NEW DELHI – Krishna Pattabhi Jois, a yoga teacher and practitioner famous for popularizing Ashtanga yoga in the West, has died. He was 93.
Jois died in the southern Indian city of Mysore on Monday, a press statement from the K. Pattabhi Jois Ashtanga Yoga Institute said.
He was born in Kowshika village in the state of Karnataka in 1915 and began to learn yoga from his teacher T. Krishnamacharya at the age of 12, a biography on his institute’s Web site said.
In 1975, Jois made his first trip abroad to teach Ashtanga yoga in America and over the next quarter-century spread the practice across several countries, the Web site added.

The more intense forms of the ancient Hindu practice of yoga are generally the most popular in the West. These include Ashtanga and Bikram. During Bikram yoga, the studio is heated to over 100 degrees while yogis attempt a series of 26 different poses.
Ashtanga yoga focuses on strength, flexibility and stamina. Well-known practitioners in the West include Madonna and actress Gwyneth Paltrow.
Jois’ funeral took place on Tuesday.
He is survived by son Manju Jois, daughter Saraswathi and grandson Sharath, the Star of Mysore newspaper reported.
Associated Press – May 20, 2009
Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.