Krishnamacharya's forgotten book, Yogasanagalu

Yogasanagalu pdf

The Introduction (translation may be on it's way).

Notice that this is the fourth (expanded) edition and that it's written in the Kanada language which suggests Mysore. We also see above that it was published by Mysore university. 

When was Yogasanagalu first published? 

I'd always assumed that this was a later text and that there had been a shift in Krishnamacharya's teaching style from something more in keeping with Pattabhi Jois' Ashtanga to Ramaswami's Vinyasa Krama or Desikachar's Viniyoga. These scans of the Yogasanagalu had been sent to me while I was on Ramaswami's TT course and seemed to be exactly what I was learning from Ramaswami. How to square that with the Ashtanga style I had originally practiced, surely there had been a change of approach from when Krishnamcharya left the large group of kids at the Mysore palace to teach one-to-one in Chennai.

It appears that Yogasanagalu was actually first published in 1941, slap bang in the middle of Krishnamacharya's Mysore period, six years after his Yoga Makaranda and at the same time as he was teaching Indra Devi, Iyengar and Pattabhi Jois.

There was no early/ late Krishnamacharya, and his teaching now appears quite consistent throughout his life, no Kehre (turn), no softening of the practice with age. 

Ashtanga doesn't represent Krishnamacharya's early style of teaching, it seems more a representation of how Krishnamacharya taught in a particular environment and in a particular set of circumstances i.e. the kids of the Mysore palace (and perhaps Pattabhi Jois' development or codification of that period as it seems he was asked to teach some of Krishnamacharya's classes). This would explain the 1938 movie, we see Iyengar doing an Ashtanga style demonstration (very out of keeping with the Iyengar yoga we're familiar with that he was developing in the 40's and 50's) and yet Krishnamacharya practicing in a more 'Vinyasa Krama' style.

*If anyone has a translation of the yogasanagalu or at least a summery I would love to see it, my email can be found in the ABOUT ME section of this blog.

Namarupa : Richard Schechner's notebook on his studies with Krishanamacharya

Thank you to Claudia (and Krishna ) for the heads up on this article from Namarupa.

Here's the teaser/intro that Namarupa provide.

RICHARD SCHECHNER'S NOTEBOOK 42
by Daniel Dale
Photographs by Eddie Stern


It was in the spring of 2009. I had just finished teaching a yoga class at a health club in Manhattan, when a man who had been waiting by the door entered and began to do his own practice. I immediately took note of his uncommon form. He was moving and breathing just as I had seen demonstrated by Srivatsa Ramaswami and A.G. Mohan, two notable students of Krishnamacharya’s. I begged the man’s pardon for interrupting, but asked if he wouldn’t mind my asking where he had learned to practice in such a way.
“I learned in Madras, back in the 70s,” he said. “May I ask, from whom?” I inquired, to which he replied, “You probably haven’t heard of him.” I believe I then said, “Try me.” I was soon glad I had persisted; much to my delight, he said he had studied with “a man named Krishnamacharya.” ... continued online...

And I did. I know of this magazine from an article Ramaswami wrote on his own studies with Krishnamacharya. I highly recommend it, only a couple of pounds/dollars to download an edition with the option of ordering the paper copy if you so wish.

The article on Richard's notebooks blew me away. He studied with Krishnamacharya in the 70's, only for a few months, but at the same time as my own teacher Ramaswami, perhaps they crossed on the stairs going up to Krishnamacharya's room.

So the description of Krishnamacharya, his style of teaching, what he was teaching, was familiar to me from all the stories Ramaswami had told of his 30 odd years with him. And yet here, in Richard's article, is Krishnamacharya teaching in English, and it's as if his teaching has been preserved in wax.


'Richard said K’s teaching methodology consisted of 4 steps. First, he would demonstrate. Then he would dictate the steps verbally and Richard would take notes and/or draw a picture. Then K had Richard do it while he dictated the steps. Lastly, Richard would do it on his own and K would watch without dictating'. p6

So in the article, Richard is flicking through his notebook for the first time in years, it's somehow like hearing a faint echo.... 

We're used to hearing Krishnamacharya 2nd hand, 10th hand, in translation, through a process of Chinese whispers. Ramaswami was taught by him in Tamil I believe, so even here as close to the source as you can now get, there's still a translation to English and a constant revisiting. It's Krishnamacharya but it's also Ramaswami (and perhaps all the better for it). That said I remember towards the end of Ramaswami's TT course seeing a copy of Krishnamacharya's Yogasanagalu, as I flicked through the 120 odd pictures of Krishnamacharya in asana I was struck by the thought, "This is exactly, exactly, what Ramaswami has been teaching us". The postures, the variations, all exactly the same.

With Richard's notebooks, there's such an immediacy,  I can hear Krishnamacharya's voice as if he's talking directly to me and in a sense he is.

"Later, he tells me how to organize my yoga notes for teaching. ‘Each section, yes, standing positions, laying positions, jumping, sitting positions, face up positions, face down.’ But for now, I must keep this book as it is, chronologically.” p22

This by the way is pretty much exactly as Ramaswami organized his book The Complete book of Vinyasa Krama.

And Krishnamacharya's teaching is preserved 'in wax' in another way too. Although he only studied four to five days a week for a couple of months, Richard has continued to practice, alone, for the last thirty years just as Krishnamacharya taught him. In a sense he's not part of the US 'yoga community/lifestyle as we tend to think of it, he's just someone who went to India and continued to practice the yoga he was taught there, just as he learned it. 

How refreshing is that.

It reminds me of how privileged I was to be able to study with Ramaswami, who also  continues to practice and teach just as Krishnamacharya taught him. And how just a couple of days before I read the article I had decided to go back to practicing Vinyasa Krama as Ramaswami had taught me....the article was a confirmation of sorts.

Is this what lineage is all about?

Perhaps I should consider a little teaching, passing on what was passed on to me.

Richard actually says something quite wonderful about lineage, here's a taster, buy the article for this alone

'Richard: Yeah. I mean, these documents also remain, but basically what remains is our students. And that can fetch back very far. I sometimes, in a class, say, okay, let’s say you’re fifty. You are in your vital time. Or, fifty-five. And you teach something really important to a five-year-old. And that five-year- old remembers it. And when that five- year-old gets to be fifty-five, she teaches it to a five-year-old. How far back can this class reach? So, it goes 2000, 1950, 1900, 1850. You know, it takes

twenty people to get back a thousand years'. p17

Love that.

Or get the article/magazine for the clear and precise instructions Krishnamacharya gives Richard on the breath, on certain postures, how he introduces him to pranayama after just a couple of weeks. Of how he invites him to teach, expects him to teach but only one student at a time, two at most. Or for where he recommends 45 minutes practice, an hour at most or for where he tells Richard,

‘Too many people battle and torture their way through yoga, go too fast.’ p22

But my favourite quote from the article comes right at the end.

"Going over the materials brought 1971 back again, clear as crystal. And K along with it all, his eyes, his delicate way of moving, his strength, his humanity. And the love and respect you and the others have. A great gift.”p25

Thank you Richard for Sharing your notebooks and all at Namupura for sharing them with the rest of us.

You can get this edition of Namarupa HERE

Srivatsa Ramaswami is teaching his 200 hour Vinyasa Krama teacher training, based on his own studies with Krishnamacharya HERE

Krishnamacharya's Yoga Makaranda .....at last.

The Yoga Makaranda was Krishnamacharya's first book, it was written in 1932, supposedly over four days and published in the Kanada language in 1934 and later translated into Tamil. It was clearly a major influence on Krishanamacharya's student Sri K Patarbhi Jois's own book Yoga Mala and of the Ashtanga practice we know and love, as well as many of the current popular styles of Yoga.

Last Summer I was fortunate enough to study the text, line-by-line with Ramaswami, Krishnamacharya's student of over thirty years, on his 200 hour Vinyasa Krama TT course.

This book may well be considered the source, the holy grail and thanks to the generosity of Lakshmi & Nandini Ranganathan the text has now been made freely available such that we can decide for ourselves, enjoy.

Read Krishnamacharya's Yoga Makaranda

Download Kriahnamacharya's Yoga Makaranda

'...I ask that you do not sell it but you are welcome to put it on a website for anybody to download, to email further, or to lend your manuscript to be copied by anybody. It does have typos (remember, we did this in 2006 and planned to do a final revision or new edition later) but I think it is actually otherwise reasonable (we would welcome corrections and comments). Most importantly, it will accomplish our goal that people read what Krishnamacarya had to say without interruption and without censorship. The book is powerful and wonderful and I hope any of you that reads it finds it as meaningful and relevant as we did.'

Nandini (Ranganathan).

Another version of the text has just been published by Media Garuda, I ordered a copy, which arrived this week, before I was aware of a dispute regarding their edition. The background to this dispute can be found HERE, I leave you to make up your own minds about it.

The Media Garudu edition is, it has to be said, a nicely produced book. The pictures are beautiful and it has a nice layout. At the back are a series of line drawings showing the vinyasas in and out of the postures as outlined in the text. It also has footnotes. My first impression of these were that they often seemed to seek to bring the 1930's text in line with a more recent conception of Yoga possibly held by the publishers that did not seem necessarily in keeping with the original text, but perhaps I'm being unfair.

In the next few days I'll be doing a parallel reading of the texts to see how they compare and get back to you.

from Thus spake Krishnamacharya inc. Jumping back as a Kriya?

Yesterday I posted Ramaswami's February 2011 newsletter in full. In one section he mentions how Krishnamacharya would, at times, dictate some of his articles. The passage below is from one of these these ( 1967) that Ramaswami translates, it concerns Vinyasa Krama practice. I thought it might be useful to present the different points made about the practice in a more easily referable format. I've tried to separate it up into different points, the italics (mine) seem to expand on the numbered point.

Of particular interest to the Ashtangis might be where Krishnamacharya mentions Plavana as a Kriya ( see points 9, 10 and 16 below). Plavana might be translated as flying or floating. Here he mentions lifting up out of an asana and stretching the legs back and forth before bringing the legs back in and lowering but it seems likely that this would also cover the jump back and jump through that is so familiar to Mysore Ashtanga practice.

Jump back as a a kriya, interesting, no?

The full newsletter can be found under yesterdays post or HERE on Ramaswami's Vinyasa Krama site.

'Now let me give a comprehensive treatment of practice krama of yoga...

There are several essential factors that should be kept in view by both the yogabhyasi and the teacher.

1. The student, as instructed by the teacher should check the quality of recaka and puraka (exhalation and inhalation).

Are there any obstructions in the airways? It is mainly because asanas unaided or synchronized with breathing are of no use. For instance, the teacher and the student should check the number of matras (measure of time) the breath takes while inhaling, exhaling. If there is considerable difference in these durations, the teacher should first ask the abhyasi to practice controlled rechaka-puraka even prior to the practice of asanas.

2. Then one should start practicing asanas as per instructions.

There are many asanas--sitting, standing, supine, prone, lying on the sides— there are thus many starting positions. Further there are upside down positions, like Sarvangasana.

3. If the students has a good well proportioned body the teacher can teach the inversions, Sarvangasana and Sirsasana even in the beginning of study.

And such a person should also possess very long and smooth inhalations and exhalations. Further he should learn to maintain the inhalations and exhalations of even duration. If one does 8 to 10 recaka-purakas in sirsasana, then one should practice sarvangasana for the same number of recaka-puraka and of the same duration.

4. Sarvangasana and sirsasana are like the two eyes of yogabhyasa.

These help to maintain “bodily freedom” (sariraswatantriyam) The various vinyasas of these poses also have similar effects. Only by these two poses the acuity of the senses and capacity of the lungs increase. Even as Sarvangasana is an essential pose for persons with heart ailment, it should be done with the help and involvement of the teacher/trainer. While teaching Sarvangasana to such persons, the teacher should stand behind the trainee and at the end of each exhalation should gently nudge the trainee's back a little forward and hold for a second. After about a month's such practice, the trainer should check the strength of recaka, the general health or growth of the body the duration of recaka-puraka and then if they are good should help the trainee stay for about a minute or so. Thereafter the abhyasi should be given rest. If one has some ailment the posture should be repeated two or three times. For instance to an asthmatic doing even half a dozen breaths in Sarvangasana will be difficult. So the trainee should make the abhyasi practice at least 12 breaths over a number of tries. Trying to do many breaths in one go could create some chest pain and discomfort. So, with a relaxed approach in four or six tries one should do the required number of breaths. One should return to the lying down position slowly. The same will apply to obese people while learning sarvangasana, they should be taught the asanas with a lot of care. In this manner the teacher and taught should learn to remain in an asana for several minutes without any doubts about the pose. With sarvangasana and sirsasana other asanas like paschimatanasana, purvatanasana, chatushpada peetam; Parvatasana, vajrasana, Bhujangasana etc can also be practiced.

5. When one starts to learn Yoga, in the beginning the duration of practice can be as little as 15 to 20 minutes.

One can gradually increase the duration. The teacher should check the breath every day and then increase the duration of practice.

6. Whatever be the posture, if one could stay for a long time without the limbs going to sleep (or numb) or any pain or discomfort then such a practitioner is known as jitasana (the conqueror/master of an asana).

While staying in an asana one should not unnecessarily shake the body, bend or contort or move and if one can stay for hours then such a yogi is a jitasana. We learn from the works and sayings of yogis that in the olden days the rishis, every day would remain in any one asana for three hours and do pranayama and meditation. Then if the yogi is able to remain doing long inhalation, exhalation and kumbhaka without feeling any kind of fatigue and for a long period of time such a person would be called “Jitaprana” or Jitaswasa, or one who has conquered the breath.

7. Remaining in a posture and gazing at one's favorite (ishta) icon and experiencing a feeling of bliss is called “trataka”.

It is of two types, anta and bahi. To gaze at an outside object like an icon is external trataka. Closing one's eyes and 'imaging' the object internally and continually focusing attention in between the eyebrows is the antah(r)trataka or internal gazing. One can practice this between one to ten minutes.

8. In the yogasana practice it is good to include a Mudra as well everyday.

Mahamudra and Shanmukhi mudra may be done.

9. Further one should do a kriya called plavana (jumping/stretching).

For instance, remaining in the same place after a particular asana practice, one may place the palms on the floor, lift the body and then stretch the legs one by one. Then in recaka one should bend the leg and in puraka return to the floor If one stays in an asana for a long time, the muscles could slightly cramp and the plavana would help restore the muscles attain normal tone.

10. The yogabhyasi should practice asana, pranayama, mudra and kriya together even from the beginning.

Only then all the benefits mentioned for the varied asanas will accrue. Likewise if one by Pranayama becomes known as Jitaswasa, and then by meditation is able to conquer the mind such a yogi is known as jitamanaska. All the three are necessary.

11. One should practice the same duration for both asana and pranayama and then twice the duration for dhyana or meditation.

12. In the olden days the sages did yoga on three occasions everyday, at dawn, noon and dusk.

13. The time and regulation in Kumbhaka are essential.

14. With regulated time,one should practice all aspects of yoga, like asana, kriyas, pranayama and mudra.

One should do a few asanas that one enjoys doing for about 15 mts and then do the pratikriyas or counter poses. For instancee one may do 15 mts of sirsasana followed by 15 mts of sarvangasana,. Or perhaps 15 mts of viparita dandasana followed by 15 mts of uttana mayurasana.

15. Asanas like sirasasana done while the body trembles or unsteady will not be beneficial.

Done correctly, it helps to maintain prana in sushuna. Without proper practice one will not get faith in Yoga, nor will one get the benefits mentioned in the sastras.

16. One should know the kriyas (like plavana) and there is a relationship bertween asanas and plavana (jumping/stretching) kriya.

17. As mentioned earlier, one should bring under control the body by asana, with recaka kumbhaka the prana and by meditation or dhyana the mind.

For dhyana it may beuseful to choose a charming icon'

Krishanamacharya's Vinyasa Krama

from Krishnamacharya's Yogasanagalu

It made quite an impression seeing these pictures after Studying with Ramaswami on his Vinyasa Krama course. Ramaswami had studied for over thirty years with Krishnamacharya, when anyone brought up a different approach to a pose he would just say that he could only teach how his teacher taught him. He never said a different version was incorrect just that it wasn't how he learned it from his teacher.

Not that we ever doubted that this of course but how marvelous to see these pictures of Krishnamacharya in the different vinyasa, just as Ramaswami had in turn taught us.

Parampara began to resonate a little more the day I saw these.

I looked into fair use on the Internet regarding the thumbnail use of these pictures brought together in this way and came across this ' ...it ( 9th Circuit Court of Appeals) found the purpose of creating the thumbnail images as previews to be sufficiently transformative, noting that they were not meant to be viewed at high resolution like the original artwork was'.

here's the context...

On appeal, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals found in favor of the defendant. In reaching its decision, the court utilized the above-mentioned four-factor analysis. First, it found the purpose of creating the thumbnail images as previews to be sufficiently transformative, noting that they were not meant to be viewed at high resolution like the original artwork was. Second, the fact that the photographs had already been published diminished the significance of their nature as creative works. Third, although normally making a "full" replication of a copyrighted work may appear to violate copyright, here it was found to be reasonable and necessary in light of the intended use. Lastly, the court found that the market for the original photographs would not be substantially diminished by the creation of the thumbnails. To the contrary, the thumbnail searches could increase exposure of the originals. In looking at all these factors as a whole, the court found that the thumbnails were fair use and remanded the case to the lower court for trial after issuing a revised opinion on July 7, 2003. The remaining issues were resolved with a default judgment after Arriba Soft had experienced significant financial problems and failed to reach a negotiated settlement.