,
as often people have little distinction between exercise and Yoga.
According to texts and great masters Sādhana is not just at the body level,
but at the Indriya level, the mind level and possibly even further.”
– TKV Desikachar France 1983

Rāga is attraction to an object before you are aware of it….

Posted on by Paul Harvey

raga

“Rāga is attraction to an object
before you are aware of it.
An attraction whether you need it or not.
In its absence you crave for it.”
– TKV Desikachar France 1983

There are two categories of practice……

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“There are two categories of practice, the Śikṣaṇa Krama way, according to the rules,
or the Cikitsā Krama way, the application or adaptation of a posture
to suit a particular person or a particular situation.
Where postures need to be adapted to suit particular bodies and their limitations.
The authority for the postures comes from the teacher,
although some rules are indicated in the texts.”
– From study notes with TKV Desikachar England 1992

Know the Breath from the feelings in the Āsana……

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seated_pranayama_2

1. Know the Breath from the feelings in the Āsana.
2. Choose a ratio close to that used in Āsana.
3. Choose a technique to suit the day.
4. Choose a proper posture for the spine.
– TKV Desikachar Switzerland 1978

The action of a posture may be delayed……

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Āsana_12a

“The action of a posture may be delayed
because the student has tried to force the body into a posture.
Never measure something by its immediate effects.”
– From study notes with TKV Desikachar England 1992

The problems we have in life come because of Saṃskāra…..

Posted on by Paul Harvey

samskara

“The problems we have in life come because of Saṃskāra.
We are not able to distinguish the coloured image of the mind from the real object.”
– TKV Desikachar ‘The Antaraṅga Sādhana, Saṃyama and Kaivalya’
Religiousness in Yoga Chapter Thirteen Page 188

What are the factors to consider in our teaching?

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“What are the factors to consider in our teaching?
At least they should be made known to the student.
Deha Bheda – tall, fat, lean, scoliosis, straight back.
Sādhana according to the physical characteristics.
Something which must be fed, otherwise it will destroy.
For example lumbar lordosis and deep back bends could cause problems.”
– TKV Desikachar France 1983

Svabhāva (innate disposition) – Nature of a person……

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svabhava

“Svabhāva (innate disposition) – Nature of a person.
For example tendency to put on weight, liver problem,
muscular pains for no reason, changes in temperature.
This is why Āyurveda divides humans into 3 types.
Approximately Pitta–Sattva, Kapha–Tamas, Vāta–Rajas Guṇa.
We not only look at the physical structure,
but also how food affects the individual.
Heavy in the morning, etc.
For example different children in the family affected by the same food differently.”
– TKV Desikachar France 1983

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Emphasis on the inhale brings attention to the upper chest….

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puraka

“Emphasis on the inhale brings attention to the upper chest,
with the retention of the breath after the inhale
the spine will stretch and create heat.”
– From study notes with TKV Desikachar England 1992

A Bhāvana doesn’t depend on the reality of what I fix upon……

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bhavana

“A Bhāvana doesn’t depend on the reality of what I fix upon.
I can direct my Bhāvana to a real sensation,
such as the contact between my feet and the ground, for instance.
But I could easily imagine myself in good health,
when in reality I am ill.”
– ‘Concerning the Cakra’ by TKV Desikachar

Bhāvana means that I create for myself a place, an idea, an image……

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bhavana

“Bhāvana means that I create for myself a
place, an idea, an image, a vision and
I direct my attention towards it.”
– ‘Concerning the Cakra’ by TKV Desikachar

According to Patañjali even when you have something in front of you……

Posted on by Paul Harvey

uparaga

“According to Patañjali,
even when you have something in front of you,
you may not see it.
Even when you don’t have something in front of you,
but you want to see it,
you will see it.
Everything depends on YOU.”
– TKV Desikachar Madras 1988

Students need to be aware of which parts of the body to……

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tkv_6a

“Students need to be aware of which parts of the body to bring attention to,
without the teachers hands to remind them;
so by reminding them in another posture,
they will be aware of which part to move.”
– From study notes with TKV Desikachar England 1992

Religiousness in Yoga Study Guide: Chapter Twelve Practice

Posted on by Paul Harvey

TKV Desikachar teaching at Gaunts House

‘Religiousness in Yoga: Lectures on Theory and Practice’ by the University Press of America,
a transcript of recordings of a one month Yoga Programme in Colgate University in 1976, published in 1980.

Unlike the later redacted edition, re-published in 1995 as the ‘Heart of Yoga: Developing a Personal Practice’, it captures the evolution of the retreat with the days lectures and Q & A dialogues as they alternated between ‘lectures on the principles and purposes of Yoga and discussions related to the practice of Yoga with special reference to the postures and the breathing techniques’.

TKV Desikachar, in his forward to the original version wrote:

“These lectures and discussions, printed words put before persons I might never meet,
are but reflections of that deeper result that grew out of a living face-to-face encounter.
Coming to learn of Yoga only through reading leaves much to be desired.
Yet, something worthwhile about Yoga might be shared through the medium of the printed word.”

A chapter by chapter Study guide is offered below with added verse and word cross-references where possible to support a a deeper linking with the teachings within these lectures and Q & A sessions.

Chapter Twelve Practice: Choosing a Ratio and the Proper Technique for Prāṇāyāma
– Pages 163-177

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