Our Review
No other figure occupies a larger role in the history of yoga than Tirumalai Krishnamacharya (1888–1989), the “father of modern yoga.” With a life so long, a life that exceeded the century mark. He touched many generations of students, and each of them would carry forward his message in his own way. The styles that grew out of his line — Ashtanga, Iyengar, Viniyoga and others — have helped shape the global yoga patchwork as we know it today. To understand the modern practice of yoga, one must start with its roots, and that means beginning with Krishnamacharya, his unconventional philosophy and methods, as well as his astonishingly wide range of teachings and students.
Krishnamacharya’s Early Life and Education
Krishnamacharya was born in 1888 in Muchukundapura, a small village in the kingdom of Mysore in South India, the son of an orthodox Sri. Iyengar Brahmin. Vveda: His family was associated with the Vedic tradition, and he was exposed to Sanskrit, philosophy and ritual from a tender age. He began his intellectual quest by visiting some of the best seats of learning in India. He knew from several acharyas (teachers), the major ones being Sri Vamacarana Bhattacharya at Varanasi (where he learnt Sanskrit and philosophy) and Brahmashri Krishnamacharya, under whom he was given special training in the six Darshanas.
The freest opportunities of his education were when he gained asylum in Tibet, to learn the wisdom of yoga. While there, he studied for seven years in a closed cave of the Himalayas under his teacher, Ramamohan Brahmachari. This period served to deepen his realisation that yoga could not be reduced simply to physical postures, but rather was an entire way of life encompassing physical postures, breath control, meditation, ritual and philosophy. Armed with this knowledge, he returned to India with a mission: to restore yoga to a living practice, as he and modern society could realistically apply it.
The Mysore Palace Years
It was during his sojourn in Mysore in the royal court of Maharaja Krishnaraja Wadiyar IV that was perhaps the most significant in Krishnamacharya’s life. The Maharaja, who ruled as a progressive leader installed by the British, wanted to revive Indian traditions in the face of colonialism, and lead an indigenous resistance to the popular Western alternative of the princess superhero. This led to his invitation of Krishnamacharya to teach yoga at the Mysore Palace, thereby providing him with a platform to impart his teachings.
In Mysore, and even before, Krishnamacharya started to systematise yoga into a practice that combined harsh physicality with breath awareness. He was an originator of sequential series and dynamic vinyasa (the linking of breath and movement), and he modified postures for therapeutic purposes. Such modifications were instrumental in bringing yoga to the masses as a means to connect spiritual practice with physical well-being.
Some of his best-known students started their practice with him there, among them — B.K.S. Iyengar, K. Pattabhi Jois, T.K.V. Desikachar and Indra Devi. Obviously, each of these students would translate and pass on his teachings differently, resulting in the variety of yoga styles now practised around the world.
Philosophy and Teaching Approach
Krishnamacharya’s teaching was firmly rooted in the classical tradition of yoga, and in particular the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. He emphasised that yoga was not merely a system of physical exercises but also a journey from self to self-realisation and liberation. His approach integrated:
- Asana (postures): Physical practice designed to provide strength and flexibility of the body and mind.
- Pranayama (breath control): Using the breath to energise the body and clear and focus the mind.
- Dhyana (meditation): Developing inner awareness and focus.
- Therapeutic adjustment: Adapting ways of doing things to the needs of an individual in the area of health, religious ritual, or daily routine.
Krishnamacharya was a genius in that way: He was adaptable. He would frequently remark that people should “Teach whatever suits the student.” This principle — later popularised by his son T.K.V. Desikachar as Viniyoga — was groundbreaking. It meant that yoga wasn’t a one-size-fits-all practice but could be customised to age, ability, lifestyle and health.
The Students and the Lineage of Styles
Krishnamacharya’s influence is most evident in the various yoga traditions his students have continued. Each one of the primary disciples assimilated his teachings, and each one later interpreted them in differing manners, according to which various schools of yoga emerged.
B.K.S. Iyengar and Iyengar Yoga
One of Krishnamacharya’s first pupils was B.K.S. Iyengar (1918_2014). He was a sickly child and found healing in yoga. Iyengar created an approach focusing on alignment and the use of props (blocks, straps, bolsters) in bringing a specific attention to posture. His magisterial book Light on Yoga (1966) is a global classic, bringing yoga to millions around the world and serving as a guiding light to evangelists.
Iyengar Yoga in particular continues to be widely practised for helping emotional conditions. By making postures available with the use of props, Iyengar made sure that yoga was not confined to the young or flexible.
K. Pattabhi Jois and Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga
Following Krishnamacharya in Mysore was K. Pattabhi Jois (1915–2009), who developed Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga, a dynamic, physically challenging practice that focuses on moving sequences coordinated with the breath. Ashtanga is divided into six series (Primary, Intermediate, and four Advanced), the difficulty of which increases with each series.
This approach served as the forerunner of Westernised versions of “power yoga” and “vinyasa flow” taught today. Ot’s popularity among athletes and other exercisers was a demanding physical workout combined with spiritual depth.
T.K.V. Desikachar and Viniyoga
T.K.V. Desikachar (1938–2016), Krishnamacharya’s son, also continued the tradition, promoting an approach centred on the individual. His approach, which later evolved into what is called Viniyoga, centred on adjusting yoga to an individual’s particular state as well as their health and life circumstances.
Desikachar specialised in yoga therapy, adapting asana, pranayama, chanting, and meditation to address stress, chronic illness, and emotional wellness. His best-selling book, The Heart of Yoga, distilled his father’s teachings and shared them with the West.
Indra Devi: The First Lady of Yoga
Indra Devi (1899-2002), a Russian actress turned yogini, was one of Krishnamacharya’s earliest female students — praise-worthy in an age when yoga had been dominated by men. She went on to bring yoga to Hollywood, counting, among her students, Greta Garbo and Marilyn Monroe. Indra Devi was a gentle teacher, with an emphasis on relaxation, breath and accessibility.
It was through her that yoga entered the mainstream of Western popular culture, particularly in the United States, paving the way for legions of women to follow her lead and adopt yoga as a practice in pursuit of health and beauty.
Other Students and Contributions
In addition to these familiar names, Krishnamacharya’s reach was also felt through numerous teachers who took aspects of his teaching into other spheres. Another of his students was SRIVASTA, who went on to become a leading exponent of VINAYASA KRAMA YOGA, a systemised sequence that maintains its roots from KRISHNAMACHARYA.
The Evolution of Yoga Through Krishnamacharya’s Lineage
The brilliance of Krishnamacharya’s work is in the variety of offspring. The fact that he held in his mind two perspectives—yoga as an ancient spiritual practice and yoga as a contemporary healing methodology—allowed his students to take the core of his teachings and translate them to other scenarios:
- Iyengar emphasised alignment and therapy.
- Jois focused on discipline and the physicality of a practice.
- Desikachar emphasised individualisation and healing.
- Indra Devi delved into accessibility and cultural adaptation.
And today, almost every style of yoga currently practised across the globe — from Vinyasa Flow to Power Yoga to Restorative Yoga — is, in some way, descended from Krishnamacharya’s innovations in Mysore and Chennai.
Krishnamacharya’s Longevity and Continued Influence
Krishnamacharya himself lived to see more than 100 years and was teaching and practising yoga into his final days. His own good health was considered proof of yoga’s effectiveness. His lessons extended beyond the mat, with a larger spiritual message that resonated: yoga was for self-knowledge, for compassion, for connection to the divine.
Yoga Therapists, scholars and yogis today still refer to his works, Yoga Makaranda, and Yoga Rahasya for knowledge. His belief in customising yoga to fit the individual has since proven to be the foundation of contemporary yoga therapy.
Critiques and Controversies
Krishnamacharya is undoubtedly a great teacher, though some academic scholars assert that his categorisation of postures was novel, i.e., not witnessed in earlier yoga texts. (Some of the dynamic vinyasa sequences, for example, have a definite debt to Indian wrestling and gymnastics, but that’s another story…) This calls into question the authenticity versus innovation debate.
But for others, Krishnamacharya’s genius resided in this very flexibility, in his willingness to innovate ancient practices for a modern world. His combination of tradition and innovation saved yoga from obscurity and made it a practice with global appeal.
Conclusion: The Living Legacy of Krishnamacharya
The legacy of Tirumalai Krishnamacharya is not bound to style, to book, to school. It’s a tradition which is alive everywhere in the world. From Iyengar Yoga’s exacting line-ups to Ashtanga’s flowing dynamism, from Viniyoga’s therapeutic modification to the accessible instructions of Indra Devi, it’s all part of a continuum whose keystone was a teacher who viewed yoga as adaptable, belonging to the world, and meant for change.
In a world where millions of people try yoga for health and fitness, for stress and spiritual growth, Krishnamacharya must be regarded as the pre-eminent person who developed the practice we know today. Not only the Father of Modern Yoga, but he was also the great architect and bricoleur of a practice that would continue to mediate between ancient and modern, East and West, individual and universal.
