Health, Healing, and Beyond: Yoga and the Living Tradition of T. Krishnamacharya

Written by T.K.V. Desikachar, Krishnamacharya's son, in collaboration with R. H. Cravens, this book recounts the life and work of Tirumalai Krishnamacharya, the scholar most responsible for preserving and modernizing a five-thousand-year-old body of yoga wisdom that benefits millions today. The narrative traces Krishnamacharya's scholarly training, his years of discipleship to a legendary teacher in Tibet, his service to the Maharaja of Mysore during British colonial rule, and his later efforts to adapt yogic practice for modern life following India's independence. The book documents how his thinking evolved over a lifetime, including his removal of prohibitions against certain practices for women, development of therapeutic treatments for physical and mental disabilities, and work to make yoga accessible to individuals regardless of age, sex, race, culture, station in life, and belief. The book serves as a guide to the philosophy, principles, and possibilities of yoga.