Gurupurnima

This week is a particularly auspicious one for the Ashtanga community. We celebrate the full moon of Guru Purnima, the traditional day of honoring the lineage of gurus who have passed this knowledge from one generation to the next. This full moon of July also corresponds with the birthday of Sri K. Pattabhi Jois, my own beloved Guruji.

One of the earliest Western students to study with Pattabhi Jois was the Belgian yoga teacher André Van Lysebeth, who practiced with Guruji in 1964. Photographs from his two-month stay appear in his book Pranayama, la dynamique du souffle. While the book is listed on the Internet Archive, it isn’t available for borrow at the moment. I was fortunate enough to screenshot some of those cool early images of Guruji. (How’s your French?)

By the 1970s, more Western students began making the journey to Mysore, and Ashtanga Yoga gradually spread throughout Europe and North America.

My own journey began in September 2001, when I attended Guruji’s workshop in New York City. That gathering was later documented in the film Ashtanga Yoga New York, which is available on YouTube. Of course, that month also brought the tragedy of September 11, making it an unforgettable time for everyone who was there. Interestingly, this is also when the “Closing Mantra” was added at the end of Ashtanga practice.

Immediately after the workshop, I followed Guruji to Mysore. What was meant to be a six-month stay eventually became nearly two years. I supported myself by offering bodywork treatments while living there, allowing me to continue practicing and studying every day with Guruji & Sharath.

Guruji was 87 years old when I first met him, yet he remained energetic, joyful, and deeply enthusiastic about teaching. One of my favorite memories was how approachable he always was. If you stopped by his house in the afternoon (which I often did), he would be reading the newspaper or chatting with the neighbors. (They all called him Guruji too.) He was generous with his time and would patiently respond to all of my questions about yoga, and after receiving Authorization in 2004, he would answer questions about the teaching of yoga.

I’ve tried to model much of my own teaching on what I learned from him; not only his precision and dedication, but also his fantastic sense of humor. No matter how demanding the practice felt (and I can assure you, VERY demanding), Guruji would always lighten the mood with a little chuckle, a friendly grunt, and a little joke “already finished?”

Almost every day as I limped out of the shala after practice, he would grin and ask, “Oh, Williams… backbending finish?” He always called me Williams, never Adarsh. Of course, he knew perfectly well my backbends were finished, he had just bent me backwards himself!

Ha ha, I use the same joke every day with my students, “oh, backbends finished?” Lol

Over the years, I had the privilege not only of getting to know Guruji, but also his family—his son, daughter, grandson, granddaughter, and son-in-law. In turn, Guruji met members of my own family, including my children, their godparents, aunt, and uncle, and numerous beloved students that I “sent to Mysore.”

Guru Purnima reminds us that a guru is not simply someone who teaches techniques, but someone who helps remove darkness through wisdom, compassion, and example. Many of the gurus, we will never even meet, still we can meditate on their contributions to our own path. I feel deeply grateful for everything I received from Guruji and for the opportunity to continue sharing this beautiful tradition with all of you.

I wish you all an inspiring week of practice, and I hope Wednesday’s full moon brings you a renewed sense of gratitude for the teachers who have helped shape your life.

Om Śrī Gurubhyo Namaḥ. Hari Om.

Yours in yoga,
Adarsh

Adarsh Williams & K. Pattabhi Jois (Ashtanga Yoga Research Institute, Mysore India 2005)