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March 2008 Edition

		TKV Desikachar took over from his legendary father, T Krishnamacharya. Now he, his wife Menaka and their children teach yoga in its purest form at their Mandiram in Chennai Samita Rathor Chennai

EVERYBODY is teaching yoga these days: from swamis in flowing robes to sexy gym trainers. Everybody is doing yoga too: svelte odels, overweight housewives, stressed out executives. You see swarms of people in parks and auditoriums chanting Om, reorganising arms and legs into asanas while a sonorous ‘guru’ doles out instructions. “This is not yoga,” TKV Desikachar, founder of the Krishnamacharya Yoga Mandiram (KYM) in Chennai, will tell you. Desikachar practises and teaches yoga in its purest form, like his father, the legendary T Krishnamacharya.

Yoga for them is a science that heals mind and body. Today yoga has blossomed. The best hospitals in the world recommend it. People acknowledge its healing benefits. But yoga’s popularity has also become its bane. Most practitioners do not understand its philosophy and teach it as mere group exercise. The science and philosophy of yoga has been lost sight of. Desikachar has spread yoga in its true form in India, the US and Europe.

Some of the world’s best minds, like Jiddu Krishnamurti, sought a cure fromhis father and him. The finest yoga teachers began their yoga journey under their watchful guidance. Among them are BKS Iyengar, KP Jois and Indra Devi. T Krishnamacharya died in 1989 at the age of 101. He is remembered for stopping his own heartbeat at the age of 76 before a panel of medical doctors. It was Krishnamacharya who salvaged yoga, on the verge of extinction, from sages in the village of Mansarovar, Mount Kailash region.

In 1976, his son, Desikachar started the Krishnamacharya Yoga Mandiram (KYM) to carry forward his father’s work and philosophy.“When I came to understand the depth of my father’s knowledge, I was very disappointed that his teachings were hardlyknown or even acknowledged,” says Desikachar, frankly. “It was for this reason that I set up the Krishnamacharya Yoga Mandiram in his name, as an offering or guru dakshina, for all the knowledge he passed on to me. The ancient texts tell us, Gurum prakasayet dhiman’(It is the duty of a student to bring to light theteachings of his master.)” This is India’s first family of yoga. Desikachar’s wife, Menaka, also a yoga teacher, is an expert in Vedic chanting.

Daughter Mekhala teaches yoga and has recorded two CDs on Vedic chanting. Son Kausthub too is a yoga teacher, a therapist and a Vedic chanter. He is taking yoga to Generation Next. KYM is the only yoga therapy institute of its kind in the world. Lodged in a simple white house with a gentle blue hue, it is located in the quiet lanes of Mylapore, Chennai’s old, historic quarter. Spaces round the house have enclosures with walls and windows made of large, dried, ochre coconut leaves. The ground inside is of natural earth and feels cool. Sounds of Vedic chanting waft through. KYM teaches yoga as a holistic system of healing. It has a faculty of around 50teachers with departments for Yoga Studies, Yoga Therapy and a Research and Publications division. Vedavani, a separate unit, teaches Vedic chanting and does research. The Mitra division does philanthropy by teaching yoga to the underprivileged.

Myths and realities

“There have always been many myths associated with the practice of yoga,” says Desikachar. “There used to be a belief that the ractice of yoga was open only to people from certain communities. Some people believed that yoga was a mystical practice that gave practitioners the ability to levitate or even to remain submerged beneath water for days. However, Patanjali presents yoga as a universal discipline. Its primary focus is on the mind and relationships.” Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras, written about 2,000 years ago, are considered the Bible of yoga. In it Patanjali, a humble physician, expounded yoga as a philosophy, a guide for living the ‘right life’ and achieving spiritual bliss.

Patanjali explained yoga in sutras. Sutra means a thread, strings of rules or aphorisms written in verse. His language is terse and symbolic. He wanted the sutras committed to memory. Altogether there are 195 aphorisms in the Yoga Sutras which encapsulate the principles of yoga and their relevance in life. Written in four chapters, the aphorisms are concise and deeply significant. There is a popular saying that "what is not mentioned in the Yoga Sutras is either not yoga, or probably not important at all". The Yoga Sutras are considered the last word on yoga. No learning of yoga can be complete without studying Patanjali’s enigmatic and philosophical sutras.

But you need a knowledgeable yoga teacher to demystify his book accurately. The first chapter is called Samadhipadah, the second,Sadhanapadah, the third, Vibhutipadah and the fourth, Kaivalyapadah. Patanjali’s yoga is called Ashtanga Yoga which literallymeans ‘eight limbed yoga’. The heart of his teachings are incorporated in the ‘eight-fold’ path. According to Patanjali, the path of internal purification for revealing the Universal Self consists of eight spiritual practices.

Desikachar explains these eight components of yoga:

1. Yama: our attitude towards our environment
2. Niyama: our attitude towards ourselves
3. Asana: the practice of body exercise
4. Pranayama: the practice of breathing exercise
5. Pratyahara: the restraint of our senses
6. Dharana: the ability to direct the mind
7. Dhyana: the ability to develop interaction with what we seek to understand
8. Samadhi: complete integration with the object to be understood Krishnamacharya and Desikachar emphasise the application of the Yoga Sutras for healing patients/students and Desikachar gently puts yoga in the right perspective.

Yoga is secular

In the early 70’s, Desikachar and Gerard Blitz, a Belgian Jew who became his student, started the Zinal Yoga Congress, an annual meeting that brought teachers from all traditions of yoga together. The objective was to bring unity in yoga. The primary organiser of the Zinal Congress is the European Yoga Union (EYU), also founded by Blitz. In one such gathering Desikachar noticed two things that disturbed him.

First, yoga teachers were teaching the same practices to everyone irrespective of age, abilities and interest. Secondly, teachers were mixing Hinduism and yoga, presenting them as one, implying that if people wanted to follow yoga they had to follow the Hindu religion.Desikachar knew from his studies with his father that none of these practices followed the guidelines of Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras. For instance, Patanjali saw religious affiliation as a student’s personal choice not the teacher’s. If yoga istied with Hinduism, then it would have to exclude people who may not be comfortable with its religious content.

The Yoga Sutras are a secular handbook devoid of dogmas, rites, rituals, caste or class biases. They tell us how to use meditation and yoga as a practical path to spirituality. Patanjali’s notion of ‘Isvarah’ is the consciousness within an individual. The Yoga Sutra of Patanjali Chapter I.2 says, Yogascittavrttinirodhah, which explains Desikachar, means: “Yoga is the ability to direct the mind exclusively towards an object and sustain focus in that direction without any distractions.”

Yoga is individual

Desikachar says in KYM yoga is adapted to suit the needs of each individual so that anyone can practice and benefit from it. Teaching yoga is not just about teaching techniques to a group. Each individual is different. We are all unique and no two individuals will ever be the same physically, mentally and spiritually. So their needs and abilities cannot be similar. “When people began to realise the multiple benefits of one-to-one classes, they were very receptive to the idea,” he says. In KYM every student is seen privately by a consultant and then taught by a teacher. The intention is to nurture a good relationship between the teacher and student. This is why teachers are not assigned randomly. A lot of consideration and thought goes into the choice of teacher for the student.

Yoga is about the mind

Desikachar believes that the success of yoga does not lie in the ability to perform postures but in how it positively changes the way we live our lives and manage our relationships.So yoga is about building sound relationships with teacher, student, family, friends and our world. This is why yoga heals the mind first. It can tackle schizophrenia, depression and other mental health problems. But a lot depends on the student’s own perseverance.

“The primary focus is to have empathy, not sympathy,” explains Desikachar. “It takes a lot of time to establish a relationship based on trust, especially with those who are mentally ill. As yoga teachers we need to be extremely patient. Once the student believes that the teacher can be trusted and will not harm or exploit him or her in any way then the transformation begins to happen. This is why myfather always said that yoga is about building relationships. With the right connection, so many wonderful things can happen.”

Yoga is holistic

"Like everything, yoga must be presented intelligently. It should be spoken of carefully and offered with due regard for the aspirations, needs and cultural background of the individual. This must be achieved in stages. The appropriate application of yoga involves physical exercises, deep breathing, relaxation, meditation, lifestyle, food, studies and so forth,” explains Desikachar.

Father and son

Though his father was an acclaimed yoga teacher, Desikachar studied to be a civil engineer, graduating from the University of Mysore. For a while he worked in North India. In those days yoga was not considered a profession. Indians were not proud of it. The West saw it as exotica. T Krishnamacharya never insisted that his son should follow in his footsteps. Despite his father’s fame, the family lived a simple, middle-class life.

Krishnamacharya's own lineage can be traced to the Yogi Nathamuni, a ninth century South Indian saint who was renowned for his works in Sanskrit and Yoga - the Nyayatattva (an extensive work on the darshanas, nyaya, mimansa and Vedanta) and Yoga Rahasya an ancient and lost yogic text, reputed to have been recovered by T Krishnamacharya). The Maharaja of Mysore, Krishna Rajendra Wodeyar, requested Krishnamacharya to set up a yoga programme at the Jaganmohan palace.

He accepted, despite numerous offers elsewhere, mainly to be closer to his family. From here, he taught many students, including KPJois and BKS Iyengar. Breaking tradition, Krishnamacharya taught yoga to women for the first time. He simplified asanas, adapting them to each student. He would teach yoga to anyone, fat or thin, old or young. He would never push a student to do something he or she was unable to do. Sometimes he even used props like ropes and wooden blocks to help his students practice. “Such adaptations were one of my father’s most innovative efforts to make the practice of yoga accessible to everyone,” says Desikachar.

“In fact, when my father taught Indra Devi the standing forward bend (uttanasana), he would ask her to bend her knees as she bent down. It was only gradually that he helped her to bend down keeping her legs straight. His principle in teaching yoga was: Heyam duhkham anagatam. (Yoga Sutra of Patanjali Chapter II-16). This means painful effects that are likely to occur should be anticipated and avoided. This is also the motto KYM follows. Recollects Menaka Desikachar: “I saw with my own eyes a young girl of about 15 years gasping for breath. She came to see my father- in- law. After a while she came out looking happy and breathing normally. I asked my father-in-law what he had done. He said simply that he had made an Ayurveda preparation for the girl which harmonised her breathing.”

She relates another incident: “Sometime in 1968 a middle- aged man arrived in a car in front of my father- in- law’s house. He had suffered a severe paralytic attack. It was so bad that he just lay in the back seat. I saw my father- in- law go inside the car and talk to this man. He taught him something. In a few days time this man began walking with the help of a stick. Soon he could walk without any support. Today he lives in America and is 80 year’s old.” Desikachar quotes from the Sutras to explain: “Exceptional mentalcapabilities may be achieved by genetic inheritance, the use of herbs as prescribed in the Vedas, reciting incantations, rigorous austerities and through that state of mind which remains with its object without distractions.”

Desikachar was Krishnamacharya’s fourth child and second son. He might have continued as a civil engineer. But in 1961 while holidaying in Chennai, Desikachar witnessed the power of his father’s work. This inspired him to change the focus of his work to yoga.A foreign lady hugged his father and expressed her deep gratitude to him for helping her overcome insomnia. “This was a lady who was very wealthy and had access to all the latest medical facilities. Nothing had cured her of the insomnia that had troubled her for years. However, my father without any medical background, without even knowledge of spoken English had cured her. This event was the turning point in my life. It was then that I decided that I must study yoga under my father,” says Desikachar. Since he was the sole breadwinner of the family for two years he continued working with a leading engineering firm in Chennai while studying with his father.

“I saw my father heal so many people. Sometimes he would prepare certain Ayurvedic medicines himself, often meditating in the sun before giving the medicine to the person. After he demonstrated his ability to stop his own heartbeat in 1964 at the age of 76, I never doubted him in the slightest,” says Desikachar. Apart from yoga, Desikachar has studied Vedanta philosophy, Vedic chanting, Ayurveda, Sanskrit, Mimamsa (ritual) and Nadi Pariksa (pulse-reading).

The KYM method

Under the KYM roof a long line of ailments are dealt with. These include psychological problems, gynecological illnesses, stress, muscular pain, swellings, lethargy, memory loss, constipation, insomnia, paralysis, stiffness in joints, hypothyroidism, diabetes, backpain, acidity, heart problems, arthritis, asthma and many others.

The uniqueness of teaching at KYM is in applying yoga to suit the needs of the individual. At a time when alternative medicine is gaining ground it is noteworthy that KYM receives close to 1,000 students a month. The teaching methodology deals with the causes of ailments and not merely its symptoms. Students at KYM are not just numbers or cases. They are not treated as patients but as students. An assessment is made of each person in his or her entirety. The student and teacher then understand each other through an evolving personal relationship. A course is designed for the individual and adapted according to the progress made. The personal factor plays a vital role.

Therapy at KYM includes helping those afflicted by psychological and emotional suffering. Here, too, the course is designed for the individual and adapted according to the progress made under the guidance of a supervisor. A teacher is chosen for each student by a anel of senior consultants and teachers. More intensive therapy requirements are assessed by the Yoga Chikitsa Department of the KYM. Its director, Dr N Chandrasekhar, is an allopathic medical practitioner and has been one of the senior yoga teachers of the Mandiram. Dr Latha Satish, a yoga teacher with KYM and a research scientist at the Department of Psychology, University of Madras, is succeeding S. Sridhranan, current managing trustee of KYM.

When a student/patient first visits KYM, a senior consultant assesses his or her needs. The consultants are under the direct guidance of Desikachar. All teaching is done on a one- on- one basis. Classes are scheduled at a mutually convenient time for teacher and student. A personalised practice is required to be done every day. The teacher meets the student/patient at regular intervals to review progress and modify the practice as required.Mahesh, in his early 20’s, has been visiting KYM regularly for the past year.

He was restless and could not stay still for even a second. If he remained stationary for too long he would fall off to sleep. He had difficulty obeying instructions. A prolonged and regular regimen was constructed for Mahesh by his supervisor/teacher. It included sanas, pranayama, chanting, movements and most of all, personal interaction. All these applications were designed keeping in mind Mahesh’s physical, mental and breathing capabilities. His poor attention span improved to a noticeable extent.

In fact, he can now memorise and chant mantras which were an impossible task for him when he first came to KYM. He can now sit still with his eyes closed for a full five minutes. His supervisor says confidently: “Working with Mahesh is a great opportunity for me to serve. It is team work and effort that has helped Mahesh to improve. I keep hoping and praying that he improves even more.”

Padmini had chronic asthma since she was eight. She tried allopathic treatment and steroids. But it didn’t work. “I was unable to sing,” she says, “I could not stand the sun and the rain as it would aggravate my condition. Even cooking was difficult.” She began visiting KYM in the early nineties. “That was the first step towards my healing,” she says. “My teachers, Desikachar and Menaka, who have been consistently inspiring me for over a decade, taught me the value and significance of regular practice.” “Sir encouraged me to learn chanting and that was the turning point of my life.

He has helped me breathe again.” Today Padmini is a yoga teacher at the KYM and at Vedavani where she teaches Vedic chanting. With a smile Padmini adds, “I am now able to take regular yoga and chanting classes. Not only that, I can cook too.” Padmini believes the Yoga Sutra, Tapaha swadhyaya ishwarapranidhanani kriya yogah (Yoga Sutra, Chapter II-1) has helped her heal further. Desikachar says this particular sutra means: “The practice of yoga must reduce both physical and mental impurities. It must develop our capacity for self- examination and help us to understand that, in the final analysis, we are not the masters of everything we do.”

Sindhu, an eight-year-old, went into severe depression after her parents got divorced. She developed such severe trauma that she was unable to smile or laugh. Her teacher at KYM worked with her using various applications of yoga. Most of all the teacher gave Sindhu considerate emotional strength to understand her circumstances. Today, Sindhu is a happy child, laughing, playing andenjoying life. Dr Latha Satish recounts the case of 30- year- old Mohan. Unable to cope with his job, he started suffering from severe anxiety.

His mother was suffering from a psychiatric illness and Mohan felt he could be prone to it. So he was adding to his anxiety levels andthinking of things that had not happened. Adequate time was spent with him to understand the core of his mental disharmony. A long pranayama practice to regulate his thought process was designed. With continued faith in his teacher and regular practice Mohan realised that all his anxiety was selfinflicted.

The spread of yoga in Europe

As a reputed centre for yoga and yoga studies, KYM has links to international yoga institutes like Viniyoga International Association, Paris, Viniyoga Review Belgium, Viniyoga America, Viniyoga Spain, Viniyoga Helvetia, Switzerland and Union Europeene Des Federation Nationals De Yoga, Paris. These institutes are affiliated to KYM. It was through Desikachar’s association with Jiddu Krishnamurti that yoga began to gain respect in Europe. In the early 1960's, Krishnamurti approached Krishnamacharya for some yoga lessons. Krishnamacharya asked him to study with Desikachar who at that time was in his late 20s. Krishnamurti was veryhappy with the training he received and in 1963 he invited Desikachar to come to Switzerland and participate in conferences he was involved with.

In 1963, when Desikachar went to Europe, he was introduced as Jiddu Krishnamurti’s teacher. Many of Krishnamurti’s followers were eager to learn from him. In Europe Desikachar met Gerard Blitz. Born in 1912 Blitz, a Belgian Jew and a water polo player, had with his father founded Club Med, a French corporation with vacation resorts in exotic locations. Club Med was a precursor to the now popular all-inclusive resort concept. Blitz, a student of Krishnamurti, now became Desikachar’s student. Blitz founded the European Union of Nationally Federated Yoga Teachers. In each country in Europe, yoga schools are in a nationally federated union. The federation holds a large conference on yoga annually.

Through Krishnamurti, Desikachar came into contact with many legendary personalities, some of whom would become yoga students and teachers: Rukmini Devi Arundale (the celebrated dancer and founder of the Kalakshetra Academy) and Vanda Scaravalli. Scaravelli, who died in Italy in 1999 at the age of 9l, is best known for her influential book, Awakening the Spine. It has striking photos of her as an eightyyear- old performing challenging asanas with ease. Scaravelli learnt yoga from BKS Iyengar and Desikachar.Desikachar follows the principle that Krishnamacharya always believed in and left behind, “Teach what is inside you, not as it applies to you, but as it applies to the other.”

In India we continue to ignore pure yoga, a great inheritance from our forefathers. Yoga exists but mostly in its commercial avatar. In fact other nations have usurped the invaluable teachings of Patanjali without any effort. The real gurus and traditional schools of yoga have preferred to lie low and keep a distance from moneyed adaptations. Institutes like KYM focus quietly on enhancing the realvalues of yoga. They don’t need to dazzle people with swamis in orange robes, or with aerobics and mindless philosophy because they teach and practice yoga in its true form.

web site www.kym.org. Phone 044 2493309 2, 24937998, 24620202. Email: admin@kym.org

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