Sharath Jois and the Mysore Legacy Part 2
I discovered Mysore Style Ashtanga Yoga when I was in my early 30s. For someone fairly new to yoga it was an electric experience to step inside a shala and see what is possible with a committed yogic lifestyle.
Early on in the journey, my teacher Dan Fanthorpe told me all about the city of Mysore. He said that if I was serious about learning yoga, then the best thing to do is go to India and present myself to a man named Sharath Jois; his teacher and the holder of the lineage.
Twelve years later, my fourth visit to Mysore has been a special one. The untimely passing of Sharathji from complications associated with childhood illness shook the Ashtanga world, only two weeks before the season was due to start.
It is obviously a terrible time for the family, let alone with such strange timing. Hundreds of devoted students had booked plane tickets and accommodation, ready to arrive from all corners of the globe to practice for one or two months at a time.
The courage demonstrated by Sharath’s immediate family has been staggering. They decided to forge on with the season, knowing that students are committed in so many ways to the practice and the lineage. Sharath’s wife Shruthi Jois has been holding space for herself, her family, and the students here.
Their daughter and probable heir to the lineage, Shraddha, led the opening chant every morning until she left to finish her final year of university studies in New York. Sambhav, their son, who I remember as a small boy wielding a bamboo stick like a ninja out front of the old KPJAYI shala, has faithfully attended and practiced with the group.
In grief we help each other in any way possible, and the students have been grateful for the chance to be both supportive and supported. This has been a time where the usual boundary between administration and students has been compassionately thin.
During December the atmosphere was a little quiet, a little sombre at times, but still positive and determined. For January the students relished the appointment of a few assistants, those who would have probably assisted Sharath himself. Now, with the February batch arriving, the mood is lively with several household names of worldwide yoga returning to the source, as students.
Shruthiji was kind enough to speak to me about the last few months.
Josh: Thank you so much for the energy you have given us the last few months. When we received the email saying we could still come and practice we were all so grateful. I cannot imagine how intense the experience has been for you, but we have all been inspired watching you handle things.
Shruthiji: It was very difficult. It still is. It was a blessing to have this task of studying the students and to meet everyone.
Josh: We have enjoyed meeting you too! I must ask how are you so skilled with adjustments? I don’t remember seeing you at the old shala.
Shruthiji: I used to teach for in the College of the Engineering students, the girls. So eventually in the old shala I began taking batches. Actually, my husband used to wake me at 2 o’clock every morning to assist him with catching his backbends. I was the only one helping him. I was very young back then, our son was only just born and I was not enthusiastic about being woken! He trained me since then to make the adjustments. He’s my guru, the first and the last, he’s the only guru for me.
Josh: The presence of your children has been a bright influence on this season, you raised some great kids. I remember as they would walk past the Gokulam shala on their way to school, Sharathji would pause at the door and tell them to have fun and behave themselves. Do you feel that having yoga students arrive so soon after their father’s passing helped?
Shruthiji: Yes, very much. Actually the children used to be at the shala more than me. I used to teach and then go back home, but the children were always with Sharath, standing behind him.
So they were with the yoga students much more than me. In the mornings they would stop by the shala on their way to school and say goodbye to their Dad. They miss him very badly. School is good for them, to keep them busy.
Josh: The students have supported each another during the process, there has been such warmth and tenderness. It will have a lasting effect on everyone. Do you think the way we experience Ashtanga Yoga will change because of this?
Shruthiji: That will always be up to the individual. The teachers who have been coming for many years know this best. I have such respect for the teachers on the SYC list, the certified teachers especially. They have dedicated their lives to this practice. As I am now learning the students they have helped me so much.
Josh: The uncertainty we felt at the start of December 2024 has been replaced with confidence and safety. We know things are going to be okay. Is there anything you wish for us to know about Sharathji that we may not have heard?
Shruthiji: He is the only master. He was the only person who could have done this, no one can take his place. There is no replacement possible for Sharath Jois. His mind was totally different, very clear. It was difficult to predict at times, so many ideas, the energy in his hands. He was a magician actually.
His childhood was very difficult, rheumatic fever damaged his heart and he had to take bedrest for so long. Yoga saved him and became his life. But his real passion was the forest, his favourite place was there with animals. That’s why he chose to depart this life while hiking.
He is the best. He put in so much hard work in the last 34 years, now it is for us to give more, spread this practice, and keep this tradition alive.
About the Author
Josh Pryor is CEO of Yoga Australia and a Level 3 Registered Teacher. A specialist in Mysore Style yoga, Josh’s approach is light-hearted and enthusiastic. Josh is the author of two books, including The Seer Sets the Seen: Cosmic Keys to Manifestation, a new translation and commentary of Dṛg Dṛśya Viveka, a 14th century text on the nature of the subtle body.
