EP 02 - Remembering Desikachar and the Krishnamurtis in India, Switzerland and New Zealand

T.K.V. Desikachar left us a vast wealth of practical knowledge about life and yoga by passing the precious jewels of wisdom from his father, Krishnamacharya.

We continue to receive the gifts of Desikachar’s dedication to his father Krishnamacharya’s teachings and their friendships with Jiddu and UG Krishnamurti.

Mark Whitwell first met Desikachar and his father in 1973, following extensive travels in India. He had met many gurus and yogis, but was struck by the fact that Desikachar and his family had no pomp and ceremony, no business agenda, and no need for name or fame around their scholarship.

Desikachar became Mark’s yoga teacher, a friend, a true pioneer — a caring human being who attained ordinariness. Mark reflects on Desikachar as a very human friend and his relationships with the Krishnamurti in India, Saanen, and New Zealand.

In this episode, Rosalind interviews Mark on T.K.V. Desikachar and his influential friendships:

• Desikachar's relationship with Krishnamacharya and why Desikachar was at first a reluctant student of yoga
• How J Krishnamurti escaped the path of a “chosen world leader” and how he became Desikachar’s most famous student, and why he stopped studying with Iyengar
• The importance in Desikachar's life of both Krishnamurtis and how these friendships clarified Yoga for Mark
• Attaining ordinariness — why ordinary is actually extraordinary
• Remembering Desikachar's attitude of respect, humility, and learning attitude to life
• Memories of Mark organising Desikachar’s visit to Aotearoa New Zealand and hosting a workshop on a marae on the North Shore
• Desikachar’s deep love for UG Krishnamurti, and how human affection, love, and friendship are primary ingredients to any Yoga learning relationship
• The importance of Saanen, Switzerland as a hub for Yoga to enter the West
• UG Krishnamurti’s Yoga studies with Krishnamacharya
• What is "the nostril-holding arrogance of the yogis”?

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