Early life
Jois was born on 29 September 1971 in Mysore India to Saraswati Rangaswamy, daughter of K. Pattabhi Jois. Jois was born into a family dedicated to the practice, preservation and teaching of Ashtanga yoga as his grandfather had learned from his teacher,Yoga teacher
When he was 19 years old, his mother told him that he should begin assisting his grandfather in the yoga shala, as there were many students, and his grandfather was not a young man anymore. From that time, he became Pattabhi Jois's full-time assistant. It was during these years that Sharath's devotion to the practice deepened and he began to intuit its transformative power. Jois studied the experiential as well as the theoretical aspects of yoga with his grandfather for quite some time before he felt that he was ready to guide others through the method. Sharath notes that it is important for a practitioner to understand the asana and the associated vinyasa before teaching others. He spent countless hours observing his grandfather teach, working with students of various body types, and developing a sense of how to work with individual differences. As a teacher, Jois reinforces the idea that Ashtanga yoga is a process and that asanas are simply one aspect of the practice, preparing individuals to incorporate the other limbs into their lives. There are many layers to the practice and although it may appear as a linear practice, marked by progression based on the addition of new asanas, it is in fact much more nuanced. This is why students are encouraged to focus on the physical practice because the experiential aspects of the practice are where the true learning occurs, not simply by reading about yoga theory; the practice is the foundation for the practical application of yoga theory. He studied under his grandfather for twenty years. Jois began traveling internationally with his grandfather in the 1990s to teach Ashtanga yoga. They felt it was imperative to travel and teach an authentic system of yoga in the West where yoga was becoming increasingly popular and being taught in non-traditional ways. In efforts to maintain the integrity and tradition of the practice, he continues to travel and teach worldwide.Director of yoga institute
In 2007 when Pattabhi Jois was not in good health and unable to teach any longer, Sharath became director of the institute. He has steadily grown into his role as director of KPJAYI and as the senior-most authority on the practice, having studied and practiced all six series with his grandfather. His style of teaching and presence in the shala has been described by a senior student as a balance of strictness and compassion. In attempts to continue the yoga lineage, he holds a teachers' course in the summer for authorized and certified practitioners to ensure the Ashtanga method is being taught in the spirit of the tradition and with respect to the lineage of yoga gurus who have kept the practice alive - Rama Mohan Bramachari,Awards and distinctions
* Sharath has communicated with schools and advocated for the inclusion of yoga into the curriculum. University of Virginia campus has a traditional Mysore program run by a KPJAYI authorized teacher. * Uttarkashi honoree bestowed title of Mahayogi Guru * Mysore Yoga honoree bestowed title of ParamaguruPublications
Jois published ''Ashtanga Yoga Anusthana'' which provides an introduction and overview to Ashtanga Yoga, delineating the eight limbs of the practice, the importance of Tristhana and Vinyasa, main asanas of the primary series, and supplemental asanas for therapy. * Jois, Sharath. Ageless: A Yogi's Secrets to a Long and Healthy Life *He wrote the foreword to the 2010 edition of ''Yoga Mala: The Original Teachings of Ashtanga Yoga Master Sri K. Pattabhi Jois'' * Featured in LA Yoga * Featured in Namarupa magazine in interviews and articles * Written articles for Pushpam Magazine * Featured in Yoga magazines and Indian newspapersReferences
External links
*https://sharathyogacentre.com/ {{DEFAULTSORT:Jois, R. Sharath 1971 births Living people Indian yoga teachers Scholars from Mysore