r/ashtanga
Who are the leading figures in Ashtanga rn?
This is Ashtanga Yoga Tech Support. Real questions from the yoga community, answered.
The Question
I've basically stopped going to a studio post-COVID cuz the scene in my city shattered. I also don't spend much time on Instagram. But I do wonder if there have been new leaders that have emerged that sort of command a bigger audience than just their IRL shala's. Or figures that aren't Kino, etc. (ie, new leaders that have emerged to meet the moment where the older crowd has failed). Or maybe people that take an orthodox line that have replaced Sharath as a sort of unifying figur…
— via r/ashtanga
Our Response
Short answer: no.
There's no new guru. No replacement. And honestly? Good.
The lineage fragmented when Sharath died. That's just what happened. Some teachers are holding orthodox lines in their own shalas. Others are adapting. Nobody's unifying anything right now.
Here's what I'll say: stop looking for a figurehead. You don't need one.
If you're practicing at home, you've already got what matters. Your mat. Your breath. The sequence.
If you want community, look local. Small groups. Teachers who actually teach, not perform.
Instagram isn't where this practice lives. It never was.
The study guide on Mysore practice talks about this — how to build your home practice when you don't have daily access to a teacher. Check that out.
But the big thing? Let go of needing someone to tell you it's all okay. The practice is the authority. Not a person.
[END – 1:30]
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