From the Archives: TKV Desikachar Conversations - Aukland 1995

On our monthly Zoom, Mary Lou reminded me of this wonderful video when she offered to send the VHS version of it to anyone who requested. Since I have the digitized file, I offered to upload it to the the growing list of resources on lesliekaminoff.yoga.

The video was recorded in Auckland, New Zealand, in November 1995, and features extended conversations in which my teacher T.K.V. Desikachar answers fundamental questions about the nature, purpose, and practice of yoga.

There is a very interesting back story to this video. Desikachar visited New Zealand in 1995 to celebrate the publication of his book, 'The Heart of Yoga.' He was being hosted by Mark Whitwell, who had spearheaded the assembling, editing and publication of the book, which has gone on to become a timeless classic. Mark organized a week of public teaching on the North Shore of Auckland and the interview was conducted on the coast looking out to Rangitoto Island in the Hauraki Gulf.

Desikachar's visit to New Zealand included a trip to Oriental Bay, Wellington to visit Kay Malvernan, the woman who originally inspired him to study yoga with his father. Krishnamacharya had liberated Kay from a life-long struggle with insomnia, and at the age of 27, on the verge of embarking on a career in engineering, Desikachar saw a very unusual sight unfold one morning. A Western woman emerged from a car, ran up to Krishnamacharya and hugged that very traditional Brahmin right in the front yard, in plain sight of the whole neighborhood.

When he questioned his father about this outrageous scene, Desikachar learned that Mrs. Malvernan was simply overjoyed by the fact that thanks to the practices she had learned from him, she had finally gotten a good night's sleep. This was the moment Desikachar realized his father knew something very important and that he must study with him.

I have heard Desikachar tell that story countless times, and he always made it clear that if it weren't for Kay Malvernan's insomnia, he most likely would have taken that position as an engineer. Instead, he became of one of the world's greatest authorities on therapeutic yoga.

In this half-hour video, Desikachar draws on the teachings of his father and the Yoga Sutra of Patañjali to present yoga not as a religion, philosophy, or system of gymnastics, but as a practical discipline of linking body, breath, mind, and, where appropriate, one’s deepest values or faith. He emphasizes that yoga is universal, adaptable to every individual regardless of age, culture, or ability, and should always be tailored by a qualified teacher to the unique needs of the student.

Throughout the discussion, he explains the complementary roles of āsana, prāṇāyāma, and meditation, reflects on the qualities of a trustworthy teacher, dispels common misconceptions about yoga, and argues that Yoga's ultimate aim is not extraordinary power or perfect health, but greater self-understanding, resilience, independence, and freedom.

This interview provides one of the clearest and most accessible summaries of the personalized, student-centered approach that became the hallmark of the later stage of Krishnamacharya's teachings as taught by Desikachar. 

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