Janice Gates (January 28, 1965 – October 11, 2022) was a teacher of

yoga as exercise Yoga as exercise is a physical activity consisting mainly of asana, postures, often connected by vinyasa, flowing sequences, sometimes accompanied by pranayama, breathing exercises, and frequently ending with savasana, relaxation lying down or ...

and mindful yoga, known for her emphasis on the power of

yogini A yogini (Sanskrit: योगिनी, IAST: ) is a female master practitioner of tantra and yoga, as well as a formal term of respect for female Hindu or Buddhist spiritual teachers in Indian subcontinent, Southeast Asia and Greater Tibet. The ...

women in yoga Modern yoga as exercise has often been taught by women to classes consisting mainly of women. This continued a tradition of gendered physical activity dating back to the early 20th century, with the Harmonic Gymnastics of Genevieve Stebbins i ...

and her work in

yoga therapy Yoga as therapy is the use of yoga as exercise, consisting mainly of postures called asanas, as a gentle form of exercise and relaxation applied specifically with the intention of improving health. This form of yoga is widely practised in classes ...

Life

Education

Janice Gates was educated at

Syracuse University Syracuse University (informally 'Cuse or SU) is a Private university, private research university in Syracuse, New York. Established in 1870 with roots in the Methodist Episcopal Church, the university has been nonsectarian since 1920. Locate ...

, graduating in 1987 in International Relations. She travelled to Thailand in 1988, taking a

meditation Meditation is a practice in which an individual uses a technique – such as mindfulness, or focusing the mind on a particular object, thought, or activity – to train attention and awareness, and achieve a mentally clear and emotionally calm ...

retreat which included

hatha yoga Haṭha yoga is a branch of yoga which uses physical techniques to try to preserve and channel the vital force or energy. The Sanskrit word हठ ''haṭha'' literally means "force", alluding to a system of physical techniques. Some haṭh ...

. Returning to San Francisco, she studied Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga under

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 de ...

, Tim Miller, Danny Paradise and Richard Freeman. In 1989 she became an Ashtanga Yoga teacher. She injured her back while learning Ashtanga's Third Series, and turned towards

therapeutic yoga Yoga as therapy is the use of yoga as exercise, consisting mainly of postures called asanas, as a gentle form of exercise and relaxation applied specifically with the intention of improving health. This form of yoga is widely practised in class ...

. She studied with

chiropractor Chiropractic is a form of alternative medicine concerned with the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of mechanical disorders of the musculoskeletal system, especially of the spine. It has esoteric origins and is based on several pseudosci ...

Steve Katz and yoga teachers John Friend (founder of

Anusara Yoga Anusara School of Hatha Yoga, also known as Anusara Yoga (In Hindi:अनुसार योग) is the successor of a modern school of hatha yoga founded by American-born yoga teacher John Friend in 1997. Friend derived his style from the I ...

) and Angela Farmer.

Career

Gates ran a studio called The Yoga Garden in

San Anselmo, California San Anselmo () is an incorporated town in Marin County, California, United States. San Anselmo is located west of San Rafael, at an elevation of 46 feet (14 m). It is located about north of San Francisco. The town is bordered by San Rafael t ...

. She taught and facilitated yoga and meditation at Spirit Rock Meditation Center in Woodacre, California and in retreat centres around the world. In 2006 she published a book, ''Yogini'', on leading and pioneering

, including

Nischala Joy Devi Nischala Joy Devi is a published author and teacher of yoga. Life Nischala Joy Devi was trained in conventional medicine and is an international advocate for Yoga and its subtle uses for spiritual growth as well as physical and mental healing. She ...

Donna Farhi Donna Farhi (born 5 June 1959) is a teacher of yoga as exercise and the author of five books on practising and teaching yoga. She has been described as a yoga "superstar". Life Farhi has been teaching yoga since 1982. She lives in Christchurch, Ne ...

, Angela Farmer,

Lilias Folan ''Lilias, Yoga and You'' (later shortened to ''Lilias!'') is a PBS television show hosted by Lilias Folan, a Cincinnati, Ohio based practitioner of yoga as exercise. The show first aired on October 5, 1970 on Cincinnati PBS member station WCET and ...

, Sharon Gannon (co-founder of

Jivamukti Yoga The Jivamukti Yoga method is a proprietary style of yoga created by David Life and Sharon Gannon in 1984. Jivamukti is a physical, ethical, and spiritual practice, combining a vigorous yoga as exercise, vinyasa-based physical style with adherenc ...

Gurmukh Kaur Khalsa Gurmukh Kaur Khalsa (born in 1943 as Mary May Gibson in Downers Grove, Illinois) is a teacher of Kundalini Yoga as taught by Yogi Bhajan and a pioneer in the field of pre-natal yoga. She is the co-founder and director of the Golden Bridge Yoga Cen ...

, Judith Hanson Lasater,

Sarah Powers Sarah Powers (born c. 1963) is a yoga teacher. She co-founded the Insight Yoga Institute and created Insight Yoga, a combination of yoga, transpersonal psychology and Buddhist and Taoist philosophy, described in her 2008 book of the same name. She ...

Shiva Rea Shiva Rea (born 1967) is a teacher of Vinyasa flow yoga and yoga trance dance. She is the founder of Prana Vinyasa Yoga. She is one of the best-known yoga teachers in America, and around the world. Life Shiva Rea was born in Hermosa Beach, Cali ...

, and

Rama Jyoti Vernon Rama Jyoti Vernon (January 4, 1941 - November 23, 2020) was a yoga teacher and peace activist. She was a co-founder of ''Yoga Journal'', and of the California Yoga Teachers Association. She is considered one of America's yoga pioneers and was one o ...

. She wrote regularly on yoga sequences and meditation for magazines including ''

Yoga Journal ''Yoga Journal'' is a website and digital journal, formerly a print magazine, on yoga as exercise founded in California in 1975 with the goal of combining the essence of traditional yoga with scientific understanding. It has produced live events ...

'' and ''

Oprah Magazine ''O, The Oprah Magazine'', also known simply as ''O'', is an American monthly magazine founded by talk show host Oprah Winfrey and Hearst Communications. Overview It was first published on April 19, 2000. , its average paid circulation wa ...

''. She was for a time president of the International Association of Yoga Therapists. She was a mentor on the Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Certification Program. She trained healthcare professionals and yoga teachers in yoga therapy. Gates stated that yoga is more than postures ( asanas); she used "all the tools of yoga — breath work, sound, visualization, and meditation — and tailor dthem to a client's specific health condition." She was identified by ''

'' as one of the people who had "each, independently, discovered the benefits of merging mindfulness with asana", leading to "something we might call ' mindful yoga'."

Personal life

Gates was married with a daughter. They lived in

Fairfax, California Fairfax is an incorporated town in Marin County, California, United States. Fairfax is located west-northwest of San Rafael, at an elevation of . The population was 7,605 at the 2020 census. History The Coast Miwok Native Americans occupied s ...

. She died on October 11, 2022, aged 57.

Works

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Gates, Janice 1965 births 2022 deaths Yoga therapists Mindful Yoga American yoga teachers