When I first checked my email on Monday morning, in my inbox I found a short message from a yoga colleague, “Just heard that your guru Desikachar passed away early this morning-India time.” I had been aware that TKV Desikachar, son of T. Krishnamacharya, had been in poor and declining health for the last several years, so I was not taken by surprise by the news, but was struck by both a sadness for the loss and a deep gratitude for the teachings he shared with the global community about his father’s yoga traditions and his own insights. My first encounter in 2001 with Mr. Desikachar almost didn’t happen, due to the events of 9/11. He was scheduled to teach at the Yoga Journal Conference in Estes Park that was set to start the following week, and it was quite uncertain if flights from overseas would be back on schedule in time for him to come. But he did, and for several afternoons, for two-hours stretches, I was introduced to not only the teachings of Yoga, but to a man who exemplified the qualities of a compassionate human being and powerful teacher. He was an amazing listener when asked questions, often answering with a spot-on real life story to bring the concepts and practical uses of yoga home to us. Sprinkled in with these talks were kindness, humor, and playfulness amidst heady ideas like avidya and the other kleshas. And the yoga asana he shared was simple, accessible, and effective in quieting the mind, enlivening the body, and cultivating a sense of health and contentment that was unique for me at that point in my yoga exposure. At one point in listening to him quietly, respectfully, and insightfully answer a person’s question about yoga, I was quite literally moved to tears by the beauty of the exchange.
Up to that point in time I had never wanted to travel to India, but after those short few days, I realized I now wanted to go to India, not for the culture or the history of the country, but to study with this teacher. So, a few short years later, in February of 2005, I did just that, traveling to study for one month at the Krishnamacharya Yoga Mandiram in city of Chennai, in the southern state of Tamal Nadu, in the country of India. And although we students from all over the world did not get as much time with Desikachar as we all wanted, those Saturday morning sessions with him were powerful experiences. For there I was shown the potential of other aspects of yoga that I had not been exposed to before, in particular the use of sound and chant to achieve the goals of yoga. It was also evident from the quality of his teaching staff, with whom I spent most of my time during my stay, that his teaching were making their way to us even when he was not the direct messenger. And despite the fact that the asana portion of the practices we did twice each day were not physically demanding when compared to my home sessions in the Iyengar style, I was delighted to notice how well I felt each day, and how healthy I remained despite the stresses of living and eating in a land so different from my home.
That experience with the yoga taught by Desikachar changed the way I practice and teach the myriad tools of yoga to this day, for example by bringing the mini vinyasa, unique pranayama approaches, sound practices, and studying of the Sutras into my Iyengar-influenced approach to yoga. For that I will be eternally grateful.
I got to be in his presence one final time, a few years back when his health still permitted him to travel to San Francisco, for a workshop on the breath. On top of the thrill of studying one more time with Mr. Desikachar, I was so delighted to see many of his US-based students who had traveled there to see him also—teachers who have carried his teaching far and wide, including Richard Miller and Larry Payne. We all still had more to learn from this master of yoga. I will miss him and am grateful for his gifts, always.
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