T.K.V. Desikachar is the son and disciple of Yoga Guru Sri Tirumalai Krishnamacharya, a famous Yogi who caused the resurgence of Hatha Yoga in recent decades.
T.K.V. Desikachar began his career as a civil engineer. But he left his engineering career as he was inspired by his father`s teachings on yoga in Madras and he became a student of his father at the decades of sixties. In 1976, he founded Krishnamacharya Yoga Mandiram (KYM), along with A.G. Mohan, another renowned student of Krishnamacharya. The institute was established to propagate the teachings of Krishnamacharya. The KYM is now a leading institute of Yoga and yoga based studies in Chennai, India. T.K.V. Desikachar together with his son Kausthub Desikachar, established `Krishnamacharya Healing and Yoga Foundation` (KHYF) on January 1, 2006. KHYF is also committed to propagate the Yoga teachings of Sri T. Krishnamacharya.
Today, T.K.V. Desikachar is considered as the authority of yoga all over the world. He studied under his father for over thirty years. The teaching style of T.K.V. Desikachar is a broader spectrum that encompasses a vast style of Yoga than any other famous school of Yoga. T.K.V. Desikachar gives more emphasis on asana practice as was said by Krishnamacharya`s more versatile and adaptive approach. This approach was briefly named as `Viniyoga` but Desikachar deserted the term, as he preferred a more anonymous and brand-free approach to what his father taught.
T.K.V. Desikachar teaches regularly in India and abroad. He had taken part in many international conventions and conferences. He is also the author of many books, named `Health, Healing and Beyond` and `The Heart of Yoga: Developing a Personal Practice`. In the year 2000 he authored a translation of the classical yoga text `Yogayajnavalkya Samhita`. He also wrote another book with his son Kausthub titled as `Vedic Chant Companion`.
His latest work. `The Viniyoga of Yoga` is also co-authored with Kausthub and Frans Moors. The book deals with the application of asanas and pranayama to various needs.