Just stumbled across a stunning bit of footage released by KYM a few weeks back of Krishnamacharya aged 96 going through a practice he devised to cope with a fractured hip.
Indomitable comes to mind
Only 77 views so far, can you believe it!
Indomitable comes to mind
Only 77 views so far, can you believe it!
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| 8 Minutes in Krishnamacharya practicing a little pranayama |
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| Shoulderstand 3:02 |
from Yogacarya Krishnamacharya - The Purnacarya. Edited by Mala Srivatsan
The first biography of Krishnamacharya and probably still the best.
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| Screen shot from Breath of Gods |
from the YouTube video notes
"At the age of 96, Krishnamacharya fractured his hip. Refusing surgery, he treated himself and designed a course of practice that he could do in bed. Krishnamacharya lived and taught in Chennai until he slipped into a coma and died in 1989, at one hundred years of age. His cognitive faculties remained sharp until his death; and he continued to teach and heal whenever the situation arose".
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from other biographies concerning the hip fracture.....
from The Yoga of the Yogi. Kausthub Desikachar
(My least favourite 'biography' of Krishnamacharya)
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from health Healing and Beyond TKV Desikachar
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from Krishnamacharya His Life and teachings by AG Mohan
(My favourite Biography of Krishnamacharya thus far)
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ReplyDeleteSorry Oscar, Blogger dropped it, they have a habit of that, have put it back, enjoy
DeleteReally incredible. Thank you for sharing this.
ReplyDeleteHe was an incredible human being with great insight into the inner workings of yoga and able to share those. I think the age of Krishnamacharya, Iyengar (still alive), Patthabi Jois are a testament to the power of the yoga lifestyle/practice (not just asana but the yogic way of life). Many of their students also have lived and are living into a ripe old bodily age. It seems so obvious to me that a vegetarian to vegan type of diet, stress reduction, meditation, asana, ritual etc. improves ones quality and meaning in life and it doesn't have to cost a cent! Amazing stuff.
ReplyDeleteor ... a stubbern old man who let his hip heal poorly when he should have ahad an operation. lost his mobility and became depressed. sorry but I think we need to be careful about how we think about these things. many amazing chinese martial artists died prematurely, refusing simple procedures and relying on 'chi' just a waste
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Which is why I included AG Mohan's perspective there at the end, he seems to have hoped K. would have gone for the surgery.
DeleteMe, if I was 96 I wouldn't have gone for the surgery either.
I agree with Anonymous if K was a young man but at 96 he knew his body and probably weighed the risks of medical intervention and its contradictions over yoga healing and it's contraindications. At that point in life you have to weigh quality of life and what that means to you. The mortality statistics for anyone in their 90's coming out of any type of serious surgery is pretty substantial. The other side of this also is that some yogis can just leave their bodies, others aren't affected at all by serious illness (their atman, self) like Ramana Maharshi whose cancer killed his body but not his soul. It's all about belief and what quality of life means to you. K did live another 4 years even after refusing surgery which if you look at statistics of life expectancy of the elderly breaking hips and having medical intervention at that age is still better than average. This guy was more than sharp and extremely body aware i'm going to side on the fact that he knew what he was doing. If he was 40 and died at 44 for not getting surgery then i'd have to agree with Anonymous but not in this case.
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