Sri Krishna Pattabhi Jois, 1915-2009    

It is a rare and remarkable soul who becomes legendary during the course of his life by virtue of great service to others. Pattabhi Jois was such a soul, and through his teaching of yoga, he transformed the lives of hundreds of thousands of people. His contribution will have a lasting impact on how we, as practitioners and teachers, view this science. He began his quest as a twelve-year old boy, when yoga was not only almost unknown to the West, but even in its native India held in little regard. By the force of his determination, faith, and enthusiasm, he tolerated long years of toil, hardship, and poverty, and it was a source of unsurpassable joy for him to see, in the last decades of his life, this practice spread around the world, bringing with it health, happiness, and insight. It is said that when a saint attains liberation, the entire world becomes enlightened with him for the saint now views the world through the eyes of liberation and unity, therefore all eyes are his, and his eyes are all eyes. Just as well, when a yogi is born into this world, it is a blessing for the whole world whether or not one does the practices ascribed to him by virtue of the goodness, compassion and kindness that he brings to humanity. And when a yogi departs from the world, it is again a loss for the whole world. However, he leaves the world a better place than he found it, and those who follow him have the opportunity to do the same. May we always remember and celebrate the life of Pattabhi Jois, the remarkable householder yogi of Mysore. His light shone brightly in this world for ninety-three years, bathing us in his luminous joy. Whether one knew him or not, this world became a better place because of his presence in it. May his imperishable soul soar, and his knowledge continue to shower upon us like fireworks falling in the night sky, illuminating our way. *

* Excerpt from the book <a href=”http://www.amazon.com/Guruji-Portrait-Pattabhi-Through-Students/dp/0865477493″>’GURUJI: A Portrait of Sri K. Pattabhi Jois Through the Eyes of His Students’ by Guy Donahaye and Eddie Stern