Gary Kraftsow is the founder and director of the American Viniyoga Institute. For more than four decades, he has been deeply dedicated to the practice and teaching of the Viniyoga tradition, and is widely recognized as a highly influential teacher in the field of therapeutic yoga.

In 1974, Gary began his studies in India under T.K.V. Deśikācar, marking the start of his lifelong journey in yoga. He later received a special Viniyoga diploma from Viniyoga International in Paris. Gary holds a Bachelor of Arts degree (Magna Cum Laude) from Colgate University, and a Master’s degree in Psychology and Religious Studies from the University of California, Santa Barbara. In 1999, he founded the American Viniyoga Institute, and has since taught and shared his work internationally, becoming one of the leading voices in preserving and advancing the Viniyoga lineage.

Gary has developed yoga therapy interventions for numerous clinical research projects, including studies funded by the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) on chronic low back pain and generalized anxiety, as well as workplace stress management programs. He is the author of Yoga for Wellness and Yoga for Transformation, and continues to share this grounded and wisdom-rich tradition through the American Viniyoga Institute and its digital learning platform.