The Life of Krishnamacharya:
He is considered one of the most influencial Yoga teachers of the 20th century and is credited with the revival of Hatha Yoga. He was Guru and teacher to B.K.S Iyengar, founder of Iyengar Yoga and Pattabhi Jois, propagator of the well known Ashtanga Yoga.
Krishnamacharya was born into a family lineage of Brahmins and started Sanskrit, as well as Asana and Pranayama practice at an early age. His first teacher was his father. T Krishnamacharya began his formal education at the age of six, at the Parakala Math in Mysore. Krishnamcharya travelled widely and sought all aspects of the Vedic tradition from the best teachers across India. He went on to earn degrees in Philosophy, Logic, Divinity, Philosophy and Music, from several universities in North India, mastering these systems and was bestowed with titles such as Samkhya Yoga Sikhamani, Mimamsa Tirtha, Nyayacarya, Vedanta Vagisa and Veda Kesari. He was also a master of Āyurveda (the ancient Indian system of healing) and Saṃskṛta.
In order to further his studies in Yoga, Sri T. Krishnamacharya trained with Yoga Master Yogeshwara Ramamohana Brahmachari in a remote cave at the foot of Mount Kailash, where he studied the Yoga Sutras, Asana, Pranayama and the therapeutic aspects of Yoga. Sri T. Krishnamacharya was not only a Yoga instructor but also of Ayurvedic medicine. His Yoga instruction reflected his conviction that Yoga could be a spiritual practice as well as a mode of physical healing.
Krishnamacharya advocated that Yoga is for everyone. He was quoted as saying if you can breathe you can do yoga. Krishnamacharya felt strongly about the fact that each individual was unique and yoga should always be adapted to suit the individual. Krishnamacharya placed importance on teaching according to the student:
"teach what is inside you, not as it applies to you, but as it applies to the one in front of you."
It is Yoga which gives us health and prosperity. It is again Yoga which ensures us a long life. It is Yoga which sharpens our intellect. It is Yoga which makes us wealthy. It is Yoga which elevates us as human beings. It is Yoga which makes our country a pure, scintillating jewel. It is Yoga which enables our intellect to do or not to do. It is again Yoga which imparts knowledge as to why we were born. To the important question ""Where is God?'", it is only Yoga that supplies the answer and nothing else. We can affirm these with great confidence.
- Krishnamacharya
ॐ
śrī kṛṣṇavāgīśa yatīśvarābhyām
saṃprāpta cakrāṅkaṇa bhyāṣyasāram |
śrī nūtnaraṅgendra yatau samarpitsvam
śrī kṛṣṇamāryaṃ guruvaryamīḍe |
virodhe kārtike māse śatatārā kṛtodayam
yogācāryaṃ kṛṣṇamāryaṃ
guruvaryamahaṃ bhaje ||
“I offer praise to one who is disciplined,
Guru Śrī Krishnamacharya, whose great teachers were Śrī
Kṛṣṇa who taught him mantra and initiated him into
Cakrāṅkaṇam (the ritual of prostrating and receiving
Śaṅkha, right side and Cakra, left side on the
shoulders). Śrī Vāgīśa who taught him the essence of
Śrī Bhyāṣyam (Vedānta) and Śrī Raṅganātha
(Raṅgendra) who initiated him into Bharaṇyāsam (to
place at the Lord’s feet or how to surrender to God).
Born in the year Virodha, during the month of Kṛtika
(November), under the star Śatatāra, this teacher of
Yoga, Guru Krishnamacharya I salute.”
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