Gannon and Life are cofounders of the Jivamukti Yoga Center in New York City and coauthors of Jivamukti Yoga: Practices for Liberating Body and Soul and The Art of Yoga. Gannon is an animal rights activist with a background in the performing arts. Life, also an artist, ran the Life Cafe in Manhattan for many years, a hot spot for music, art, and poetry. Both have studied yoga intensively with many masters.
Jivamukti Yoga is a path to enlightenment through compassion for all beings. The Jivamukti Method is grounded in the original meaning of the sanskrit word ‘asana’ as “seat connection” - relationship to the earth. Earth implies all of Life. ~www.JivamuktiYoga.com
I have experienced a tiny slice of Jivamukti Yoga. Before I was setting out to Asheville Yoga Center for my 300 Hour YTT, it was in the syllabus that Jivamukti would be one of the eight (8) yoga styles we would be studying, so I set out to find a class to get preppred. I didn’t want to be completely out of the loop.
I found a class in South St. Louis and lo’ and behold, in that same class was Shannon Hayden, one of the Pose-itively Yoga teachers. She was trying it on for size as well. I enjoyed the class and the flow, but I did not really see how Jivamukti Yoga was any different from any other Vinyasa class I had taken. The teacher did play ‘The Harmonium’ which is an instrument that is also known as a ‘reed organ’ or ‘pump organ’ that is often used in certain yoga classes, workshops, etc. It’s quite possible I just did not know enough at the time to recognize a difference in this style of yoga versus another.
Jivamukti, is a Sanskrit word that means, "liberation while living." Jivamukti was developed by Sharon Gannon and David Life (front cover of the book) and combines a vigorous physical practice with an equally strong foundation in ancient spiritual traditions of Yoga. Its distinctive style combines the physical, psychological, and spiritual aspects of yoga practices into a more modern lifestyle without losing sight of the ancient and universal goal of the practice, which is the ‘liberation’.
The Jivamukti Yoga seeks to provide a sensible and personal experience life philosophy, grounded in ethical rules intended to regulate behavior and guide inner and outer work of the student, which is the original approach to living as a human being.
A Jivamukti Yoga class has a strong physical and spiritual practice that intends to move beyond the limitations that are brought on by the mind and uses - asana, chanting, devotions, mediation and music.
The five elements that form the foundation of each class are:
Ahimsa (non-violence and compassion)
Bhakti (acknowledgement and devotion to God)
Dhyana (meditation, connecting to the eternal unchanging reality within)
Nada (deep listening through chanting, music, silence or the teacher’s voice)
Shastra (studying ancient teachings, including Sanskrit)
Jivamukti Yoga is not without controversy. Instead of writing about the entire scandal, I’ll leave it to you to read about if you are interested. The Jivamukti sexual harassment lawsuit. Here is an excerpt from the article.
“Aspiring teachers at Jivamukti, the downtown Manhattan yoga studio famous for its sweaty, ecstatic classes and celebrity clientele, quickly get used to kissing the feet of founders David Life and Sharon Gannon. “They walk in the room and you learn to get on your hands and knees,” one former Jivamukti teacher tells me. “Everyone’s doing it, a hundred people around you, from the very first day of teacher training,” guru devotion is woven into the studio’s culture. Its teacher training manual lists ways to “keep a teacher precious in your life.” Among them: “Become an extension of your teachers—teach what they teach,” and “Do what they say.” " ~Slate.com