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Indian Ashtanga guru Sharath Jois dies during US tour
Widely regarded as the lineage holder of Ashtanga yoga, Sharath was instrumental in popularizing the demanding, breath-aligned practice across the globe.
Sharath Jois / Facebook
Sharath Jois, the celebrated Indian Ashtanga yoga teacher and grandson of Ashtanga’s founder K. Pattabhi Jois, passed away on Nov.11 at the age of 53 after suffering a heart attack near the University of Virginia in Charlottesville. He had been on a teaching tour in the United States. Widely regarded as the lineage holder of Ashtanga yoga, Sharath was instrumental in popularizing the demanding, breath-aligned practice across the globe.
John Bultman, head of the university’s yoga program, confirmed the news to The New York Times. Jois had been visiting the university, where he led a seminar earlier that day, teaching instructors a low-intensity version of Ashtanga yoga.
Following the seminar, Jois joined a group of around 50 students for a hike at Humpback Rocks, a popular trail in the Blue Ridge Mountains, about a 20-minute drive from the campus. According to Bultman, Jois appeared fatigued and lagged behind the group.
Less than a mile into the hike, Jois sat down on a bench, only to fall off moments later. Students quickly began performing CPR, but he was pronounced dead after medics arrived. Jois had been in good health prior to the incident, Bultman added.
After serving as director of his grandfather’s K. Pattabhi Jois Ashtanga Yoga Institute in Mysore, India, Sharath founded his own center, Sharath Yoga Centre, where he taught with unwavering dedication, often rising as early as 2 a.m.
Following his death, tributes poured in from the global yoga community. Kino MacGregor, an Ashtanga practitioner of 25 years, said, “His presence was pure Grace. His passing is a shock to me and the whole yoga community. We lost a friend, a guide, a teacher, a mentor, and so much more.”
Bangalore-based Pratyaksha Yoga studio echoed the sentiment, saying, “SharathJi was more than a teacher; he was a source of light, strength, and wisdom, guiding so many with his unwavering dedication.”
Sharath Jois is survived by his wife and two children.
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