Guru: Documentary on Pattabhi Jois

An insightful documentary film about yoga was released this month, in London, England. Guru: A Documentary by Robert Wilkins, was released at a gala premiere on March 5, attended by Sri K. Pattabhi Jois, the founder of the Ashtanga yoga system ("If we practise yoga without fail, we will then attain physical, mental, and spiritual happiness and our minds will flood towards the self.").

The film explores some of the issues of the guru-student relationship. It also covered the 90th birthday celebration of Jois in Mysore, India, where over 500 yogis from around the world descended for the yoga party of the century.

Wilkins, a veteran BBC film producer, discovered the Ashtanga practice himself, and stayed in Mysore to study for several months. He observes that ”The Indians have found an answer in the guru system... Put trust in the guru (once you have found the right one) and he/she will take you on a journey - of transformation – from darkness into light."

The documentary includes intimate footage of Jois and his grandson Sharath Rangaswamy teaching in Mysore, India, in the shala at the AYRI (Ashtanga Yoga Research Institute). It explores the challenge of success as well: how can a yoga system survive with its integrity when it becomes a worldwide phenomenon?