“One must never forget the ladder that got us so high.”

- Ancient Indian Saying

We are extremely fortunate, the modern-day teachers of yoga. 

Yoga has withstood its “in-vogue” status to become a full-fledged, respected self-health discipline of which we, as teachers and as students, can be proud to be a part.  This has not happened overnight; we are merely reaping the benefits of the selfless and sustained efforts of some giant pillars of yoga who have upheld a previously under-acknowledged and little understood system of health and healing. Their efforts were indeed from the heart, as they endured poverty, racism and many other obstacles that confronted them at a time when yoga was not widely accepted, and hence, the returns were never ensured. Had it not been for their perseverance, today’s yoga world would look very different, and surely not as promising. As such, we must continually offer them gratitude and make a commitment to uphold the reputation of yoga, for which they have worked so hard. 

Although many masters from different traditions have contributed to this process, two lineages of teachers stand out significantly. One lineage commences from the legendary T Krishnamacharya, and the other one originates from Swami Sivananda. Both of these masters were not just great leaders, inspiring millions of people in their time, but they are giants in the world of yoga. They have inspired many other great leaders to continue their path in today’s modern society, and their legacy will safeguard the ancient practice’s continuity into the future. 

Not only did Swami Sivananda and T Krishnamacharya share a great respect for each other as colleagues, but many of their students were friends as well. Personally, my father, TKV Desikachar was very close to Swami Venkatesananda and Swami Satchidananda, two esteemed pupils of Swami Sivananda. Though their teaching methodologies were different, all of these teachers shared the same ideal - to bring glory to the valuable teachings of yoga. 

I am proud to be part of the teaching lineage of T Krishnamacharya, and this book commemorates the grand masters of this lineage who have gifted us the future of yoga, which I hope we will all take special care to preserve. Though this book honors the teachers from the teaching lineage of T Krishnamacharya, I feel readers must not forget the contribution of Swami Sivananda and his students as well. 

T Krishnamacharya produced fine proteges amongst his “four-most” students in Indra Devi, Pattabhi Jois, BKS Iyengar, and TKV Desikachar. They stand out among his many students, as they have not only consistently been carrying on the teachings for so many years, but also continue to honor their source deeply in their hearts. They are the first professional yoga teachers of our time, and phenomenal examples at that. 

The year 2008 seemed the most auspicious time to embark on this project. It is the 120th birth anniversary of T Krishnamacharya. BKS Iyengar celebrates his 90th birthday later this year, while TKV Desikachar just completed his 70th this June. Pattabhi Jois also completed his 93rd birthday this year, and it will be the 110th birth anniversary of Indra Devi in 2009. I felt a very strong urge to conceive a way to honor these teachers during this time of very significant milestones. 

It has always been a dream for me to see the five great teachers of this tradition on the same platform. Though I could never get them to share the same stage to teach or talk together, I conceived another way to get them together. This is how Masters in Focus was born. 

I have been fortunate enough to know all these masters personally, four of them extremely well. I not only consider this as a great honor, but also view this situation as extremely unique. Being part of the family of three of these masters, and well-connected to Pattabhi Jois and his family, I feel fortunate to have a perspective of their lives that very few in this world will ever have. While the world has seen each of them as great yoga masters, I have seen them as simple and humble human beings. This is why my respect for them is even higher. 

Through Masters in Focus, I have chosen to share a part of their lives that focuses on their living, rather than their teaching. Although a few photographs may show them in a teaching context, the book primarily depicts them in life, experiencing intimate and inspiring moments that capture their joyful living. 

I also wanted this project to not only honor the teachers in the T Krishnamacharya tradition, but also serve as a fund raiser for a noble cause. Part of the funds generated from this project will be used to fund the new building that the Krishnamacharya Yoga Mandiram is constructing, while another part will be used for the development of the archives of the Krishnamacharya Healing & Yoga Foundation. 

When I shared this idea with each of these masters, they welcomed it instantly, and have supported me immensely in making this a reality, especially at such short notice. They have sent me precious photographs from their own archives, as well as allowed me to photograph them on more than one occasion. I feel humbled by their goodwill and support for this project. 

Many of these photographs have been taken by me, especially the recent ones of Pattabhi Jois, BKS Iyengar and TKV Desikachar. Some photos are from the KHYF Archives, while others have been donated by various well wishers including these teachers themselves. I would definitely like to thank David Lifar, Director of the Indra Devi Foundation, who sent many of Mataji Indra Devi’s photographs. Without his support, I could not have had access to so many of her photos that form part of this book. Thank you David. 

Being a very picky photographer, I chose to have only images of these masters appear and speak for themselves throughout this book. They say that an image is worth a thousand words. I am hoping this will be the case throughout this book. Each page spread has only one photograph, and not a single word of text. If there is text, then it is part of the photograph, and not my own as the editor of this book. This way, the reader can look at each image with full attention, and each Master will be fully in Focus. 

Images that appear unclear or damaged in parts are archival photographs that were not maintained well, and we only have positives of them, or merely copies of the positives. We have kept them as part of the book due to the significance of what they represent. 

Towards the end of the book, in the pages preceding this note, I have placed an index of all the page spreads of the book, which try to enumerate the context of each photograph. Most of the information provided here is accurate; however, this does not eliminate the possibility of some errors.  Many of these photographs were taken by unknown photographers, and the teachers do not remember the occasion very precisely. So I have tried to be as precise as possible. Errors on this front are totally mine, and I would be glad if any reader could contribute information with more accuracy, either by providing dates, places or even names of the photographers. 

Owing to the special nature of this book, I decided to make it a one-time limited edition publication only. There will be only 2008 copies of this book, and hence, we are convinced that this will become a collector’s item. We do hope that if you chose to own one, you will treasure it very dearly for many years to come.

I consider it a great honor to have worked on this project. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did creating it. 

Kausthub Desikachar