FOLLOW Bruce Springsteen, you get to go to Moncton. Follow Manju Pattabhi Jois, you get to go to Maui.

A rock star in the yoga world, Jois spends four or five months each year travelling the globe, instructing devotees in Ashtanga, a branch of yoga created by his father in India. Possessing strength and suppleness that belies the fact hes about to turn 70, Jois can stand on his head as soon as he gets out of bed in the morning.

For the 22 students that came to Ashtanga Halifax this week from all over the province as well as Montreal, Labrador and Switzerland to learn from him, its an amazing experience.

He is like the source, said Sarah MacKeigan of Halifax, whos been a yoga teacher for seven years.

Ive trained with him twice before, once in Florida and once in Maui, and hes just incredible. Hes not a big man, hes shorter than I am, but physically hes very strong, and energetically hes amazing to be around. You feel better being around him.

Jody Manley, the owner of Ashtanga Halifax and the first Ashtanga teacher in Atlantic Canada, went to Chicago to train with Jois in 2009 and has since followed him to Maui and Berlin. It took her two years to arrange for Jois to make the visit to Nova Scotia where, he said, the people are warmer than the weather.

Manley said having Jois come to Halifax is the pinnacle of her career as a yoga teacher.

When he finally agreed to come, it was an amazing thing to share his teachings with my students, said Manley, whos been an instructor for 15 years.

Manju has really broadened me as a teacher in my own practice, well beyond the physical aspects. He has taught me chanting and breathing exercises, and I feel I am teaching now in a much more traditional way.

Theres so much yoga out there, and so many styles and forms, so to bring that type of teaching to our students at Ashtanga Halifax is an honour for me.

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Yoga master favours Halifax