Sri T. Krishnamacharya
Sri Tirumala Krishnamacharya (1888—1989) was born on November 18 in Muchukundapuram, in Chitradurga district of Karnataka state in India and lived to be over a hundred years old. His parents were Sri Tirumala Srivinasa Tattacharya, a well-known teacher of the Vedas, and Shrimati Ranganayakamma and he was the eldest with two brothers and three sisters.Krishnamacharya spent much of his youth traveling through India studying the six darshanas or Indian philosophies: Vaisheshika, Nyaya, Samkhya, Yoga, Mimamsa and Vedanta. His students include many of today's most influential teachers: Sri BKS Iyengar, Sri K. Pattabhi Jois, the late Indra Devi and Krishnamacharya's own sons T.K.V. Desikachar and T.K. Sribhashyam.
Although his knowledge and teaching has influenced yoga throughout the world he never left his native India over the course of his life. It is important to note that Jois and Iyengar teach based on their own experiences with Krishnamacharya in the 1930s in Mysore, when they were both young men; their styles are reflective of yoga that is appropriate to younger students and thus heavily emphasize asana practice. However, teachers such as T.K.V. Desikachar, A.G. Mohan and Srivatsa Ramaswami teach a broader part of Krishanamacharya's teachings, noting that yoga is more than just asana and must be tuned to the student, taking account of health, energy, physique, gender, place and age
R. Sharath Jois was born on September 29, 1971 in Mysore, South India.
He is the son of Saraswathi Rangaswamy, and the grandson of Ashtanga Yoga Master
Sri K. Pattabhi Jois.
He started learning yoga postures at the age of 7, but began a dedicated yoga practice after completing his studies at the age of 17.
He would wake up very early every morning to practice under the watchful eye of his Guru and Grandfather, before the other students would come to practice.
In 1991, at the age of 19 he started to assist Pattabhi Jois in the Lakshmipuram shala. He continued to teach along side his grandfather for 16 years.
In 2007, when Guruji moved away from actively teaching for health reasons, he took over as the primary teacher in the new Gokulum shala.
Now the Director of the Ashtanga Yoga Institute, he continues to teach hundreds of international students who want to learn the Mysore method.
He is the most advanced asana practitioner in the world today. He is the only student of Pattabhi Jois to have mastered all five series, and was learning the sixth and final series prior to Guruji's death.
Presently, He resides in Mysore with his wife Shruthi, daughter Shraddha, and son Sambhava.
He continues to practice and teach daily Mysore classes at his home in India, and also travels internationally to spread the teachings of the Ashtanga Yoga System that Guruji gave him.
Sri T. Krishnamacharya
Sri Tirumala Krishnamacharya (1888—1989) was born on November 18 in Muchukundapuram, in Chitradurga district of Karnataka state in India and lived to be over a hundred years old. His parents were Sri Tirumala Srivinasa Tattacharya, a well-known teacher of the Vedas, and Shrimati Ranganayakamma and he was the eldest with two brothers and three sisters.Krishnamacharya spent much of his youth traveling through India studying the six darshanas or Indian philosophies: Vaisheshika, Nyaya, Samkhya, Yoga, Mimamsa and Vedanta. His students include many of today's most influential teachers: Sri BKS Iyengar, Sri K. Pattabhi Jois, the late Indra Devi and Krishnamacharya's own sons T.K.V. Desikachar and T.K. Sribhashyam.
Although his knowledge and teaching has influenced yoga throughout the world he never left his native India over the course of his life. It is important to note that Jois and Iyengar teach based on their own experiences with Krishnamacharya in the 1930s in Mysore, when they were both young men; their styles are reflective of yoga that is appropriate to younger students and thus heavily emphasize asana practice. However, teachers such as T.K.V. Desikachar, A.G. Mohan and Srivatsa Ramaswami teach a broader part of Krishanamacharya's teachings, noting that yoga is more than just asana and must be tuned to the student, taking account of health, energy, physique, gender, place and age.
Sri Krishna Pattabhi Jois
Sri Krishna Pattabhi Jois was born on the full moon day of July, 1915, Guru Purnima day. His ancestral village, Kowshika, near Hassan in Karnataka State, is inhabited by maybe 500 people and has one main street. At one end of the street is a Vishnu temple, just next to Pattabhi Jois' home. At the far end of the street, just 100 yards away, lies a small Ganapati temple, and just opposite, a Siva temple. Both are several hundreds years old, and are the focus of the village.
Pattabhi Jois's father was an astrologer and a priest, who acted as the pujari for many of the families in the village. From an early age, as most brahmin boys, Pattabhi Jois was taught the Vedas and Hindu rituals.
When Guruji was 12 years old, he attended a yoga demonstration at his middle school in Hassan. The next day he went to meet the great yogi who had given the demonstration, a man by the name of Sri T. Krishnamacharya, who had learned yoga for nearly eight years from his Guru, Rama Mohan Brahmachari in a cave in Tibet. For the next two years, Guruji learned from his Guru every day. When Guruji turned 14, he had his brahmin thread ceremony. Krishnamacharya left Hassan to travel and teach, and Guruji left his village to go to Mysore.
Guruji wished to attend the Sanskrit University of Mysore. With two rupees in his pocket, he left with two friends. They traveled the 100 plus kilometers by bike, over dirt roads. For the first year or two, life was very difficult. With very little money, he begged for his food from some of the brahmin houses. Guruji attended classes and did his studies. Then, around 1930, he went to a yoga demonstration and saw that it was his Guru. He came forward and prostrated, and they recommenced their relationship, and Guruji his yoga studies.
The Maharaja of Mysore, Krishna Rajendra Wodeyar, had fallen ill. He learned that there was a great yogi who had come to Mysore. Krishnamacharya was called to him, and duly cured him. The Maharaja became a great patron of his and built him a yogashala (school of yoga) on the grounds of the Palace Art Gallery. Guruji was also beckoned to teach the Maharaja on occasion, and was called upon several times to give yoga demonstrations. The Maharaja, who had taken a liking for Guruji, told him, "I want you to teach yoga at the Sanskrit College. You teach. I will give you a scholarship to go to school, free food in my mess hall and a salary." Guruji, very happy, asked permission from his Guru. Krishnamacharya approved, and the Yoga Department of the Sanskrit College began on March 1, 1937. He continued as the head until his retirement in 1973.
From 1937 until 1973, Guruji earned his professorship at the University, granting him the title of Vidvan. He married, in a love marriage, Savitramma, who came from a long line of Sanskrit scholars. Her grandfather was the Sanskrit and philosophy teacher to the last Shankaracharya of Kanchi, Sri Chandrasekharendra Saraswati. They had three children, Manju, Ramesh, and Saraswati. Saraswati is the mother of Sharath, born in 1971, who is now Guruji's co-director of their school in Mysore.
In 1964, Andre Van Lysbeth bacame the first Westener to study with Guruji. Soon after that, more Europeans came. Around 1972, the first Americans came, after meeting Manju at Swami Gitananda's ashram in Pondicherri. It was at that point that ashtanga yoga began spreading in America, starting in California, and then later emerging in Hawaii. In 1975, Guruji and Manju made their first trip to America. Over the next 25 years, the practice spread through the United States, France, Germany, Russia, Japan, Israel, Chile, England, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, etc. Guruji has, for 63 years, been teaching uninterruptedly this same method that he learned from Krishnamacharya in 1927.
R. Sharath
R. Sharath was born on September 29, 1971 in Mysore, South India to Saraswathi Rangaswamy, daughter of Ashtanga master Sri K. Pattabhi Jois. Growing up in a house full of yogis, Sharath learned his first asanas at age 7 and experimented with postures from the primary and intermediate series until he turned 14. Although he spent the next three years focused on his scholastic education, earning a diploma in electronics, Sharath knew deep down that he would one day follow the asthanga path carved by his legendary grandfather.
Encouraged by his mother, Sharath embarked on this inevitable yoga journey at age 19. He would wake every day at 3:30 a.m. and drive to the Lakshmipuram shala to first practice and then assist Guruji, a routine he followed for many years. An example of sincere dedication and discipline, Sharath still rises early six days a week (now at 2:00 a.m.) to practice before the first students arrive at the new Ashtanga Yoga Research Institute (AYRI) now located in Gokulam, where he serves as Assistant Director and continues to assist his grandfather.
Sharath is Pattabhi Jois's only student who has mastered all five series of the Ashtanga yoga system, and is currently studying several asanas in the sixth and final series. He resides in Mysore with his wife Shruthi, daughter Shraddha, and baby son Sambhav.
Encouraged by his mother, Sharath embarked on this inevitable yoga journey at age 19. He would wake every day at 3:30 a.m. and drive to the Lakshmipuram shala to first practice and then assist Guruji, a routine he followed for many years. An example of sincere dedication and discipline, Sharath still rises early six days a week (now at 2:00 a.m.) to practice before the first students arrive at the new Ashtanga Yoga Research Institute (AYRI) now located in Gokulam, where he serves as Assistant Director and continues to assist his grandfather.
Sharath is Pattabhi Jois's only student who has mastered all five series of the Ashtanga yoga system, and is currently studying several asanas in the sixth and final series. He resides in Mysore with his wife Shruthi, daughter Shraddha, and baby son Sambhav.
Saraswathi Rangaswamy
Saraswathi Rangaswamy was born in 1941 and practiced steadily under the guidance of her father Sri K. Pattabhi Jois from the age of 10-22. She was the first girl ever to be permitted admission to the Sanskrit College in Mysore where she studied the basic Sanskrit works and learnt yoga from her father. For many years she assisted her father, but since 1975 she has been teaching her own classes. In 1986 she created a little Yoga revolution here in Mysore by being the first woman ever to teach men and women together. Saraswathi welcomes all yoga students who come to Mysore. She is the steady link in the Jois family that looks after her father as well as her son, keeps them in line and makes sure they behave properly.
For Saraswathi Yoga has always been the major influence of her life. Playfully she begun exploring various Yoga postures from an early age, but took up a consistent practice from the age of ten. At the age of twenty-two her mother fell really sick and got admitted to hospital. Saraswati naturally took on all household responsibilities and cared for her mother as well as her younger brothers. Her asana practice suffered a little, but she grew strong in other areas of Yoga.
At the age of twenty-six she got married and then moved to Jamshedpur, close to Calcutta to be with her husband. Her husband was busy working and traveling around India, but she looked after his family as well and gave birth to hear daughter Shammi in 1969 and Sharath in 1971.
Sharath was a real weakling in his early years, he did not like going to school and would be home for months or lying sick in his bed.
Saraswathi recalls how he attracted every disease from rheumatic fever, bouts of diarrhea, inflammation of the lungs, loss of hemoglobin in his blood, to a serious hernia infection ending with an operation and months in hospital. But Saraswati was always there to support him and helped him get his strength back in his early teens by teaching him Yoga. At first he was very reluctant, but due to the strong influence of his mother, he took up a consistent practice, was even urged to help his grandfather and the rest is history.
After moving back to Mysore in 1971 she started teaching yoga on a regular basis. In 1975 she started teaching at the back portion of the Venkateshwara temple in Vantikopal. She was paid twenty fives rupees a month and a Yoga teacher in those days was treated no different than the cleaners and sweepers of the temple grounds. But Saraswathi persisted due to her love of Yoga and her experiences born out of the practice. For eleven years she would only teach ladies, but then in 1986 she allowed men and women to mix. Many people were criticizing her for making such a radical change to the common norm in India of always keeping the two genders separate. But Saraswathi MADAM did not care and decided to teach Yoga in the best way she found proper.In 1984 she constructed her own house in Gokulam and started teaching out of her own home to the locals. When Guruji moved his Yoga Shala from Laxmipuram to Gokulam in 2002 Saraswati once again started teaching together with her father.
For Saraswathi Yoga has always been the major influence of her life. Playfully she begun exploring various Yoga postures from an early age, but took up a consistent practice from the age of ten. At the age of twenty-two her mother fell really sick and got admitted to hospital. Saraswati naturally took on all household responsibilities and cared for her mother as well as her younger brothers. Her asana practice suffered a little, but she grew strong in other areas of Yoga.
At the age of twenty-six she got married and then moved to Jamshedpur, close to Calcutta to be with her husband. Her husband was busy working and traveling around India, but she looked after his family as well and gave birth to hear daughter Shammi in 1969 and Sharath in 1971.
Sharath was a real weakling in his early years, he did not like going to school and would be home for months or lying sick in his bed.
Saraswathi recalls how he attracted every disease from rheumatic fever, bouts of diarrhea, inflammation of the lungs, loss of hemoglobin in his blood, to a serious hernia infection ending with an operation and months in hospital. But Saraswati was always there to support him and helped him get his strength back in his early teens by teaching him Yoga. At first he was very reluctant, but due to the strong influence of his mother, he took up a consistent practice, was even urged to help his grandfather and the rest is history.
After moving back to Mysore in 1971 she started teaching yoga on a regular basis. In 1975 she started teaching at the back portion of the Venkateshwara temple in Vantikopal. She was paid twenty fives rupees a month and a Yoga teacher in those days was treated no different than the cleaners and sweepers of the temple grounds. But Saraswathi persisted due to her love of Yoga and her experiences born out of the practice. For eleven years she would only teach ladies, but then in 1986 she allowed men and women to mix. Many people were criticizing her for making such a radical change to the common norm in India of always keeping the two genders separate. But Saraswathi MADAM did not care and decided to teach Yoga in the best way she found proper.In 1984 she constructed her own house in Gokulam and started teaching out of her own home to the locals. When Guruji moved his Yoga Shala from Laxmipuram to Gokulam in 2002 Saraswati once again started teaching together with her father.
Ashtanga Yoga
The following are aspects that Pattabhi Jois emphasizes as the main components of Ashtanga Yoga.
Vinyasa: Vinyasa means breathing and movement system. For each movement, there is one breath. For example, in Surya Namskar there are nine vinyasas. The first vinyasa is inhaling while raising your arms over your head, and putting your hands together; the second is exhaling while bending forward, placing your hands next to your feet, etc. In this way all asanas are assigned a certain number of vinyasas.
The purpose of vinyasa is for internal cleansing. Breathing and moving together while performing asanas makes the blood hot, or as Pattabhi Jois says, boils the blood. Thick blood is dirty and causes disease in the body. The heat created from yoga cleans the blood and makes it thin, so that it may circulate freely. The combination of the asanas with movement and breath make the blood circulate freely around all the joints, taking away body pains. When there is a lack of circulation, pain occurs. The heated blood also moves through all the internal organs removing impurities and disease, which are brought out of the body by the sweat that occurs during practice.
Sweat is an important by product of vinyasa, because it is only through sweat that disease leaves the body and purification occurs. In the same way that gold is melted in a pot to remove its impurities, by the virtue of the dirt rising to the surface as the gold boils, and the dirt then being removed, yoga boils the blood and brings all our toxins to the surface, which are removed through sweat. If the method of vinyasa is followed, the body becomes healthy and strong, and pure like gold.
After the body is purified, it is possible to purify the nervous system, and then the sense organs. These first steps are very difficult and require many years of practice. The sense organs are always looking outside, and the body is always giving into laziness. However, through determination and diligent practice, these can be controlled. After this is accomplished, mind control comes automatically. Vinyasa creates the foundation for this to occur.
Tristhana: This means the three places of attention or action: posture, breathing system and looking place. These three are very important for yoga practice, and cover three levels of purification: the body, nervous system and mind. They are always performed in conjunction with each other.
Asanas purify, strengthen and give flexibility to the body.Breathing is rechaka and puraka, that means inhale and exhale. Both the inhale and exhale should be steady and even, the length of the inhale should be the same length as the exhale. Breathing in this manner purifies the nervous system. Dristhi is the place where you look while in the asana. There are nine dristhis: the nose, between the eyebrows, navel, thumb, hands, feet, up, right side and left side. Dristhi purifies and stabilizes the functioning of the mind.
For cleaning the body internally two factors are necessary, air and fire. The place of fire in our bodies is four inches below the navel. This is the standing place of our life force. In order for fire to burn, air is necessary, hence the necessity of the breath. If you stoke a fire with a blower, evenness is required so that the flame is not smothered out, or blown out of control.
The same method stands for the breath. Long even breaths will strengthen our internal fire, increasing heat in the body which in turn heats the blood for physical purification, and burns away impurities in the nervous system as well. Long even breathing increases the internal fire and strengthens the nervous system in a controlled manner and at an even pace. When this fire is strengthened, our digestion, health and life span all increase. Uneven inhalation and exhalation, or breathing too rapidly, will imbalance the beating of the heart, throwing off both the physical body and autonomic nervous system.
An important component of the breathing system is mula and uddiyana bandha. These are the anal and lower abdominal locks which seal in energy, give lightness, strength and health to the body, and help to build a strong internal fire. Without bandhas, breathing will not be correct, and the asanas will give no benefit. When mula bandha is perfect, mind control is automatic.
The six poisons: A vital aspect of internal purification that Pattabhi Jois teaches relates to the six poisons that surround the spiritual heart. In the yoga shastra it is said that God dwells in our heart in the form of light, but this light is covered by six poisons; kama, krodha, moha, lobha, matsarya, and mada. These are desire, anger, delusion, greed, envy and sloth. When yoga practice is sustained with great diligence and dedication over a long period of time, the heat generated from it burns away these poisons, and the light of our inner nature shines forth.
This forms the practical and philosophic basis of Ashtanga Yoga as taught by Sri K. Pattabhi Jois.
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