Larry Schultz

Larry Schultz (November 14, 1950 – February 27, 2011) was an American yoga teacher who was a long-time student of the founder of Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga, K. Pattabhi Jois. Schultz is primarily recognized as the creator of Rocket Yoga, a style derived from Jois's, which is known to be one of the original forms of Vinyasa Flow or Power Yoga.

Early life

Schultz born and raised in Wilmington, Delaware lived in Austin, Texas in the late 1970s and early 1980s, working as an insurance salesman. His first encounter with yoga was at age 29 when in the Caribbean he met Cliff Barber who was practising Ashtanga Yoga's advanced 4th series outdoors. Although Barber was older, Schultz was impressed by Barber's fitness.

Schultz met K. Pattabhi Jois in 1982 during a yoga workshop hosted by Stan Hafner, and studied under Jois for the next 7 years in India and the USA.

The Bad Man of Ashtanga Yoga

In 1989 Schultz returned to San Francisco and started to teach Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga from his home. Schultz believed that all students should get access to all poses, which was in conflict with Jois's Mysore style, in which teachers were authorized to give a student a new pose to practice only after the teacher felt the student had mastered the previous one. Schultz instead taught a modified version of Ashtanga Yoga in which each of his classes incorporated poses from all 3 of the traditional Ashtanga Series with all students welcome to try all poses; this gained Schultz the nickname "The Bad Man of Ashtanga Yoga". Schultz gave priority to opening the joints to reduce the risk of injury when stretching muscles.

Grateful Dead

In the mid 1990s Schultz traveled on tour with the Grateful Dead as the band's personal yoga teacher until Jerry Garcia died. In an interview in a Deadhead magazine, Phil Lesh credits Ashtanga with having a real effect on the music this tour and giving him personally a new feeling of centeredness. Says Lesh, "This has opened a whole new world for me." It was Weir who encouraged Schultz to write his first book on yoga, ''Ashtanga Yoga As Taught by Shri K. Pattabhi Jois''.

The Mayor of Folsom Street

In 1991 Schultz founded ''It's Yoga'' at 848 Folsom Street in San Francisco. At ''It's Yoga'' he created a promotional package called "90 days for 90 dollars." At the time yoga was mostly practised by small groups in homes: Schultz's studio pioneered the concept of teaching yoga in health clubs. ''It's Yoga'' on Folsom Street attracted celebrities such as San Francisco 49ers players and Christy Turlington. In 2002 ''It's Yoga'' moved downstairs to a larger space in the same building at 848 Folsom street. Schultz's notoriety in the South of Market, San Francisco area led him gain a second nickname, "The Mayor of Folsom Street."

Rocketman

Schultz became known for creating The Rocket series, which takes poses from the first, second and third series of Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga and resequences them around the joints of the body. Some consider The Rocket sequences to be the origin of Power Yoga."AsanaTM," ''Yoga Journal'', Dec 2003, page 156 Schultz said of his teaching philosophy:

Later years

In 2009 ''It's Yoga'' San Francisco closed. In these final years Schultz and his wife Marie focused on their global 200-hour Rocket Yoga teacher training program, which graduated more than 5000 students, including many who became well-known yoga teachers, at 15 yoga studios. He was known for "his signature mix of humor and discipline, generosity and firmness—and above all, kindness".

Death

Schultz died on February 27, 2011 in Toledo, Ohio.

Legacy

Schultz is recognized as one of the creators of Power Yoga."Yoga body: the origins of modern posture practice" by Oleh Mark Singleton,Page 176, , Oxford University Press (February 10, 2010) Schultz left behind a global network of yoga studios operating under his brand, It's Yoga, and teaching his Rocket Yoga.

Books and videos

* '' Ashtanga Out of the Box'' book and DVD series, 1998
* '' Rocket Vinyasa Yoga video'' in collaboration with David Kyle, 2004
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* '' Rocket II'' DVD, 2006

References

External links

* YouTube: In loving memory of Larry Schultz-Rocket Man- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fHPJ_lyRWcQ
* Yogapeeps: Larry Schultz Interview 2006- http://yogapeeps.com/main/2006/episode-18-larry-shultz-its-yoga-3/116
* Larry Interview in Sonoma http://vimeo.com/15452297
* AstaYoga: RocketMan https://web.archive.org/web/20130331074216/http://www.astayoga.net/rocket-man

{{DEFAULTSORT:Schultz, Larry
20th-century American Jews
American yoga teachers
1950 births
2011 deaths
21st-century American Jews