Tirumalai Krishnamacharya Venkata Desikachar (21 June 1938 – 8 August 2016), better known as T. K. V. Desikachar, was a yoga teacher, son of the pioneer of modern

yoga as exercise Yoga as exercise is a physical activity consisting mainly of asana, postures, often connected by vinyasa, flowing sequences, sometimes accompanied by pranayama, breathing exercises, and frequently ending with savasana, relaxation lying down or ...

Tirumalai Krishnamacharya Tirumala Krishnamacharya (18 November 1888 – 28 February 1989) was an Indian yoga teacher, ayurvedic healer and scholar. He is seen as one of the most important gurus of modern yoga, and is often called "Father of Modern Yoga" for his wi ...

. The style that he taught was initially called

Viniyoga Tirumalai Krishnamacharya Venkata Desikachar (21 June 1938 – 8 August 2016), better known as T. K. V. Desikachar, was a yoga teacher, son of the pioneer of modern yoga as exercise, Tirumalai Krishnamacharya. The style that he taught was init ...

although he later abandoned that name and asked for the methods he taught to be called "yoga" without special qualification.

Biography

Desikachar was born in Mysore, son of the pioneer of modern yoga

, under whom he studied. He moved to

Madras Chennai, also known as Madras ( its official name until 1996), is the capital and largest city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost state of India. It is located on the Coromandel Coast of the Bay of Bengal. According to the 2011 Indian ce ...

(now Chennai) in the early 1960s. He had trained as an

engineer Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who Invention, invent, design, build, maintain and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials. They aim to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while ...

, but, inspired by his father's teachings, he studied under his father in the 1960s, and from the 1970s he taught in many parts of the world. He published many books, especially the 1995 ''The Heart of Yoga''. During his thirty years of study, Desikachar learned the practice and application of yoga techniques and texts, for

therapeutic A therapy or medical treatment is the attempted remediation of a health problem, usually following a medical diagnosis. Both words, ''treatment'' and ''therapy'', are often abbreviated tx, Tx, or Tx. As a rule, each therapy has indications an ...

, exercise, and spiritual purposes. Desikachar developed Viniyoga, a term from the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. This approach is claimed to be holistic and aligned with the ''Yoga Sutras''. In 1976 Desikachar and

A. G. Mohan A. G. Mohan (born 1945) is an Indian yoga teacher, author, and co-founder of Svastha Yoga & Ayurveda. Mohan was a longtime disciple of Tirumalai Krishnamacharya (1888-1989), the "father of modern yoga". Mohan co-founded with T.K.V. Desikachar ...

founded the Krishnamacharya Yoga Mandiram (KYM), a

yoga therapy Yoga as therapy is the use of yoga as exercise, consisting mainly of postures called asanas, as a gentle form of exercise and relaxation applied specifically with the intention of improving health. This form of yoga is widely practised in classes ...

clinic and yoga center in Madras, India, as a non-profit public charitable trust. Under Desikachar’s leadership, it offered teacher training and individual instruction in asana, pranayama, meditation, yoga philosophy, and Vedic chanting. It conducted research into the impact of yoga on people suffering from schizophrenia, diabetes, asthma, and depression. It has been recognized by the Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation of the Department for Scientific and Industrial Research, Government of India. The institution is a public registered charity, identified by the Department of Family Health and Welfare of the

Government of Tamil Nadu The Government of Tamil Nadu () is the administrative body responsible for the governance of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Chennai is the capital of the state and houses the state executive, legislature and head of judiciary. Under the Const ...

Personal life

His wife, Menaka Desikachar, taught yoga and Vedic chanting at KYM and continues to do so at Krishnamacharya Healing and Yoga Foundation (KHYF), founded in 2016. Bushan Desikachar, Dr. Kausthub Desikachar and Mekhala Desikachar are his three children. Kausthub is the Chief Executive and a senior teacher and yoga therapy consultant at KHYF. Kausthub was the Executive Trustee of the Krishnamacharya Yoga Mandiram (KYM) till 2012, when he stepped down after sexual misconduct allegations. Desikachar died on 8 August 2016 in Chennai, India at the age of 78.

Bibliography

Desikachar's books include: * Desikachar, T. K. V., with Mary Louise Skelton and John Ross Carter (1980). ''Religiousness in Yoga.'' University Press of America. * ——— (1982). ''The Yoga of T. Krishnamacharya'' The University of Virginia. * ——— (1995). ''The Heart of Yoga: Developing a Personal Practice.'' Rochester, Vermont: Inner Traditions International. * ———, with Kausthub Desikachar and Frans Moors (2001). ''The Viniyoga of Yoga: Applying Yoga for Healthy Living'', Krishnamacharya Yoga Mandiram, India. * ———, with Mrtyn Neal (2001). ''What are we seeking'', Krishnamacharya Yoga Mandiram, India. * ——— (2003). ''Nathamuni’s Yoga Rahasya.'' Krishnamacharya Yoga Mandiram, India. * ——— (2003). ''Reflections on Yogasutra-s of Patanjali'' Krishnamacharya Yoga Mandiram, India. * ———, with Kausthub Desikachar (2003). ''Vedic Chant Companion'' Krishnamacharya Yoga Mandiram, India. * ———, with Kausthub Desikachar (2003). ''Ādi Śaṅkara's Yoga Tāravali: English Translation and Commentary'' Krishnamacharya Yoga Mandiram, India. * ———, with R. H. Cravens (2011). ''Health, Healing, and Beyond: Yoga and the Living Tradition of T. Krishnamacharya'', Farrar Strass and Giroux.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Desikachar, T. K. V. 1938 births 2016 deaths Indian yoga gurus People from Mysore