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 postures, often connected by flowing sequences, sometimes accompanied by breathing exercises, and frequently ending with relaxation lying down or meditation. Yoga in this form has ...

Tirumalai Krishnamacharya Tirumalai 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 "the father of modern yoga" for ...

. 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 initi ...

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 (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. The largest city of the state in area and population, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of th ...

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

engineer Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who invent, design, analyze, build and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while considering the l ...

, 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 (often abbreviated tx, Tx, or Tx) is the attempted remediation of a health problem, usually following a medical diagnosis. As a rule, each therapy has indications and contraindications. There are many different ...

, 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 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 Government of Tamil Nadu is the subnational government for the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is seated at Fort St George, Chennai. The legislature of Tamil Nadu was bicameral until 1986, when it was replaced by a unicameral legislature, lik ...

Family

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.

Death

Desikachar died on 8 August 2016 in Chennai, India at the age of 78.

Bibliography

Desikachar authored books that include * Desikachar, T. K. V. (1995). ''The Heart of Yoga: Developing a Personal Practice.'' Rochester, VM: Inner Traditions International. * Desikachar, T. K. V., with Kausthub Desikachar and Frans Moors (2001). ''The Viniyoga of Yoga: Applying Yoga for Healthy Living'', Krishnamacharya Yoga Mandiram, India * Desikachar, T. K. V. (2003). ''Nathamuni’s Yoga Rahasya.'' Krishnamacharya Yoga Mandiram, India

References

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