Tim Miller

Tim Miller holds the historic distinction of being the first American certified to teach Ashtanga Yoga by Sri K. Pattabhi Jois. Born in 1951, Tim had been practicing yoga for only eight months when he met Guruji in Encinitas, California, in 1978—a meeting that would change the course of his life and help establish Ashtanga as a major force in Western yoga. Tim traveled to Mysore, India, to study intensively with Pattabhi Jois, receiving his certification at the Ashtanga Yoga Research Institute. In 1981, he founded the Ashtanga Yoga Center in Carlsbad, California—one of the oldest continuously operating Ashtanga shalas in America—where he has directed and taught for over four decades. Encinitas and Carlsbad hold the distinction of being the American birthplace of Ashtanga Yoga, and Tim has been at the center of this community since the beginning. When David Williams first brought Ashtanga to California in the early 1970s and sponsored Pattabhi Jois's first American visit in 1975, the seeds were planted that Tim would help grow into a flourishing tradition. Tim's teaching is characterized by his thorough knowledge of the system, which he imparts in a dynamic yet compassionate and playful manner. He believes that "yoga is not about touching your toes, it's about what you learn on the way down." His warmth and humor make the demanding practice feel inviting rather than intimidating. As a living link to the earliest days of Ashtanga in America, Tim Miller represents the unbroken transmission of this sacred practice from India to the West. His nearly fifty years of dedicated teaching have helped shape generations of practitioners and teachers.