#225 Grief as a Teacher: Remembering SharathJi

Grief is a powerful teacher. It doesn't ask for permission before it arrives—it simply comes, dismantling everything we thought we knew about love, faith, and permanence. It turns the familiar inside out, leaving us raw and exposed to the mystery of loss. In this heartfelt episode, Kino MacGregor, Tim Feldmann, Joseph Armstrong, Edgar Navarro, Frances Cole Jones, Heather Serna, and many others come together to share stories, memories, and reflections about SharathJi; their teacher, guide, and spiritual anchor. Together, they explore how grief becomes part of the path, how lineage continues through love and practice, and how the teachings live on even when the teacher is gone. As Elizabeth Kübler-Ross and David Kessler remind us, "The reality is that you will grieve forever. You will not 'get over' the loss of a loved one; you will learn to live with it. You will heal and you will rebuild yourself around the loss you have suffered. You will be whole again, but you will never be the same. Nor should you be the same, nor would you want to." SharathJi's sudden departure left a void that words can't fill. When we lost our teacher, we also lost the reflection of who we were in his eyes. There was a certain refuge in being a student, the comfort of knowing that someone stood before us as a mirror, a guide, a guardian of our path. Now, that mirror asks us to see ourselves. The guidance turns inward. "SharathJi, there's so much left undone, so much left unfinished," Kino reflects. "So many questions we still wanted to ask, so many mornings we thought we'd share in the quiet rhythm of practice. We will have to walk on, sometimes and often along a lonely path, without you standing before us, but always with you in our hearts." Through shared stories and moments of remembrance, this episode is both a eulogy and an offering, a testament to the lasting presence of a teacher whose spirit continues to live through every breath, every bow, every act of devotion.

Yoga has never been a path of withdrawal from the world. It is a path of learning how to stand within it without losing clarity. In this episode, we explore the yogic concept of viveka, the capacity to see clearly and discern what is essential from what is transient. Drawing from the Yoga Sūtra, the Bhagavad Gītā, and traditional teachings, we look at how viveka-khyāti, steady and luminous discernment, allows practitioners to act in the world without becoming overwhelmed by it. Through the stories of Arjuna and Virabhadra, this conversation explores how clarity is restored in moments of confusion and how powerful action can arise without hatred, reactivity, or collapse. Yoga teaches that ethical action begins with perception. When the mind becomes steady through practice, discernment naturally emerges. In a world that rewards outrage and confusion, the cultivation of viveka-khyāti becomes a radical and necessary practice. If you want to go deeper into the study and practice of yoga, explore the full library of classes, philosophy, and courses available on Omstars, the practice platform created by Kino MacGregor. From daily yoga classes to in-depth workshops and trainings, Omstars is designed to support practitioners at every stage of the path. Share this episode with a teacher, studio owner, or mentor who would benefit from the conversation. Start your practice at Omstars.com.

Episode Description In this conversation, Kino sits down with Dr. Raj Balkaran to explore the deeper dimensions of yoga practice beyond physical postures. Together they discuss mythology, meaning, and the role of story in shaping how we understand and embody yoga. Dr. Balkaran shares the origins of The Stories Behind the Poses and explains how myth functions as a living teaching tool rather than symbolic decoration. Through stories of Ganesha, Kurmasana, Hanumanasana, and the churning of the cosmic ocean, he reveals how yoga practice is fundamentally about removing ignorance, cultivating wisdom, and learning to meet difficulty with clarity rather than force. The discussion moves through themes of inner transformation, the role of the teacher student relationship, the subtle and gross bodies, and why yoga continues to work on us even when we believe we are only practicing for physical reasons. This episode invites listeners to consider yoga as a lifelong inward journey, where practice becomes a way of refining perception, deepening responsibility, and remembering our connection to something much larger than ourselves. Topics Covered Yoga as inner practice rather than performance Mythology as a teaching tool in yoga The story of Ganesha and the true meaning of obstacles Poison, difficulty, and transformation in practice Kurmasana and the still point within chaos Physical and subtle dimensions of yoga Teacher student relationships and authentic transmission Yoga as a lifelong journey rather than a destination About the Guest Dr. Raj Balkaran is a scholar of Sanskrit narrative literature, Hindu mythology, and yogic philosophy. He is the author of The Stories Behind the Poses and teaches internationally through courses, lectures, and retreats, bridging academic scholarship with lived spiritual practice. Practice with Kino on Omstars Continue the conversation on the mat. Omstars is Kino's online yoga platform, offering thousands of classes, workshops, and in-depth courses designed to support a sustainable, lifelong practice. Members can explore teaching, philosophy, strength, mobility, and mindful movement from anywhere in the world. Share this episode with a teacher, studio owner, or mentor who would benefit from the conversation.

In this episode of The Yoga Inspiration Podcast, Kino MacGregor sits down with hospital chaplain, writer, and grief expert J.S. Park for a deeply grounding conversation about grief, presence, and what it means to live with an open heart in a world that can feel overwhelming. They explore why grief is not something to fix or overcome, but something to honor, carry, and let transform over time. Kino reflects on communal grief in the Ashtanga world after the loss of a spiritual teacher, and J.S. offers compassionate insight into why we reach for solutions, why closure can be a myth, and how grief changes shape rather than disappearing. Together they talk about treasured objects and rituals as anchors when words fail, the ways spirituality and community can either support or collapse under real-world suffering, and how spiritual practice must include our shared humanity and collective responsibility. J.S. also shares his path from atheism toward faith through witnessing love in community, and they unpack the tension between the teachings of Jesus and the harm done in the name of religion. This episode is for anyone holding loss, navigating a crisis of faith, feeling exhausted by "move on" culture, or looking for a spiritual practice that helps you show up with tenderness and integrity. Guest: J.S. Park is a hospital chaplain, writer, and grief educator. He is the author of As Long As You Need: Permission to Grieve. Topics covered • Grief as something to honor, not solve • Why "closure" is not the goal and grief changes shape • Grieving the dream, not just the person • Treasured objects and ritual as grief anchors • When words fail and the role of art, music, and practice • Faith crises and spiritual seasons • From atheism to faith through love and community • Spiritual practice, justice, and resisting dehumanization • Boundaries, self care, and what actually sustains us • Mortality as an invitation to live more tenderly, now Resources As Long As You Need: Permission to Grieve by J.S. Park Practice with Kino on Omstars Continue the conversation on the mat. Omstars is Kino's online yoga platform, offering thousands of classes, workshops, and in-depth courses designed to support a sustainable, lifelong practice. Members can explore teaching, philosophy, strength, mobility, and mindful movement from anywhere in the world. Share this episode with a teacher, studio owner, or mentor who would benefit from the conversation.

In this episode of the Yoga Inspiration Podcast, Kino MacGregor is joined by Andrew Tanner, yoga teacher of over 20 years, founder of the American Yoga Council and the Berkshire Yoga Festival, and author of So You Want to Open a Yoga Studio. Together they explore what it truly means to be a yogipreneur and how to build a sustainable livelihood in yoga without losing the heart of the practice. Andrew shares why service is the foundation of meaningful work, why the yoga industry has shifted in recent years, and what many teachers and studio owners are navigating right now. A central focus of the conversation is the vision behind the American Yoga Council, including competency-based standards, lineage-respecting accreditation, mentorship pathways, and accountability structures designed to better support teachers, schools, and the future of yoga. This episode is a thoughtful, honest discussion for anyone who teaches yoga, runs a studio, mentors students, or cares deeply about the integrity and evolution of the yoga community. In this episode, you'll hear about: What "yogipreneur" really means in today's yoga landscape Why service is the spark behind sustainable yoga businesses How and why the yoga industry has changed since 2017 The limitations of traditional accreditation models The vision and mission of the American Yoga Council Competency-based standards and lineage transparency Mentorship, accountability, and trust in yoga education Supporting teachers and schools without forcing one-size-fits-all systems Practice with Kino on Omstars Continue the conversation on the mat. Omstars is Kino's online yoga platform, offering thousands of classes, workshops, and in-depth courses designed to support a sustainable, lifelong practice. Members can explore teaching, philosophy, strength, mobility, and mindful movement from anywhere in the world. About the Guest Andrew Tanner is a yoga teacher of over 20 years, founder of the American Yoga Council and the Berkshire Yoga Festival, and author of So You Want to Open a Yoga Studio. He has owned and sold multiple yoga studios and is dedicated to creating ethical, transparent systems that support yoga teachers, schools, and lineages. Listen, Reflect, and Share If this episode resonates with you, consider joining the Omstars community to deepen your practice with Kino and explore yoga as a path of study, movement, and self-inquiry. Share this episode with a teacher, studio owner, or mentor who would benefit from the conversation.

In this episode of the Yoga Inspiration Podcast, I sit down with astrologer and teacher Gahl Sasson for a thoughtful conversation on cycles, change, and finding meaning during times of transition. Together we explore how astrology and yoga intersect as tools for self awareness, timing, and personal growth. Gahl shares insights into understanding cycles of challenge and opportunity, the importance of perspective during uncertain times, and how spiritual practices can help ground us when life feels overwhelming. This conversation offers practical wisdom for anyone navigating change, seeking clarity, or wanting to deepen their relationship with practice as a source of stability and insight. What You'll Learn in This Episode • How astrology can be used as a tool for self reflection rather than prediction • Understanding life cycles and why periods of difficulty often precede growth • The relationship between yoga practice and navigating personal transitions • How awareness and timing can support wiser decision making • Finding meaning, resilience, and perspective during uncertain times • Using spiritual tools to stay grounded while embracing change As this conversation reminds us, timing matters. When we understand the cycles we are moving through, we can meet them with intention rather than force. If you're feeling called to begin the new year with greater awareness and consistency, the January 30 Day Flexibility Challenge on Omstars offers a supportive way to do just that. Through just 20 minutes a day of guided practice, you can align your body and mind with the rhythms of change and start the year grounded, steady, and connected.  https://omstars.com/courses/30-day-flexibility-journey-with-kino-macgregor



This episode is a reflection on a year marked by grief, loss, and profound inner reckoning. I share openly about the death of my teacher, the unraveling of relationships I once trusted, and the disorienting experience of being misunderstood, judged, and rejected in ways I did not expect. What began as a single loss rippled outward, touching every area of my life. Along the way, I was forced to confront painful truths about friendship, projection, and the limits of compassion when others are committed to misunderstanding you. Through it all, one thing remained steady: practice. Yoga has never been performance or achievement for me. It is where effort becomes prayer, where breath becomes an offering, and where I reconnect with something deeper than circumstance. Practice did not erase the pain of this year, but it gave me the strength to keep standing inside it. In this episode, I explore: Grief as a force that reshapes identity, relationships, and belief The difference between honest feedback and cruelty rooted in unprocessed pain Why some people react with hostility to joy, light, and devotion The limits of persuasion when someone has decided who you are in their story How social media amplifies judgment, outrage, and division Why tending the "garden of the heart" is the only real work we can do Falling and rising in practice as training for resilience in life Strength as the courage to keep the heart open rather than shutting down The power of speech, intention, and conscious listening Community as imperfect, fractured, and still sacred Why yoga remains unbroken even when people and institutions feel divided I also reflect on the teachings that continue to guide me, including the idea that the true practitioner remains steady in praise and blame, friend and foe. I am not there yet. The words still sting. The grief still enters. But I am learning what strength actually means. This episode is an offering to anyone who has felt shaken, misunderstood, or tempted to dim their light in order to belong. It is a reminder that joy and sorrow can coexist, that devotion does not require approval, and that the practice lives on through sincere breath, effort, and presence. As long as yoga is practiced with honesty, the lineage has a future. And within that future, there is light. Continue the Practice If you are looking for a steady place to practice, I invite you to join me on Omstars for the January 30 Day Flexibility Challenge. In just 20 minutes a day, we return to breath, movement, and consistency as a way to build strength, flexibility, and resilience on and off the mat. Omstars members can join the challenge at no additional cost. If you are new, you can sign up for the Omstars email list and try the first three days of the challenge free. https://omstars.com/courses/30-day-flexibility-journey-with-kino-macgregor

In this episode, Kino speaks with trauma-informed yoga educator and activist Terri Cooper to explore the deep connection between yoga and healing. What is trauma, really? Is yoga inherently trauma-sensitive? And how can teachers and students use yoga to navigate emotional activation and create space for true transformation? Terri shares her insights from years of work with Connection Coalition, a nonprofit bringing trauma-informed yoga to youth in underserved communities. You'll also learn accessible tools for emotional regulation, why healing is essential for anyone who teaches, and what society gets wrong about trauma.   Listen in to discover how yoga can become a path of profound presence, self-inquiry, and collective healing.   Resources & Links:   The Connection Course on Omstars Connection Coalition Practice LIVE with me exclusively on Omstars! Start your journey today with a 7-day trial at omstars.com. Stay connected with us on social @omstarsofficial and @kinoyoga Practice with me in person for workshops, classes, retreats, trainings and Mysore seasons. Find out more about where I'm teaching at kinoyoga.com and sign up for our Mysore season in Miami at www.miamilifecenter.com.

Each year, under the bright full moon of Guru Purnima, yoga practitioners and seekers around the world pause to honor the timeless presence of the Guru, the teacher who removes darkness and reveals the light that has always been within us. This was written in July 2025, the first Guru Purnima Day, after Sharath Jois passed.  Our hearts were still heavy with grief and we contemplated what it truly means to walk in the light of the Guru? In the ancient yoga tradition, the Guru is far more than just a transmitter of techniques or philosophy. The Guru is the living embodiment of wisdom, a steady flame passed from teacher to student, generation after generation. The Guru: Not Just a Teacher, but a Living Embodiment Our ancient texts speak clearly about this. The Mundaka Upanishad (1.2.12) tells us: तद्विज्ञानार्थं स गुरुमेवाभिगच्छेत समित्पाणिः श्रोत्रियं ब्रह्मनिष्ठम् ॥ Tad-vijnanartham sa gurum evabhigacchet Samit-panih srotriyam brahma-nishtham "To realize that Supreme Knowledge, one must approach a Guru alone, carrying fuel in hand, who is learned in the scriptures (srotriya) and firmly established in Brahman (brahma-nistha)." These two qualities, srotriya and brahma-nistha, reveal the heart of the true Guru. Srotriya (श्रोत्रिय) comes from sruti (श्रुति), meaning "that which is heard," the revealed wisdom of the Vedas and Upanishads. Etymologically, sru means to hear and -triya means possessor of. A srotriya is one who has fully mastered the sacred teachings, the outer mastery of scripture, tradition, and precise method. Brahma-nistha (ब्रह्मनिष्ठ) brings us deeper still. Brahman is the undivided reality, the ultimate truth. Nistha means "firmly established," from nis (down, firm) and stha (to stand). A brahma-nistha is one who stands unshakably rooted in the living truth of Brahman. This is the inner realization that breathes life into the outer knowledge. Together, they remind us: Without srotriya, the teaching drifts. Without brahma-nistha, the teaching is lifeless. How the Guru Lives in Our Lineage In the Ashtanga Yoga tradition, we have seen these qualities alive in the teachers who came before us. Sri T. Krishnamacharya was a true a srotriya and brahma-nistha, deeply rooted in Sanskrit, the Vedas, and the subtle method of yoga: his whole life was devoted to the practice. His student, K. Pattabhi Jois was my teacher and he dedicated his life to teaching. While K. Pattabhi Jois' scholarship as a Sanskrit Vidwan was widely recognized, he unfortunately did not fulfill the role of a perfect endowment of the teachings due to the harm done to female students at his hands. Ashtanga Yoga still seeks to account for those actions.  Sharath Jois, K. Pattabhi Jois' grandson, embodied the living thread of the practice with all his heart and sought to steady the lineage and make space for healing. His srotriya shined through in the precise count, the unwavering discipline, the commitment to preserve the parampara, the unbroken lineage. But what touched people most was his brahma-nistha: the quiet steadiness, the humility, the simple, living truth that shows through his presence and service to this path. Both of my Ashtanga teachers are gone now. To me, they will always be a light on the path. I still sit with much grief, sorrow and loss about their passing.  A yoga Guru is a yoga master teacher, not necessarily a spiritual embodiment. The word Guru has many levels and my teachers cultivated a light in me that continues to shine today. I would not be who I am today without them both. A true Guru (or teacher) does not make you a follower. A true Guru (or teacher) shows you how to find the light that has always been yours. The Guru Cultivates the Inner Flame As Patanjali reminds us in the Yoga Sutra (1.20): श्रद्धावीर्यस्मृतिसमाधिप्रज्ञापूर्वक इतरेषाम् ॥ १.२० ॥ Sraddha-virya-smrti-samadhi-prajna-purvaka itaresam "For others, samadhi comes through faith (sraddha), vigor (virya), remembrance (smrti), deep absorption (samadhi), and wisdom (prajna)." These qualities are the hidden garden the Guru, our teacher, nourishes in us: Sraddha: faith, the quiet trust that steadies us when doubt arises. Virya: courageous effort, the strength to keep going. Smrti: remembrance of who we really are and why we practice. Samadhi: deep absorption, the merging of mind, breath, and heart. Prajna: clear insight, the wisdom that sees through illusion. The outer Guru lights this lamp. The inner Guru, which is our own guidance and light, keeps it burning. A Prayer on Guru Purnima When we bow on Guru Purnima, we do not bow only to a person, we bow to the entire living thread that connects us to truth: our teachers, our daily practice, our inner wisdom. May our lives be our offering back, our sraddha, our virya, our willingness to stand firm in the truth when the world wavers. May we carry this flame forward, bright and steady, for all those who will come after us, seeking the same light that our Gurus kept alive for us. ॐ श्रीगुरुभ्यो नमः। Pranam to all Gurus, visible and invisible, past, present, and yet to come. May Guru Purnima remind us all that the Guru is not far away. The true Guru lives in daily breath, sincere effort, and the quiet voice inside that whispers, keep going. May we keep this light alive, together.

In a world where information is always within reach, it's tempting to believe we no longer need teachers. With a few clicks, we can access ancient texts, videos, and tutorials on nearly any aspect of yoga. But there's something that the internet cannot give you: transmission. Yoga is not simply learned; it is received. And it is only in relationship that this sacred transmission occurs. Our role as yoga teachers is not to entertain or perform. We are not here to serve up a random collection of poses or stories. Our job is to teach yoga to you, to help you understand the significance of the method. Especially in Ashtanga Yoga, where lineage matters and precision holds meaning, we offer a comprehensive system, not a fragmented sampler. What we offer is not just technique; it is a way of being. And that way of being is passed down through a living thread. To understand the teacher-student relationship in yoga, we must return to its roots, in the Sanskrit tradition, in the oral teachings of the Upaniṣads, and even in the deep etymology of the words we use in English. Practice LIVE with me exclusively on Omstars! Start your journey today with a 7-day trial at omstars.com. Stay connected with us on social @omstarsofficial and @kinoyoga Practice with me in person for workshops, classes, retreats, trainings and Mysore seasons. Find out more about where I'm teaching at kinoyoga.com and sign up for our Mysore season in Miami at www.miamilifecenter.com.