It was with great sadness that I learned of the passing away of Sri K Pattabhi Jois (known affectionately as ‘Guruji’ to his students) on May 18th 2009 aged 93. He died at home in Mysore surrounded by his family.
Long before yoga studios sprang up across America and Europe, Guruji began teaching yoga at the Sanskrit University of Mysore in the late 1930s. It wasn’t until almost 30 years later than the first westerner came to him - André Van Lysebeth, a student from Belgium, It took another 10 years for word to begin to spread and for Guruji to see his first students grow to become the worldwide tribe of dedicated practitioners that it is today. It is because of his unwavering dedication, tirelessly teaching the Ashtanga Yoga method for over 65 years – a method passed down to him from his guru, Sri Tirumala Krishnamacharya (1888–1989), that we have the practice of Ashtanga today.
I studied with Sri K Pattabhi Jois on several occasions, both in Mysore and on his World Tours. He was a person of tremendous character and his presence exuded genuine devotion and compassion for his students. He always taught through love and laughter. In his presence I felt a sense of lightness and warmth that always make me smile. I’m eternally grateful to him for his dedication to pass on the torch of Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga. It has transformed my life, given me sanity, and it is largely due to him that I now have such a blessed life as a yoga teacher.
Even though he was a Sanskrit Scholar, Jois remained true to his saying: ‘Ashtanga Yoga is 1% theory and 99% practice’, writing only one book, ‘Yoga Mala’. He believed that yoga was only truly to be known by the experience of it - ‘Do your practice and all is coming’.
Thank you, Guruji! May your soul rest in peace (and you won’t have any more rebirths).
The Practice
I teach Astanga Vinyasa Yoga, in the Mysore tradition of Sri T Krishnamacharya, and Vinyasa Flow Yoga based on 'classical' Astanga in Patanjali's Yoga Sutras. I teach both the Primary and Intermediate Series in regular classes and private tuition in London and on international retreats. I also choreograph vinyasa sequences suited to individual client needs. Yoga philosophy is integrated with breath and asana to reveal the spiritual path underlying the practice, and the technology to stabilise the mind and realise our true nature. It works on a deep physical and psychological level. I aim to inspire, challenge and exhilarate all levels of yoga practitioners. I'm a believer in the ancient yogic path to self-realisation.
The Personal
I began practicing Hatha Yoga in 1986. In the past decade, my interest turned to Astanga Vinyasa Yoga and i've studied with Sri K Pattabhi Jois and many of his senior students including John Scott, David Swenson, Matthew Sweeney and Rolf Naujokat. Nancy Gilgoff was my first astanga teacher and I've attended many of her 'Adjustment Clinics' to learn how to safely assist people in the Primary and Intermediate Series. I completed a Teacher Training certification with Richard Freeman (2004), and more recently studied the traditional Krishnamacharya method of asana, pranayama & kundalini metaphysics with Sri BNS Iyengar at the Patanajala Yoga Shala in Mysore (2009). On the Vinyasa Flow side of yoga, I completed the Tripsichore Yoga
Theatre Teacher Training with Edward Clark (2002). David Life and Sharon Gannon (Jivamukti Studios) are also inspirational people and teachers.
I'm interested in shamanic healing techniques and the Tantric path. I've studied the Tibetan Nyingma Buddhist path and completed a 10-day silent Vipassana meditation retreat in Myanmar
(Burma) in 2006 and Dhamma Dipa (Hereford, UK) in 2009. I'm a certified member of Yoga Alliance
(USA) 500 R.Y.T.