K. Pattabhi Jois (1915-2009) was a renowned Indian yoga teacher who developed and popularized the style of yoga known as Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga. Born in the small village of Kowshika in Karnataka India Jois began his yoga studies at the age of 12 under the guidance of T. Krishnamacharya who is often referred to as the father of modern yoga.
Pattabhi Jois established the Ashtanga Yoga Research Institute (later renamed the Krishna Pattabhi Jois Ashtanga Yoga Institute) in Mysore India in 1948. There he taught a systematic and rigorous yoga practice characterized by synchronized breathing (Ujjayi pranayama) with progressive series of postures producing intense internal heat and purifying sweat that detoxifies muscles and organs.
The system he taught includes six series of asanas (postures) each more challenging than the previous:
• Primary Series (Yoga Chikitsa) – detoxifies and aligns the body
• Intermediate Series (Nadi Shodhana) – purifies the nervous system
• Advanced Series A B C and D (Sthira Bhaga) – integrates strength and grace
Jois’s teaching emphasized the ‘tristhana’ approach which incorporates three places of attention: posture breathing system and looking place. He maintained that practicing these elements correctly would lead to internal purification and ultimately to the revelation of the universal Self.
His famous saying ‘Practice and all is coming’ encapsulates his philosophy that dedicated consistent practice rather than intellectual understanding is the key to yoga’s transformative effects. He believed that through regular practice impurities are gradually removed from the mind and body revealing the practitioner’s true nature.
Pattabhi Jois began traveling to the West in the 1970s spreading Ashtanga yoga internationally. His influence on modern yoga is immense with many contemporary styles either directly derived from or significantly influenced by his teachings. Notable students who have become influential teachers include Richard Freeman Tim Miller Eddie Stern and his grandson Sharath Jois who now leads the institute in Mysore.
