Sri K Pattabhi Jois, who has died at his home in Mysore, aged 94, was commonly credited with introducing Ashtanga yoga to the western world. From the 1960s onwards, a steady stream of visitors beat a path to his shala (studio) in Mysore, including various Hollywood luminaries, elevating the yogi into something of an unorthodox celebrity himself.
Supposedly depicted in an ancient manuscript in Calcutta’s library – subsequently consumed by ants, according to Jois – Ashtanga incorporates meditation and breathing techniques, a series of particularly rigorous asanas (physical postures) and ethical directives. Jois described the discipline as “99 per cent practice and one per cent theory”, and intrinsically good for maintaining one’s physical well-being.
A devout Hindu, a Sanskrit scholar, and a Brahmin, known to his students as Guruji, Jois performed an hour of prayers each day before dawn, knew myriad religious texts by heart, and was obsessively wary of potential contamination by a member of a lower caste.
As his girth increased with age and fame, the running of the shala passed to his immediate family. He would still preside at classes, with a copy of the day’s newspaper, praising the benefits of a frequent purgative bath in castor oil. When required, he would apply his not inconsiderable bulk to the contorted limbs of a devotee to enhance their experience of a particular asana.
One of nine children born into a modest household in Koshika, near Mysore, Jois left home at 13 for the highly regarded Sanskrit College in Mysore, the first member of his family to move to the city. A keen footballer, his natural athleticism aided his study of yoga at a school founded by the Maharaja at Mysore Palace. A quick student, Jois gave yoga demonstrations and lessons to the Maharaja himself, later becoming head of the institute until 1973.
In 1948, he established his Ashtanga Yoga Research Institute and started teaching the discipline to local Brahmins. His first European students sought Jois out after the shala’s address was published in a book written by a Belgian student of his. The Americans soon followed, seeking a meaningful antidote to the frenetic pace of western life.
Jois spawned many imitators – bridling considerably at others’ financial gains from what he saw as his unique system – but for true Ashtanga followers there was only ever one Guruji.
Sri K Pattabhi Jois was born on July 26 1915. He died on May 18. His wife, Savitramma, predeceased him. He is survived by their three children.
* The National
May 24, 2009
INDIA: Pioneer of Ashtanga and a celebrity yogi
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ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates / The National Weekender / May 24, 2009
Sri K Pattabhi Jois, who has died at his home in Mysore, aged 94, was commonly credited with introducing Ashtanga yoga to the western world. From the 1960s onwards, a steady stream of visitors beat a path to his shala (studio) in Mysore, including various Hollywood luminaries, elevating the yogi into something of an unorthodox celebrity himself.
Supposedly depicted in an ancient manuscript in Calcutta’s library – subsequently consumed by ants, according to Jois – Ashtanga incorporates meditation and breathing techniques, a series of particularly rigorous asanas (physical postures) and ethical directives. Jois described the discipline as “99 per cent practice and one per cent theory”, and intrinsically good for maintaining one’s physical well-being.
A devout Hindu, a Sanskrit scholar, and a Brahmin, known to his students as Guruji, Jois performed an hour of prayers each day before dawn, knew myriad religious texts by heart, and was obsessively wary of potential contamination by a member of a lower caste.
As his girth increased with age and fame, the running of the shala passed to his immediate family. He would still preside at classes, with a copy of the day’s newspaper, praising the benefits of a frequent purgative bath in castor oil. When required, he would apply his not inconsiderable bulk to the contorted limbs of a devotee to enhance their experience of a particular asana.
One of nine children born into a modest household in Koshika, near Mysore, Jois left home at 13 for the highly regarded Sanskrit College in Mysore, the first member of his family to move to the city. A keen footballer, his natural athleticism aided his study of yoga at a school founded by the Maharaja at Mysore Palace. A quick student, Jois gave yoga demonstrations and lessons to the Maharaja himself, later becoming head of the institute until 1973.
In 1948, he established his Ashtanga Yoga Research Institute and started teaching the discipline to local Brahmins. His first European students sought Jois out after the shala’s address was published in a book written by a Belgian student of his. The Americans soon followed, seeking a meaningful antidote to the frenetic pace of western life.
Jois spawned many imitators – bridling considerably at others’ financial gains from what he saw as his unique system – but for true Ashtanga followers there was only ever one Guruji.
Sri K Pattabhi Jois was born on July 26 1915. He died on May 18. His wife, Savitramma, predeceased him. He is survived by their three children.
* The National
Sri K Pattabhi Jois, who has died at his home in Mysore, aged 94, was commonly credited with introducing Ashtanga yoga to the western world. From the 1960s onwards, a steady stream of visitors beat a path to his shala (studio) in Mysore, including various Hollywood luminaries, elevating the yogi into something of an unorthodox celebrity himself.
Supposedly depicted in an ancient manuscript in Calcutta’s library – subsequently consumed by ants, according to Jois – Ashtanga incorporates meditation and breathing techniques, a series of particularly rigorous asanas (physical postures) and ethical directives. Jois described the discipline as “99 per cent practice and one per cent theory”, and intrinsically good for maintaining one’s physical well-being.
A devout Hindu, a Sanskrit scholar, and a Brahmin, known to his students as Guruji, Jois performed an hour of prayers each day before dawn, knew myriad religious texts by heart, and was obsessively wary of potential contamination by a member of a lower caste.
As his girth increased with age and fame, the running of the shala passed to his immediate family. He would still preside at classes, with a copy of the day’s newspaper, praising the benefits of a frequent purgative bath in castor oil. When required, he would apply his not inconsiderable bulk to the contorted limbs of a devotee to enhance their experience of a particular asana.
One of nine children born into a modest household in Koshika, near Mysore, Jois left home at 13 for the highly regarded Sanskrit College in Mysore, the first member of his family to move to the city. A keen footballer, his natural athleticism aided his study of yoga at a school founded by the Maharaja at Mysore Palace. A quick student, Jois gave yoga demonstrations and lessons to the Maharaja himself, later becoming head of the institute until 1973.
In 1948, he established his Ashtanga Yoga Research Institute and started teaching the discipline to local Brahmins. His first European students sought Jois out after the shala’s address was published in a book written by a Belgian student of his. The Americans soon followed, seeking a meaningful antidote to the frenetic pace of western life.
Jois spawned many imitators – bridling considerably at others’ financial gains from what he saw as his unique system – but for true Ashtanga followers there was only ever one Guruji.
Sri K Pattabhi Jois was born on July 26 1915. He died on May 18. His wife, Savitramma, predeceased him. He is survived by their three children.
* The National
