Vivekananda Krishnamacharya Desikachar
5 most influential yoga masters
Vivekananda Krishnamacharya Desikachar
These are the 5 most influential masters on yoga and its philosophy
Do you know about these people? They are considered to be the most influential masters on yoga and, some of them, are also responsible for bringing yoga into the western world. If you are into yoga, you should definitely know about them:
Vivekananda Krishnamacharya Desikachar
1. Patanjali
Patanjali was an ancient mystic, philosopher and Hindu writer, author of the Yoga Sutras, a fundamental text that establishes the principles and practices of classical yoga (Raja Yoga). In his book (written around the 3rd century BCE) the well-known 8 limbs of yoga are mentioned.
2. Swami Vivekananda
Swami Vivekananda (1863-1902) was an Indian Hindu monk, philosopher, author, religious teacher, and the chief disciple of the Ramakrishna. He is considered a key figure in the introduction of Vedanta and Yoga into the Western world. Why is that? Because he was the first Hindu monk who spoke about yoga in the World Parliament of Religions (Chicago, USA, 1983). Ramakrishna (1836-1886) was an Indian Hindu mystic. He emphasized the importance of devotion to God and taught that it is the easiest path to realizing the divine. He encouraged his followers to cultivate a personal relationship with the divine through devotion, prayer, and worship.
3. Sri T. Krishnamacharya
Tirumalai Krishnamacharya (1888-1989) is often called “Father of Modern Yoga” for his influence on the development of modern postural yoga. He was an Indian yoga teacher and ayurvedic physician.
4. Desikachar
K.V. Desikachar (1938-2016) was a yoga teacher, son of T. Krishnamacharya. Like his father, he believed that yoga should be tailored to the individual’s needs. He initially used the term, Viniyoga, to describe his style of Hatha yoga. He wrote some yoga books as well, one of them is about the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali.
5. Iyengar
B.K.S. Iyengar (1918-2014) is known as one of the foremost yoga masters of the 20th century. Iyengar developed the style of yoga known as Iyengar Yoga, which focuses on precise alignment and the use of props to assist in postures.