home | classes | teachers | events/workshops | about the London Centre | about Jivamukti Yoga | focus of the month | founders bios | press | contact us | GURUS These are the Gurus that paved the way for the creation of Jivamukti Yoga SHRI K. PATTABHI JOIS Shri K. Pattabhi Jois studied yoga under his guru Shri Krishnamacharya and also attended the Sanskrit College of Mysore, where he became a professor of Sanskrit and Advaita Vedanta. He and Shri Krishnamacharya developed the Astanga Yoga series based on the purifying practices described in the ancient texts. In 1948, he founded the Ashtanga Yoga Research Institute in Mysore. In 1958, he wrote his classic book Yoga Mala, which explores Astanga and Yoga philosophy. In 1998, David Life was made a certified Astanga teacher by Shri K. Pattabhi Jois. Both Sharon and David make regular trips to Mysore to study under him. SHRI BRAMANADA SARASVATI Shri Brahmananda Sarasvati had an extensive background in Eastern and Western medicine. In 1958, he founded the Yoga Society of New York. Ananda Ashram, which he founded in 1964 in Monroe, New York, continues to be devoted to Shri Brahmananda Sarasvati's teachings and message, and the ashram hosts many Jivamukti events. A Sanskrit scholar, his life was dedicated to the union of science and the spirit. He is the author of Fundamentals of Yoga, The Textbook of Yoga Psychology (one of the definitive translations of Patanjali's Yoga Sutras) and Self Analysis and Self Knowledge, along with many essays. He left his body in 1993. SHR SWAMI NIRMALANDA Swami Nirmalananda believed in the potency of Self rule, and he called himself the "Anarchist Swami." He inducted David Life into the sunnyas (renunciate) order in 1990. Swami Nirmalananda was a naturalist and a "mauni". He practiced silence for 11 years. "Unless the individuality is transcended, we cannot know what is universality and unless we die while living, we cannot know what is Eternal life. The mind can only think one thing at a time and it always functions within the realm of duality like good and bad, pleasure and pain, happiness and sorrow. Unless we rise above these pairs of opposites, we will not be able to know what the integrated state of existence is." back to top > Sharon Gannon - Tripura Sundari Yogini Sharon Gannon's quest for independence began with her birth on July 4th in Washington, DC. Her interest in mysticism was nourished by her Catholic upbringing. She holds a BA in Dance and has studied ballet, modern, classical and Indian Dance; as well as music and Eastern philosophy. Performing Artist Sharon views art as a means for uplifting the soul and her artistic pursuits enriched the community and were both inspirational and educational. During the 1980's she was the vocalist and violinist for the jazz/rock band Audio Letter. In 1984 she shifted her main focus from the performing arts to teaching yoga in the hope of giving practical methods that would benefit people more directly and immediately. She recently produced a remix album titled Neti-Neti that is a pastiche of musical styles boldly spanning the landscapes of electro hip-hop, worldbeat, experimental jazz and psychedelia. Animal Advocate & Author She is an animal-rights activist and outspoken advocate of ethical vegetarianism. She is the author of Cats and Dogs are People Too, an investigation of the insensitive attitudes that result in commercial pet food being unhealthy for companion animals. In addition, she regularly contributes her Jivamukti Focus of the Month articles to publications such as Satya. Together with David Life and Janet Rienstra, she established the Animal Mukti Free Spay & Neuter Clinic in New York City at the Humane Society of NY in 1999. Yoga Master Sharon has studied yoga since 1976 with many teachers around the globe, most noteworthy being Shri Brahmananda Saraswati, Swami Nirmalanada, Shri K. Pattabhi Jois, Swami Shankarananda, Shyam Das and Bhagavan Das. She brings a rare blend of scholarly study, artistic pursuits and a highly disciplined asana and meditation practice to her offerings as a teacher. New Yorker Together with David Life, she developed the Jivamukti Yoga method in 1986 and today they are Co-Directors of the Jivamukti Yoga centers in New York City. She continues to teach students in New York and all over the globe what yoga truly is. She has co-authored two books with Life, Jivamukti Yoga: Practices for Liberating Body & Soul and The Art of Yoga. back to top > David Life - Deva Das David Life was born in a small town in Michigan where his Catholic upbringing inspired devotion to the Christian mystics St. John of the Cross and Theresa of Avila. He holds a BA degree in Art with minors in Poetry and Psychology and has had a lifelong interest in metaphysics and spirituality. Influential Artist & Founder of Life Cafe He has lived in New York City since 1979, where he pursued his art career while creating and running his legendary business - Life Cafe -a Manhattan hot-spot for music, art and poetry featured in the current smash Broadway play "Rent." During his Cafe years, David had a close association with Latino poets, old-guard beats Allen Ginsberg, Julien Beck and Judith Malina of the Living Theater and was an influential performer, painter and poet in the creative art scene of 1980's Lower East Side of New York City. Yoga Master David spent several years as an initiate of a lineage of yogic monks, and has received initiation by His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama. He has studied yoga around the world with many teachers including Shri Brahmananda Saraswati, Sri Swami Nirmalananda and Shri K. Pattabhi Jois, from whom he received certification in the advanced Ashtanga series. His interest in yoga is supported by his artistic, literary and metaphysical studies. He imbues his classes with metaphor, musicality and spirituality, spiced with humor, vigor and spontaneity. He is considered to be a "teacher's teacher" and he is a respected, popular, and in-demand teacher around the globe. Author & Journalist He is a contributing writer for several publications including Yoga Journal and Yoga International, and together with Sharon Gannon has Co-authored two books, Jivamukti Yoga: Practices for Liberating Body & Soul and The Art of Yoga. New York Home Together with Sharon Gannon, he Co-directs and teaches at the Jivamukti Yoga downtown center in New York City and travels to all ends of the globe teaching Jivamukti Yoga. He aims to bring the spiritual benefits of yoga to as many people as possible, and his efforts to educate students on the importance of ethical vegetarianism are tireless back to top > home | classes | teachers | events | the London centre | about Jivamukti | contact us