Sharon Gannon (born July 4, 1951 in Washington, D.C.) is a

yoga Yoga (UK: , US: ; 'yoga' ; ) is a group of physical, mental, and spiritual practices or disciplines that originated with its own philosophy in ancient India, aimed at controlling body and mind to attain various salvation goals, as pra ...

teacher,

animal rights Animal rights is the philosophy according to which many or all Animal consciousness, sentient animals have Moral patienthood, moral worth independent of their Utilitarianism, utility to humans, and that their most basic interests—such as ...

advocate, musician, author, dancer and choreographer. Along with David Life, she is the co-founder of the

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 ...

method.

Early life

Gannon studied Dance at the

University of Washington The University of Washington (UW and informally U-Dub or U Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington, United States. Founded in 1861, the University of Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast of the Uni ...

. She began studying yoga, meditation and bhakti practices in 1969. Her gurus are Shr
Brahmananda SaraswatiSwami Nirmalananda
and Sri

K. Pattabhi Jois K. Pattabhi Jois (26 July 1915 – 18 May 2009) was an Indian yoga guru who developed and popularized the flowing style of yoga as exercise known as Ashtanga (vinyasa) yoga. In 1948, Jois established the Ashtanga Yoga Research Institute in My ...

. Through the grace o
Shyamdas
she was initiated into the Pustimarg Sampradaya throug
Shri Milanbaba Goswami
She met her creative partner David Life in 1982, and started teaching yoga in 1984. She and Life studied Sivananda Yoga in India in 1986, and co-founded the Jivamukti Yoga Center in New York on their return. In 1990 they studied

Ashtanga (vinyasa) yoga Ashtanga yoga (not to be confused with Patanjali's ''Ashtanga (eight limbs of yoga), aṣṭāṅgayoga'', the eight limbs of yoga) is a style of yoga as exercise popularised by K. Pattabhi Jois during the twentieth century, often promoted as a ...

in Mysore under

Pattabhi Jois K. Pattabhi Jois (26 July 1915 – 18 May 2009) was an Indian Modern yoga gurus, yoga guru who developed and popularized the vinyasa, flowing style of yoga as exercise known as Ashtanga (vinyasa) yoga. In 1948, Jois established the Ashtanga Yo ...

. Gannon was involved with dance, performance art, and music in the Seattle art scene of the late 1970s and early 1980s before moving to New York with musician Sue Ann Harkey in 1983. In Seattle, Gannon co-founded the band ''Audio Letter'' with Sue Ann Harkey and was part of the group that founded the ''Salon Apocalypse'' performance art salon.

Yoga

Since 1993, Gannon has presented annually at national and international conferences. In 2009 she began organizing the Jivamukti Tribe Gathering conference for advanced teachers. In 2017, Gannon and Life transferred the ownership and operations of Jivamukti Yoga to Camilla Veen and Hari Mulukutla under the name of Jivamukti Global. Jivamukti Yoga is taught worldwide at Jivamukti Yoga Schools, and affiliated centers. Her celebrity students include

Sting Stimulator of interferon genes (STING), also known as transmembrane protein 173 (TMEM173) and MPYS/MITA/ERIS is a regulator protein that in humans is encoded by the STING1 gene. STING plays an important role in innate immunity. STING induces typ ...

Russell Simmons Russell Wendell Simmons (born October 4, 1957) is an American entrepreneur, writer and record executive. He co-founded the hip-hop label Def Jam Recordings, and created the clothing fashion lines Phat Farm, Argyleculture, and Tantris. He has p ...

Madonna Madonna Louise Ciccone ( ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. Referred to as the "Queen of Pop", she has been recognized for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, ...

, and

Uma Thurman Uma Karuna Thurman (born April 29, 1970) is an American actress. She has performed in a variety of films, from romantic comedies and dramas to science fiction and action films. Following her appearances on the December 1985 and May 1986 cover ...

Animal rights

Gannon is a lifelong and outspoken advocate for the rights of animals and ethical

veganism Veganism is the practice of abstaining from the use of animal products and the consumption of animal source foods, and an associated philosophy that rejects the commodity status of animals. A person who practices veganism is known as a vega ...

. In 1999 she helped to set up the Animal Mukti Free Spay & Neuter Clinic at the Humane Society of New York City. It reduced the number of unwanted pets that had to be put down in the city by 30%. In 2004, with David Life, she was recognized as "Friend of Ferals" by the Humane Society of New York and Neighborhood Cats. The Farm Sanctuary awarded Gannon and life the 2008 Compassionate Living Award. She has worked with

PETA People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA; ) is an American animal rights nonprofit organization based in Norfolk, Virginia, and led by Ingrid Newkirk, its international president. Founded in March 1980 by Newkirk and animal right ...

on various projects and campaigns as a "vanguard member". She was nominated for the "Gutsiest Woman of the Year 1999" by

Jane Magazine ''Jane'' was an American magazine created to appeal to the women who grew up reading '' Sassy'' magazine; Jane Pratt was the founding editor of each. Its original target audience (pitched to advertisers) was aged 18–34, and was designed to app ...

and awarded the Compassionate Living Award by

Farm Sanctuary Farm Sanctuary is an American animal protection organization, founded in 1986 as an advocate for farmed animals. It was America's first shelter for farmed animals. It promotes laws and policies that support animal welfare, animal protection, ...

in 2008.

Music and dance

Gannon has performed on vocals and violin in various bands, and in 2010 issued a solo album
Sharanam
'. She an
Sue Ann Harkey
founded the ban
Audio Letter
in 1980; its album ''It Is This It Is Not This'' was praised by critics. Gannon danced, directed and choreographed for her dance company Moon-Food in the 1980s. She and Life perform in the 2007 ''Asana: Sacred Dance of the Yogis''; she features also in the 2008 ''Guruji''.

Bibliography

Gannon has written essays, short stories and poems, and articles 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 ...

'', ''

Origin Origin(s) or The Origin may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Comics and manga * ''Origin'' (comics), a Wolverine comic book mini-series published by Marvel Comics in 2002 * ''The Origin'' (Buffy comic), a 1999 ''Buffy the Vampire Sl ...

,'' ''Mantra'', and ''Chronogram.'' Her books, some co-written with David Life, include: * ''Freedom is a Psycho-Kinetic Skill'' (1982). * ''Cats and Dogs are People Too! (1999,'' Jivamukti, ). * ''Jivamukti Yoga: Practices for Liberating Body and Soul'' with David Life (2002, Ballantine/Random House ). * ''The Art of Yoga'' with David Life; (2002, Stewart, Tabori, & Chang ). *''Jivamukti Chant Book'' (2003, Jivamukti). * ''Yoga and Vegetarianism: The Diet of Enlightenment'' (2008, San Raphel, CA: Mandala ). * ''Yoga Assists: A Complete Visual & Inspirational Guide To Yoga Asana Assists'' with David Life (2013, Premier Digital Publishing, ). * ''Simple Recipes for Joy'' (2014, Avery). *''The Magic Ten and Beyond'' (2018, TarcherPerigee). *''The Art of Norahs Nepas'' (2019, Blurb.com). *''Yoga and Veganism: The Diet of Enlightenment'' (2020, Mandala Publishing). *''Magic is a Shift in Perception: Poems 1972-2019, A memoir of sorts'' (2020) *''Eternity is Happening Now: Volume 1 & 2'', (2022, Blurb.com)

Discography

*''It is This it is Not This'', with Audio Letter, 1987 *''Neti Neti'', Audio Letter Remixes, 2003 *''Sharanam'', White Swan Records, 2010

References

Sources

* *

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Gannon, Sharon 1951 births Living people American animal rights activists American new-age musicians American non-fiction writers American veganism activists American yoga teachers Modern yoga pioneers Educators from Washington, D.C.