Professional Documents
Culture Documents
quick links
content
main menu
page menu
language selection
footer
Krishnamacharyas childhood
However, Krishnamacharya was born on 18.11.1888 into a family that had long been in the yoga tradition. Thus
Nathamuni, the legendary author of the Yoga Rahasya, was recognized by Krishnmacharyas ancestors. His
father was Sri Tirumalai Srivinasa Tattacharya, a Sanskrit scholar and Veda teacher. Within 5 years he was
initiated by the traditional Upanayanam ceremony in the Gayatri mantra, and began his formal training in the
sacred texts in Sanskrit. Through his father he was also introduced into the practice of yoga.
Swami, was the head of the traditional Bramhatantra Parakala Mutt, a Hindu monastic university.
Krishnamacharya then continued his religious studies there.
During the whole time he remained faithful to the practice of yoga and took advantage of free time to travel
extensively through India and the Himalayas.
Krishnamacharya built the bridge, over which yoga was taken on its way out of the past and into our present.
Despite the resistances of his time, he saved yoga as a valuable treasure for humankind.
Traditional and yet innovative, could one thus describe Krishnamacharya. Conserving old traditions, yet boldly
crossing boundaries, was his motto. He was the first to teach a man and woman from West, and so he aroused
the opposition of the traditionalists of his time. Although the science of Yoga had been practiced in secret since
ancient times, worldwide interest for this ancient experience blossomed due to his many demonstrations. His
demonstrations of asanas and pranayama are legendary.
The yoga that Krishnamacharya taught always recognized the individual person with their specific characteristics.
Systematically and progressively a practice developed that was customized to the individual student. The yoga of
Pattabhi Jois, Indra Devi, BNS Iyengar or BKS Iyengar, as learned from Krishnamacharya in Mysore, differs only
superficially from the yoga that TK Srinivasan, TKV Desikachar, TK Sribhashyam, Srivatsa Ramaswami and AG
Mohan, learned several years later in Chennai. One a dynamic and powerful version, called Ashtanga Yoga, the
other calm and deliberate, called Vini yoga, they are still equal at the core. The students were distinct from each
other, therefore Krishnamacharya took a different approach to the same yoga. However, considering the two
contrary-appearing approaches to yoga, we see that each is contained within the other - Vini Yoga can be found
within Ashtanga, and Ashtanga Yoga within Vini.
Krishnamacharyas yoga was, from then on, designed to recognize the person as a whole and to assist in their
individual development. Physical health and spiritual growth were equally part of the objective. Through the
individually tailored practice, Krishnamacharya could achieve successful results for many diseases.
Sources:
Page keywords:
Ashtanga, Yoga, Krishnamacharya, Tirumalai, Tradition, Myths
Tradition
Traditions/roots
Krishnamacharya
Way to the West
Children of Ashtanga Yoga
Basics
Asana Vinyasa Series