Pattabhi Jois

re-jois

ever since i've started practicing yoga many years ago the term guru has invariably come up. the emphasis is and i have learned that a guru is one who "lights the way" or illuminates the one who is shrouded by some sort of darkness or ignorance. that person can be anyone or anything. in a yoga classroom, it could be a teacher, the person practicing right next to you with smelly feet. thoughts emerge about them and generally by and large they are a projection and not something "real." the thoughts are something that are really about oneself and not the perceived subject. it was a huge obstacle to get past. as it turns out they were my guru. in everyday life if for some reason someone pisses you off or just is there to give directions...they become your guru. i become open to those people and am gratefull for them.
Pattabhi Jois the father of the Ashtanga yoga system is one such person who has been a guru to me in ways that has been beyond my conception of the role of a guru. tradionally, guru's have students and often times spend most of the time together in a teacher/student relationship. this day and age the challenge is met by practical concerns like work and family which prevent that relationship from ever being fully realized. but sometimes it is inevitable.
going on 6 years of continuous practice of yoga in the Ashtanga tradition, Pattabhi Jois would come to town and give a 2 week intensive in which hundreds of yogi's would come and practice and everytime something major would happen in my life. In 2001, it was the 9/11 incident and my mother passing away during his arrival, learned unconditional love: 2002, my knee blowing out during the intensive-learned about being in the moment; in 2003 starting a realtionship with my father after a decade of silence between us, learned forgiveness and compassion: 2004, had a major ATV accident, learned about the preciousness of life: 2005, said goodbye to a person i really loved and learned acceptance.