T. Kṛṣṇamācārya

T. Kṛṣṇamācārya is widely regarded as the father of modern yoga. His innovative teachings and the students he trained—including B.K.S. Iyengar and K. Pattabhi Jois—shaped the global yoga movement of the 20th and 21st centuries.

Life/History

Born in a Brahmin family in Karnataka, he studied extensively under various masters, including Rama Mohana Brahmachari in the Himalayas. He held degrees in all six Vedic darśanas. Settling in Mysore under the patronage of King Krishna Raja Wadiyar IV, he taught yoga at the palace and traveled across India giving lectures and demonstrations to promote yoga. He later moved to Madras (Chennai), where he continued teaching until his advanced age.

Teachings/Contributions

Krishnamacharya is widely considered the architect of vinyāsa — combining breathing with movement. His style of yoga came to be called Viniyoga or Vinyasa Krama Yoga, and underpinning all his teaching was the principle “Teach what is appropriate for an individual.” He wrote four books on yoga — Yoga Makaranda (1934), Yogāsanagalu (c. 1941), Yoga Rahasya, and Yogavalli (1988) — as well as several essays and poetic compositions. His teaching was remarkably adaptable, creating lineages that would become Iyengar Yoga, Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga, and Viniyoga.

Legacy

Through his students — including Indra Devi, K. Pattabhi Jois, B.K.S. Iyengar (his brother-in-law), his son T.K.V. Desikachar, Srivatsa Ramaswami, and A.G. Mohan — Krishnamacharya’s influence pervades virtually all modern yoga practice. In India he was known chiefly as a healer who drew from ayurvedic and yogic traditions.

Verification notes

• Audited against Wikipedia (September 2026).