K. Pattabhi Jois

K. Pattabhi Jois was a prominent Indian yoga guru who shaped modern yoga practice.

He is best known for developing and popularizing Ashtanga vinyasa yoga. This is a flowing style of yoga used for physical exercise. Jois was a key figure in establishing yoga as a modern exercise during the 20th century. He worked alongside other influential Indians like B. K. S. Iyengar. Both men were students of the teacher T. Krishnamacharya in Mysore, India. Jois helped transform yoga from a traditional practice into a global fitness movement.

The Ashtanga method involves a specific sequence of interconnected practices. It utilizes asanas, which are physical postures, and vinyasas, which are connecting movements. The system also includes pranayama, or breathing exercises, to control breath. Practitioners use bandhas, which are core muscular and energetic locks, to stabilize the body. Additionally, students use drishti, which are specific visual focal points, to maintain concentration. This structured approach creates a rigorous system of movement and focus. Jois taught that this method was a way to combine physical discipline with mental focus.

Jois's journey began in the village of Kowshika in Karnataka, India. He was born on July 26, 1915, during the Guru Pūrṇimā, or full moon day. His father was a priest, an astrologer, and a landholder. At age five, Jois began learning Sanskrit and various rituals from his father. A major turning point occurred in 1927 when Jois attended a lecture by T. Krishnamacharya. He became Krishnamacharya's student the very next day. Jois studied with him in Kowshika for two years before moving to Mysore. He continued his formal studies with Krishnamacharya from 1932 until 1953.

During his time in Mysore, Jois was influenced by several ancient texts. He studied the Patañjali Yoga Sūtra, the Haṭha Yoga Pradīpikā, and the Upaniṣads. Krishnamacharya claimed to have learned from an ancient text called the Yoga Korunta. Krishnamacharya described this text as badly damaged with many missing parts. Jois taught the method he believed came from this tradition. However, scholars have never seen a copy of the Yoga Korunta to verify it. Jois's teaching also included Surya Namaskar, or the Sun Salutation, which was common in the Mysore palace area.

Jois maintained a long and productive professional career in Mysore. He taught at the Sanskrit College from 1937 until 1973. In 1956, he achieved the rank of vidwan, which means professor. He also served as an Honorary Professor of Yoga at the Government College of Indian Medicine. In 1948, he established the Ashtanga Yoga Research Institute in Lakshmipuram. To handle more students, he built a new yoga hall in 1964. He later opened a new school in the Gokulam neighborhood in 2002.

The spread of Ashtanga yoga to the West was a gradual process. In 1964, a Belgian man named André Van Lysebeth studied with Jois. Van Lysebeth wrote a book in 1967 that included Jois's address. This publication encouraged many Westerners to travel to Mysore to study. Jois made his first trip to the West in 1974 to South America. In 1975, he stayed in Encinitas, California, for four months. This visit marked the start of Ashtanga vinyasa yoga in the United States. One early American student, Norman Allen, helped Jois with his many trips to America.

Despite his success, Jois's legacy includes serious criticisms and reports of misconduct. Some practitioners, including B. K. S. Iyengar, questioned the details of Jois's training history. Other critics noted that his physical adjustments were often too forceful. They claimed these adjustments caused injuries to students' knees and backs. More significantly, it became public knowledge in 2010 that Jois had sexually abused students. These reports involved both men and women in Mysore and during his travels. His grandson, Sharath Jois, has since publicly apologized for these improper adjustments. Today, the Ashtanga community continues through his daughter, Saraswathi, and his grandson, Sharath.