With a Mumbai workshop under way, the Mysuru-based Ashtanga guru highlights the importance of a teacher in the age of YouTube tutorials

In the era of social media tutorials, yoga guru R Sharath Jois’s voice is a sage one. He says that while social media is a great tool to encourage people to exercise, one needs a guru to guide you in yoga. “Yoga is not a general exercise where you don’t deal with emotions. Yoga is different as there are many things happening in your mind, and it’s not just for physical fitness, but mental as well. For your complete well-being, it’s very important that you follow the instructions of a teacher,” says the author of Ageless: A Yogi’s Secrets to a Long and Healthy Life, who is currently hosting his first workshop in Mumbai till June 16.

The third generation of the Jois family, Sharath is a teacher, practitioner, author and the subject of several documentaries, best known for his expertise in Ashtanga Yoga. When asked how to define Ashtanga Yoga to a beginner, his reply is a humble one. “It’s a traditional practice based on Patanjali Yogasutra that has been there since generations.

It’s not that my grandfather or I have created it,” says the director of the K Pattabhi Jois Ashtanga Yoga Institute, Mysuru. Sharath spearheads the legacy of his grandfather K Pattabhi Jois, who is credited with popularising the vinyasa style of Ashtanga Yoga across the world, long before sweating it out in the yoga studio was considered cool. It’s a popular form of fitness and counts several Hollywood A-listers like Natalie Portman, Gwyneth Paltrow, Jennifer Aniston, Willem Dafoe, and musicians Madonna and Sting as followers. American yoga teacher Eddie Stern, who taught Hillary Clinton, Ashtanga Yoga-based breathing techniques to help her calm her mind during elections, has also been a student of Jois.

Mind and body

Everyone can practise Ashtanga Yoga, says Sharath. The starting point though is based on yama, which stands for moral codes, and niyama, or introspect and study. So practicing Ashtanga Yoga also means that one has to follow the path of ahimsa, and lead a principled life. “What differentiates Ashtanga Yoga is synchronising the breathing with the posture. There is a strong emphasis on breath, atma and the [gaze],” he says.

With the focus being the balance of yama and niyama, and the breath for internal cleaning, Ashtanga makes it perfect sense for city dwellers and working professionals. The practice also benefits children as it makes the mind sharper and focused, crucial in times when there are multiple distracting platforms. It’s also beneficial in treating mental health concerns like anxiety and stress.

“Without the body there cannot be a mind, and we need to nourish this body with good things, not just good food, but also good exercise and by adapting certain principles. If you nourish the body through asanas, the thoughts and actions will be pure. So the outcome whatever profession you follow will be fruitful, and you will get positive thoughts,” says Sharath.

Mind and body: Sharath Jois and (above) one of his workshops.

Evolving method

Sharath has introduced chanting in the practice, while focusing on how and what should one eat, and when one should practise the asanas. “Yoga should happen all the time, [with] only the asanas happening on the mat. You need to change your routine, and be mindful of what and how you speak. Just to keep up with everyone else, people shouldn’t get carried away with their social media interactions,” he recommends. According to him, one of the reasons why Ashtanga Yoga is popular in the West especially with the stars, is owing to the stamina it helps build up in practitioners while simultaneously teaching tolerance. “People work extra hard to make a career and keep up with the work.

In that process, many get stressed and lack of sleeping and eating becomes an issue. Ashtanga Yoga gives you the internal strength to keep up with everything and manage yourself, so you can manage all else,” explains the yoga guru.

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