RIP Paramaguru Sharath Jois
/Dear Yogis,
Something seismic and awfully tragic happened in the Ashtanga world this week. Sharath Jois, inheritor and the senior-most authority on the Ashtanga system, died suddenly of a heart attack in the US. Many people reading this will have practiced with him and will be heartbroken.
Sharath Jois inherited the role of Ashtanga custodian in Mysuru in 2007 having studied and practiced with and assisted his grandfather, Sri K Pattabhi Jois. He referred to himself as ‘“Paramaguru,” meaning lineage holder or guru’s guru. He took charge of teacher authorisation which only happens by practicing with him multiple times in Mysuru. To stamp his authority on the certification process he immediately removed several senior teachers from the official list of those approved by the Ashtanga Yoga Institute, ‘The KPJAYI’, saying that they had lost touch with the institute. Better late than never, he apologised for his grandfather’s abuse or ‘mishandling’ of many female students.
He was in London in 2019 to promote his book ‘Ageless’. He said something striking in a workshop I attended with about 400 other yogis. He said: ‘Too much asana brings negativity and it will be impossible to know what yoga is!’ For example, one guy asked about how to have a good yoga practice when the kids have kept him up all night. Sharath’s answer was that ‘the children are your practice’.
However, achieving certification in Mysuru was about the merciless practice of postures. No anatomy or philosophy training as in Western teacher training. Sharath was in the States to teach a workshop to, apparently, introduce a more "accessible alternative", the Active Series.
Classes
Well, tomorrow, Saturday, is a morning Ashtanga practice for you. I promise I’m not merciless. Any threat to knees and hips are avoided! Or… a good warm up to Ashtanga would be the new Wednesday class.
Monday and Tuesday = Stretchy class at 7.00pm – this is the popular one
Wednesday = Sun Salutations, Strengthen & Stretch at 7.00pm – this is the new one
Friday morning = Ashtanga at 8.30-9.30am – this is the one that pushes you
Saturday morning = Ashtanga at 8.30 – 10.00am – this is the longer one
Yoga in The News
The Economic Times has: Sharath Jois, renowned Indian yoga guru who taught Hollywood stars like Madonna is no more. Sharath’s institute reportedly used to receive over 5,000 applications monthly, accommodating around 350-400 students per session. He trained instructors who spread Ashtanga Yoga across continents, including Africa, Asia, Europe, Australia, North America, and South America.
The London Evening Standard has: Sharath Jois: Yoga guru who taught Madonna and Gwyneth Paltrow dies from 'heart attack' while hiking. ‘He died on Monday after suffering a heart attack near University of Virginia in Charlottesville, where he had been visiting, the head of the university’s yoga programme John Bultman told the New York Times. On Monday he held a seminar at the university, where he taught instructors a low-intensity version of Ashtanga yoga, said Mr Bultman.’
The New York Times has: Sharath Jois, Heir to Founder of Ashtanga Yoga, Dies at 53. ‘In Mysore, a city in southern India known as the home of Ashtanga, he was referred to simply as the “boss,” and the workshops he taught there filled up with devotees within moments of opening. “The crowd was growing every year,” Isha Singh Sawhney, who cowrote Mr. Jois’s 2018 book, “Ageless: A Yogi’s Secrets to a Long and Healthy Life,” said in an interview.’
