Sri K. Pattabhi Jois Ashtanga Yoga Research Institute 2006, 2008 & 2009	Sri R. Sharath Grandson of Sri K. Pattabhi Jois Ashtanga Yoga Research Institute 2010 & 2011
Visited Mysore, India 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 & 2011

I have been very active all my life from childhood. Ice skating on the Hahn River in Korea with my father was one of the first memories of my physical activity. Got frostbite on my pinky toes from it. I tried Aerobics for a while, when I was in my late teens. Didn’t really sweat too much. Got bored with it and quit about a year later. I have skied for over 35 years, locally in Pennsylvania and Colorado, I even went to Europe. I have golfed for about 15 years, at least a few time a week. I made it to 2nd Degree Black Belt in Korean Marshal arts, Tang Soo-Do.

Not even looking into yoga, yoga fell into my lap one day. I had a month long free pass to a yoga class at a local hospital. After only three classes, I knew that I wanted to become a yoga instructor. After asking friends where would be the best places to go to learn yoga, I started searching on the Internet. That’s where I saw Sharath doing jump through from vinyasa and that’s all it took. I wanted to do that kind of yoga. Not knowing anything about yoga, I went to Mysore India for three months, as Pattabhi Jois’s school recommended in January 2005. When I got there, they were closed for about a week for an Indian Holiday. I didn’t want to just sit in my room and wait. So, I went to another Ashtanga school, then another and took private classes in between like a mad woman. Thinking back, I was a mad woman. Doing Ashtanga yoga three time a day? Good thing that I was in good health with twice a day Karate training before I left to go to India. And, I was already a beginner yoga practitioner, otherwise, I would have gotten hurt.

I never got to Pattabhi Jois' school the first year I went to Mysore, India. The following year, 2006, I made sure I went to Pattabhi Jois’ school. In 2007, I tried some other type of yoga in Mysore, India, but went back to Pattabhi Jois’ school in 2008 and every year after that and only Pattabhi Jois’ school. What a difference. It was the real thing… They taught differently there. I knew that’s where I had to continue to go to learn more. I keep going back every single year for two months each time.

In January 11, 2011, Sharath blessed me with an Authorization to Teach Ashtanga yoga. What an honor! I have been practicing only Ashtanga yoga since 2007. No other Masters, only Ashtanga with Sharath as my teacher. No more Karate. Yet, I miss none of them. I am very satisfied with only Ashtanga yoga, 5 to 6 days a week for about 2 hours a day, even on the days when I don't want to practice. Sweat-pouring hard work. I love it.

I heard that one should not have two Masters. This year I heard that “when a patient has two doctors, what happens to a patient? He dies…" Oh, and my pinky toes no longer have purple fat skin and rough toenails. They are perfect in color and nails are smooth and very healthy looking. I wonder about the places where I can’t see, how much healthier I am today due to my diligent practice of Ashtanga yoga. I feel Great! How I feel, that’s all that matters. I can’t wait for tomorrow’s practice. It’ll be hard work, but very rewarding. I am looking forward to visiting Mysore yearly and practicing under my Guru Sharath.

“Where would my life be today without the bottom of my Guru’s feet?”