Sri K. Pattabhi Jois

In 1927, at the age of 12, after seeing a Yoga demonstration given by Sri Tirumalai Krishnamacharya, "The Grandfather of Modern Yoga," he became one of his very first students.

He only practiced with him for a few months, before Krishnamacharya left to teach yoga for the Maharajah of Mysore.

At the age of 15, his desire to continue studying Yoga and Sanskrit, prompted him to run away from home, leaving his family and native village behind.

He went to the Maharaja's Sanskrit College in Mysore, to beg for admission.

In Mysore, he was reunited with his teacher Krishnamacharya. Their student-teacher relationship lasted for over twenty-five years, until 1953, when Sri T. Krishnamacharya departed for Madras.

Pattabhi Jois had the unique opportunity of learning asana, pranayama, and various aspects of Indian philosophy directly from Sri T. Krishnamacharya over an extended period of time.

He adamantly maintained that the style of Ashtanga Yoga that he became renowned for, was exactly the same as what he had learned from his Guru.

In 1937, Pattabhi Jois (affectionately called “Guruji” by his students) began teaching yoga at the Sanskrit College in Mysore. He was the lowest paid teacher, and had to take on extra work to support his family.

He began teaching yoga out of his house, and in 1948 he established the Ashtanga Yoga Research Institute from his home in Laxmipuram, Mysore.

He retained this post at the Sanskrit College until 1973, and obtained a Vidvan Degree (the equivalent of an MA) in Vedanta while teaching there.

He had a deep interest in experimenting with the “curative aspects of yoga”. He began writing the book Yoga Mala in 1958, and completed the manuscript over a three-year period.

Guruji was an orthodox Brahmin, a devote follower of Sri Shankaracharya's Advaita Vedanta, and displayed an unwavering faith in the teachings of the Vedas and Yoga Śāstra.

He always remained a student of yoga, even though he taught for over 70 years. His lineage and legacy will continue to thrive through the teachers he directly influenced and blessed.

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