Yoga Tradition

To be part of the Krishnamacharya Yoga tradition is to be part of an international community of teachers and students who have their roots in the classical teachings of Yoga.

T Krishnamacharya was one of India’s most respected Yoga teachers. He believed Yoga was India’s greatest gift to the world and from a very young age he devoted himself to the study, practice and teaching of Yoga.

Following the instructions of his own teacher, Krishnamacharya began teaching in the early 1920’s. His teaching methodology – which is deeply rooted in the Vedas and derives extensively from the Yoga Sūtra’s – evolved over his lifetime. From mastery of the body, to adapting yoga techniques for therapy and healing, to realising the true nature of the Self; Krishnamacharya was a master of applying this ancient wisdom to contemporary life and adapting Yoga to the needs, expectations and capacity of the individual rather than the individual to Yoga.

Krishnamacharya’s faith in the contribution of Yoga to health and healing was unshakeable and he never turned a student away. Although he is no longer with us, he has left a legacy of rich teachings which embraces all the tools of Yoga: āsana (physical postures), prāṇāyāma (breathing techniques), bhavana (visualisation), dhyāṇa (meditation) and japa (sound).

His students and his student’s students continue to share his teachings, thereby ensuring the continuation of this tradition of caring for and maintaining the health of the human system in a holistic manner, and offering practices that lead the practitioner to a place of harmony.

TKV Desikachar – Krishnamacharya’s son and long-time student – is a pioneer of Yoga in the West and a revered teacher to many students throughout the world. An adept teacher and therapist, Desikachar travelled the globe to make his father’s teachings available worldwide. He is also the author of the inspirational book “The Heart of Yoga” which is a comprehensive reference book for yoga students and teachers alike.

Like his father, Desikachar has also left a rich legacy in the form of the Krishnamacharya Yoga Mandiram (KYM) which he established in Chennai in 1976 to honour his father’s teachings. As well as being a prominent school of Yoga education to both Indian and Western students, it is also one of the most renowned centres for Yoga therapy in the world. The KYM also has an active and dynamic research department that is constantly engaged in researching the various theoretical and applied aspects of yoga.