Elise Espat
Elise was introduced to yoga in 2001. She started teaching organically in 2004 and did her first comprehensive hatha vinyasa training in 2005 with Mary Flinn in New York City. Elise went on to earn eryt500 status with yoga alliance. She started practicing Ashtanga from a list of asanas and was introduced to Mysore-style in 2005 by Guy Donahaye and Lori Brungard at their NYC shala. She went on to do additional training with them. In 2006 she practiced for the first time with Pattabhi Jois and Sharath Jois (who assisted) in 2006. Inspired, she journeyed to Mysore, India to practice at the Ashtanga Yoga Research Institute in 2007 for three months. Pattabhi Jois, Sharath Jois, and Saraswathi Jois were all teaching together at the shala in Gokulam. Elise returned again for four months the following year and has continued this pilgrimage to this day. In 2010 she received Level 2 Authorization from her teacher Sharath Jois with whom she was learning Advanced A. All offerings are dedicated to and in honor of him. Sharath passed away in 2024.
Sharath Jois
Also known as Guruji and Sharathji, R. Sharath Jois was the world's most advanced practioner of Astanga Yoga and the preeminent authority of its traditional practice.
He was born in Mysore, India and began practicing at age 7 under the guidance of his grandfather, Sri K.Pattabhi Jois. Sharath wholly devoted himself to the study of Astanga Yoga, waking every day at 3.30 am to make the cross town trip to his grandfather's Astanga Yoga Research Institute. He continued to practice under and assist his grandfather for 20 years. Sharath was the only student of Sri K.Pattabhi Jois to have mastered the complete six series of Astanga Yoga.
Sharath frequently accompanied his grandfather on world tours, demonstrating advanced postures in addition to assisting. For the rest of his life, when not touring the world teaching, Sharath was home in Mysore, rising 6 days a week at 1.00 am to practice before teaching the hundreds of students from all over the globe that came to study with him each year at the Sharath Yoga Centre.
With the passing of Sri.K Pattabhi Jois in 2009, Sharath became the lineage holder of Ashtanga Yoga.
He resided in Mysore, India with his wife Shruthi, daughter Shraddha and son Sambhav. Sharath passed away suddenly in 2024. [adapted from Sharath’s book Ashtanga Yoga Anusthana]
FAQs
Q: I don't know any of the series in order, I don't have a cheat sheet and I know Mysore is without instruction, how will I know what I'm doing?
A: Actually, Mysore is completely with instruction. Each student is taught a sequence of asanas appropriate to their individual abilities. Every day one comes to practice and repeats that same sequence of asanas until they are mastered. The teacher is always supervising and assisting as necessary. When the moment is right the teacher adds the next asana and the process is repeated. So it is not necessary to know anything on your first day. You will be taught what you need to do. You don't need a cheat sheet. Each person learns gradually. The only thing you need is a sincere interest and commitment to practice.
Q: How long will I be there for practice every morning? (I need to know so I can plan the rest of my morning accordingly.)
A: Budget 45 minutes to 1 hour per day for your first month. It might be less than that, but it is good to have the extra time just in case.
Q: I'm a little overweight / out of shape / weak / not flexible / old / young / etc... Can I still do this practice?
A: Absolutely anyone can do this practice. Come as you are!
Q: What should I wear?
A: Close-fitting breathable clothing. Whatever you are comfortable in. Just be sure it is clean and fresh every day.
Q: What do I eat/drink before I come? Can I drink water during practice?
A: Try to arrive on an empty stomach. It is best to not take water during practice.
Q: I haven't been practicing... With the holidays, and work, and life, and the cold weather I just stopped. Now I dread coming back because I think it will be too hard and also I am a little embarrassed and disappointed in myself. Should I come back?
A: Yes, of course you should come back to practice! Practice is effort toward steadiness of mind. Don't worry about completing some acrobatic feat. What is really interesting, really what it is about is just showing up. So okay, you got a little distracted. You can have a fresh start tomorrow. In terms of asanas, just start small and slowly do a little bit more each day, couple of days, weeks, or even months. It depends on how long you took off... No matter. It will probably take some time for things to feel natural again and to get into the daily rhythm and that is okay. While time off is not recommended, the good thing about it is that when you start practicing again you'll quickly realize why you missed it so much and it will probably be more difficult to let it go again when life gets stressful. No fearing, you come!
Should I practice if...
I'm sick?
Yes, practice at home. You don't want to get anyone else sick. Just do what you can.
If you have a fever, just rest.
I'm injured?
Yes. Talk with your teacher, they'll be able to give you specific instruction on what to do and how to proceed. Practice is effort toward steadiness of mind. It really isn't about the asanas. Your asana practice might be a bit different when you are working with an injury. That is really totally ok.
I'm menstruating?
Traditionally, no. Rest during your first three days of menstruation. There are some pretty compelling reasons for this. And also - it’s no one’s business but your own. You know your body best. Do what feels right for you and everyone will embrace and respect your decisions.
I'm pregnant?
Maybe. Talk with your teacher in person.
I'm feeling sad/tired/scared/angry/upset/happy/etc.?
Yes. See "effort toward steadiness of mind".
I'm sore?
Yes. Let your teacher know.
I'm unsure of what to do/forgot what to do?
Yes. Just show up and try to remember. If nothing comes to you, your teacher will. However, nothing will happen if you don't show up.
I'm a beginner?
Yes. Just show up. Your teacher will show you what to do.
It is a moon day?
No. Just rest.
I missed days and dread what will happen?
Yes. Just show up and see what happens. No fear.
I don't like it/am not comfortable?
Yes. It is okay to feel confused, emotional, uncomfortable, etc. If you trust your teacher and have faith in the practice, it will pass. If you don't trust your teacher and don't have faith in the practice, find a new teacher and maybe a new practice. You should feel safe, respected, and like you are growing. Feeling raw and challenged and healing — that’s totally different than feeling unsafe etc. That’s never ok.
I'm hungover/constipated/hungry/ate something right before?
Yes. Just show up and see what happens. That is how we learn.
Right, so yoga is the cessation of the thinking mind so that one can see the true nature of the self. Practice is effort toward steadiness of mind. It all starts to come together through consistent, dedicated, uninterrupted practice, done over a LONG period of time. So really, you are practicing 24/7. The asana bit, the ritual where you show up to work on the tristhana happens "every day". Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and then rest on either Saturday or Sunday and moon days. This system works pretty well because some days you'll be like "Yay yoga!" and it will be easy to show up and other days you'll be like "Snooze!" If you have designated rest days, then when the mind starts setting up obstacles, you can say "that's cool, we'll rest on Saturday, today I'm going to practice no matter what!" And then when you hit snooze anyway, show up the next day for sure. And then when it happens again and again and you think you can't go back, let the feelings go. Turn that passion toward getting back tomorrow.
Get interested in what can't really be seen, the inside stuff. Try to figure out this steady mind thing. Let go of the asanas.
What about #metoo, abuse and the things I have heard or read about Pattabhi Jois?
We cannot fix the past. A yoga class should be safe and free from any kind of abusive or sexual behavior. It is never ok.
Traditional Practice
Ashtanga Yoga is an ancient system of Yoga that was taught by Vamana Rishi in the Yoga Korunta. This text was imparted to Sri T. Krishnamacharya in the early 1900’s by his Guru Rama Mohan Brahmachari, and was later passed down to Pattabhi Jois during the duration of his studies with Krishnamacharya, beginning in 1927. Pattabhi Jois passed the tradition down to his children and grandchildren. His grandson, Sharath Jois, now teaches at the Sharath Yoga Centre in Mysore, India.
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 asanasmakes 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.
Source: https://sharathyogacentre.com/
Pattabhi Jois
Also known as Guruji, Yogacharaya Shri K. Pattabhi Jois (Guruji) was born on the full moon of July 1915, in Kowshika, a small hamlet located 150 kilometers from Mysore in the southern state of Karnataka. His father was an astrologer and a priest in the village of nearly seventy families. Guruji was the middle of nine children, and from the age of five, like most Brahmin boys, began to study the Vedas and Hindu rituals. At 12, he attended a yoga demonstration at his middle school that inspired him to learn more about the ancient practice. He was so excited about this new discovery, he arose early the next morning to meet the impressive yogi he had seen, Sri T. Krishnamacharya, one of the most distinguished yogis of the 20th Century.
After questioning Guruji, Krishnamcharya agreed to take him on as his student, and for the next two years, unbeknownst to his family, Guruji practiced under the great yogi's strict and demanding tutelage every day before school, walking five kilometers early in the morning to reach Krishnamacharya's house. He was ambitious in his studies and driven to expand his knowledge of yoga. When he would read the Ramayana and other holy books on the veranda of his house, his family members would say, "Oh, look at the great pundit. Why are you wasting your time with books? Go tend to the cows!"
Mysore
When Guruji turned fourteen, he was given the Brahmin thread initiation - the ceremony in which a Brahmin boy becomes a man and is initiated into the spiritual life. Soon after the significant ceremony, and with two rupees in his pocket, Guruji secretly ran away from home to seek Sanskrit study at the Sanskrit University of Mysore. After getting off the train, he went straight to the admissions department, showed his thread as proof of being Brahmin [this would gain him free admission], and was accepted to the school. He dutifully attended classes and his studies, and continued his yoga practice, even giving demonstrations that secured him food privileges at the university mess. With little money, life in the beginning was difficult for Guruji, who also begged for food at Brahmin houses. It was three years before he wrote to his father to tell him where he was and what he was doing.
In 1932, he attended a yoga demonstration at the university and was pleased to discover that the yogi on stage was his guru, Sri Krishnamacharya. Having lost touched after Guruji left Kowshika, they recommenced their relationship in Mysore, which lasted twenty-five years.
The Maharaja
During this time, Mysore's Maharaja, Sri Krishna Rajendra Wodeyar, fell suddenly ill. Informed of a remarkable yogi who might help him where all others had failed, he sent for Krishnamacharya, who cured him through yoga. In gratitude, the Maharaja established a Yoga shala for him on the palace grounds, and sent him, along with model students like Guruji, around the country to perform demonstrations, study texts, and research other yoga schools and styles. Some one hundred students were schooled at the palace yoga shala.
The Maharaja was especially fond of Guruji and would call him to the palace at four in the morning to perform yoga demonstrations. In 1937, he ordered Guruji to teach yoga at the Sanskrit University, in spite of his desires to remain a student. Guruji established its first yoga department, which he directed until his retirement in 1973. The department was permanently closed after that.
The Maharajah died in 1940, bringing an end to Krishnamacharya's long patronage. By the time the esteemed teacher left for Madras in 1954, he had only three remaining, very dedicated students: Guruji, his friend C. Mahadev Bhatt, and Keshavamurthy. Guruji was the only one who considered teaching his life's work, and carried on Krishnamacharya's legacy in Mysore.
Family
While Guruji was studying with Krishnamacharya, a young and strong-willed girl began to attend his yoga demonstrations at the Sanskrit University, accompanied by her father, a Sanskrit scholar. One day, after one of the demonstrations, Savitramma, who was only fourteen at the time, announced to her father, "I want that man in marriage." Agreeably, her father approached the 18-year-old Guruji and invited him to their home in the village of Nanjangud, twenty kilometers away. Guruji respectably accepted. After learning more about the young yogi and his Brahmin and family background, Savitramma's father agreed to the union, as did Guruji's father despite the couple's horoscope report of unsuitability. "Suitable or not, I want to marry him," declared Savitramma, who later came to be affectionately known as Amma [mother]. They were married that year in a love match on the fourth day after the full moon of June 1933, Amma's birthday.
After the wedding, Amma returned to her family and Guruji to his room at the University. They didn't see each other for three to four years, until 1940, when Amma joined her husband in Mysore to begin their life together. They had three children - Manju, Saraswathi and Ramesh - each who became great yoga teachers themselves. Amma was Guruji's first yoga student, and was also given a teaching certificate by Krishnamacharya. Amma was like a mother to Guruji's students, both Western and Indian; her presence cherished as much as his. She was kind and loving, always ready with an invite for coffee or an encouraging word. Because she was also well-versed in Sanskrit, she was often nearby to correct Guruji's mistakes or remind him of a forgotten Sanskrit verse - much to the amusement of all present. She passed away suddenly in 1997. Her loss was devastating to the entire family, as well as to the family of yoga students.
Teaching
Life during the early years was not easy. Although Guruji had a yoga teaching position at the Sanskrit University, his ten-rupee-a-month salary was barely adequate to maintain a family of five. [Their circumstances eased somewhat in the mid-fifties when he became a professor.] In 1948, Guruji established the Ashtanga Yoga Research Institute in their tiny two-room home in Lakshmipuram with a view toward experimenting with the curative aspects of yoga. Many local officials, from police chiefs to constables and doctors, practiced with him. Local physicians even sent their patients to Guruji to help with the treatment of diabetes, heart and blood pressure problems and a variety of other ailments.
In 1964, Guruji added an extension to the back of his house, consisting of a yoga hall that held twelve students, and a resting room upstairs. That same year, a Belgian named Andre van Lysbeth arrived at the AYRI on the recommendation of Swami Purnananda, a former student of Guruji's. For two months, Guruji taught this foreigner the primary and intermediate asanas. Soon after, Van Lysbeth wrote a book called Pranayama in which Guruji's photo appeared, and introduced the Ashtanga master to the Europeans.
They eventually became the first Westerners to seek him out and study in Mysore. Americans followed soon after in 1971.
Guruji had already traveled widely in India with Krishnamacharya and with Amma, meeting yogis, debating with scholars and giving yoga demonstrations. He met with Swami Sivananda, and the Shankaracharya of Kanchipuram, and befriended Swami Kulyananda and Swami Gitananda, both renowned for their scientific research in yoga. Guruji's ashtanga had extended throughout India, but didn't reach the overseas community until 1973 (the very same year he retired from the Sanskrit University), when he was invited to Sao Paulo, Brazil. The following year he went to Encinitas, California, the first of many teaching trips abroad, including France, Switzerland, Finland, Norway, England and Australia.
Over the next twenty years, word of Pattabhi Jois and ashtanga yoga slowly spread across the globe, and the number of students coming to Mysore steadily increased. In 1998, Guruji shifted his residence to Gokulam, a suburb of Mysore, but continued teaching from the Lakshmipuram institute. By then, he was receiving more international students than the small room could handle, so he began construction of a much larger hall, just opposite his house in Gokulam. The new shala officially opened in 2002, with several days of pujas and ceremonies. Four years later, his dream of opening a school in the United States was realized with the launch of an institute in Islamorada, Florida. Guruji conducted the opening ceremonies there in 2006, which served as his final trip abroad.
The Passing of the Lineage
In 2007, Guruji became gravely ill, bouncing back just enough to teach a bit more yoga. By the end of the following year, after seven decades of continuous teaching, he had gradually retired from his daily classes, leaving the institute in the capable hands of his daughter Saraswathi and grandson Sharath.
Guruji passed away at home in Mysore on May 18th, 2009 at the age of 93. His death came as a tragic loss to the worldwide yoga community. His entire life was an endeavor to imbue his students with commitment, consistency and integrity - and to actualize in his own life the conduct of a householder yogi. It is by virtue of his undying faith and enthusiasm that the practice that he learned from Krishnamacharya has remained alive. And thus, by his devotion to the daily teaching of yoga, his legendary works will remain alive too.
Adapted from the old AYRI/KPJAYI website