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Paramaguru, Shri R Sharath Jois, 53, of Mysore, Karnataka passed away on November 11, 2024 while hiking on the Humpback Rocks hiking trail near Charlottesville, Virginia.
He was born on the auspicious day of Vijaya Dashami which fell on September 29th in 1971 in Mysore, Karnataka, India. He was the son of Rangaswamy and Saraswathi Jois and grandson of revered yoga master Shri K. Pattabhi Jois.
He is survived by his wife Shruthi, daughter Shraddha, son Sambhava, and mother Saraswathi.
R. Sharath Jois was the world’s most advanced practitioner of Ashtanga Yoga and the preeminent authority on its traditional practice. Born in Mysore, in South India, he first began practicing yoga at the age of seven, under the guidance of his late grandfather, Sri K. Pattabhi Jois, a disciple of the legendary Sri T. Krishnamacharya. Beginning in the late 1980s Sharathji dedicated his life to the study and practice of Ashtanga Yoga, rising as early as 1:00 a.m. to pursue his own sadhana (yoga practice) for many hours before assisting his grandfather in his yoga school. After his grandfather’s passing in 2009, Sharathji continued this routine as the head of his own shala in Mysore, the Sharath Yoga Centre. As a result of his dedication and devotion, he became the only person to have mastered all six series of Ashtanga Yoga. He was subsequently given the title ‘Paramaguru’ (pre-eminent teacher), by which his students affectionately refer to him.
Classes at the Sharath Yoga Centre were attended by many thousands of students from over one hundred countries around the world who traveled to Mysore every year to learn the Ashtanga Yoga method under Sharathji’s watchful eye; he taught up to four hundred students daily for months at a time. He authorized over one thousand of his dedicated students from around the world to teach this beautiful method of yoga and many of these students are now well-known yoga teachers, working in all corners of the globe.
When not teaching at the institute in Mysore, Sharath traveled widely, teaching yoga workshops and spreading his knowledge of yoga to as many people and in as many places as possible. He was instrumental in introducing yoga to countries where it was previously unheard of and taught thousands of international workshops over more than twenty years. He also authored two best-selling books, Ageless and Astanga Yoga Anusthana. The latter has been translated into more than ten languages.
Embodying the qualities of a true yogi, Sharathjii had a special affinity with nature and spent much of his spare time in the jungles of India and around the world photographing animals. He was also committed to philanthropy and inspired many of his students
to support charitable causes. He established the Sri K. Pattabhi Jois Charitable Trust in 2005, which engages in diverse philanthropy, supporting underprivileged children’s education, blood donation drives, and flood relief, as well as distributing jackets and shoes to forest officers in the jungle reserves of his home state of Karnataka so that they can safely oversee the forests and provide protection for the animals. The trust also collaborates with Arunodaya Trust, a charitable organization based in Mysore that provides development programs for underserved children in order to support their holistic growth and development.
Sharathji was also the inspiration and guiding light for the establishment of the Contemplative Sciences Center (now Contemplative Commons) established at the University of VIrginia in Charlottesville, Virginia.
Shri Sharath was a devout Hindu and Spiritual master, and saw the bright light of the divine within all humanity, animals and nature. His mortal remains will be returned to India for a traditional Hindu cremation ceremony in his home town of Mysore.
For more on services and to share your condolences, visit Hill and Wood Funeral Service.