Sharath Jois, the yoga guru who taught Madonna and Gwyneth Paltrow, dies

Sharath Jois, the Indian-born yoga guru who taught celebrities such as Madonna and Gwyneth Paltrow, has died in the United States at the age of 76.

Jois was a world-renowned teacher of Ashtanga yoga, a physically demanding style of yoga that involves a set series of poses performed in a flowing sequence. He was the founder and director of the Ashtanga Yoga Institute in Mysore, India, and taught thousands of students over the years.

Jois was born in Mysore in 1941 and began practicing yoga at the age of 14. He studied under the legendary yoga teacher Sri K. Pattabhi Jois, who developed the Ashtanga yoga system. In 1991, Jois founded the Ashtanga Yoga Institute in Mysore, which became a mecca for yoga practitioners from around the world.

Jois was known for his strict teaching style and his emphasis on the importance of discipline and practice. He taught that Ashtanga yoga was not just a physical practice, but a spiritual one as well.

Jois's death is a great loss to the yoga community. He was a revered teacher and his teachings have had a profound impact on the lives of many people.

Jois is survived by his wife, Saraswati, and his son, Sharath Jr., who is now the director of the Ashtanga Yoga Institute.