Happy birthday, Dharmaji!

Image credit: Yantar Yoga

Sri Dharma Mittra is a very special person. Originally from Brazil, he started studying Yoga in 1958 and moved to New York City in 1967 to study with his guru Yogi Gupta. Then in 1975 he founded the Dharma Yoga Center where he teaches until this day. Known for his Master Yoga Chart of 908 Postures (asanas) he photographed himself in, and for his signature unsupported headstand (niralamba sirsasana), Dharma is a yogi in a classical sense of the word: someone who truly dedicated his life to the practice in all its dimensions. At the same time, he is so deeply human and relatable that he couldn’t be farther from the negative stereotype of a guru as some aloof sage prone to personality cult. Instead, he fulfills the true definition of a guru, which means “from darkness to light” - the syllable 'gu' stands for darkness and 'ru' for light. Dharma has this unique gift of bringing illuminating radiance and warmth to all those around him.

I first came across Dharma’s teachings in my YTT reading his Dharma Yoga Life of a Yogi Teachers’ Manual. During COVID I took advantage of the Center’s online class offering, but it wasn’t until recently that I finally took a trip to New York and met Dharma in person. On May 14, he celebrated his 83rd birthday and later that month the Center held a celebratory Maha Sadhana - The Great Practice - a yoga gathering that’s spiritual, physical, and purely fun where we practiced asana, pranayama, deep relaxation (Yoga Nidra), chanting, and satsang (spiritual knowledge/ discourse) together. I’d done it online before but in person it was just at a whole another level! To hear Dharma’s words directly and practice with him all 8 limbs of yoga was an amazing experience. And God bless him, at 83 he is in a better physical shape than I ever have been (or ever will be) and his playful attitude permeates the practice. The celebration ended with a vegan birthday cake and lots of joy.

Happy birthday, Dharmaji, you’re such a gift!