(RNS) — Yogis fortunate enough to practice under the late R. Sharath Jois, who died this past Monday (Nov. 11) often characterize his demeanor as equal parts firm and gentle. Some were intimidated by his penetrating gaze and unyielding approach to yoga practice, but many fondly remember his sly, under-the-breath witticisms, most deployed as students held a challenging yoga position for longer than seemed necessary.
He will also be remembered for his warmth. “No one could see him and not have the experience of him smiling at you,” said John Campbell, a Buddhism scholar who is one of the few yoga teachers certified by Jois. “That was a natural state of his face: tremendous beaming, warmth, approachability and kindness. Even the people who have not met him, whatever yoga has been shared with you, he has been a part of that.”
Heir since 2007 to Ashtanga yoga — the rigid, disciplined and strenuous exercise often recognized for headstands, backbends and something called the “pretzel” — developed by his grandfather, Pattabhi Jois, in the late 1940s, Jois began teaching as a teen in the 1990s beside his mother, Saraswathi, at the family’s shala, or school, in Mysore, India.
R. Sharath Jois was a primary figure in the Ashtanga yoga community. (Photo via Instagram/@sharathjoisr)
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