“Do this practice daily as an offering to the Divine, without ego and without any attachment to result. Have full faith and you will have success.”

 

Jörgen Christiansson is a lifelong student, devoted teacher, and active practitioner of Ashtanga yoga.  He teaches all levels of students, from complete beginners to advanced students and teachers with years of training and experience.  Jorgen considers it a privilege to be able to guide each student along their own path.

Jörgen’s journey began over 4 decades ago in his native country of Sweden, where as a youth, he demonstrated strong interests in yoga philosophy and Vedic traditions.  He began practicing different systems of yoga including Asana, Kriya, Pranayama, Japam, Meditation and explored various Yogic traditions. In his early teens, his mother introduced him to Transcendental Meditation, and later, he immersed himself in Paramahansa Yogananda’s Kriya lessons. 

In his teens, Jörgen began traveling extensively, and at 19, his curiosity took him to the Indian subcontinent.  From Kanyakumari to Kashmir, he studied various forms of yoga at several ashrams. Under the tutelage of different teachers, he delved into the various aspects of yoga, including Pranayama in Varanasi, Bhakti Yoga with the Vaishnavas in Vrindavan, Sivananda Yoga at the Neyardham ashram in Kerala, Rishikesh, and the Bihar School of Yoga method, amongst others.  He also studied with renown teachers, Aadil and Jehangir Palkhivala (who also remain his close personal friends), and developed a strong foundation and understanding of Iyengar Yoga.

In 1987, Jörgen first began practicing Ashtanga Yoga taking daily classes at the then-new Yoga Works in Santa Monica with Chuck Miller, his first Ashtanga Teacher.  He connected immediately to the practice and within one year, he ventured to Mysore, India to study with  "Guruji" Sri. K. Pattabhi Jois, who would become Jörgen’s Teacher.  After observing Jörgen's abilities, and recognizing his sincerity and devotion to the practice, Guruji gave his blessings and authorized him to teach the Ashtanga Yoga Method. Jörgen later also received the prestigious Certification from KPJAYI. 

A lifelong and devoted student himself, Jörgen continued practicing with Guruji until his passing until 2009, and also with his daughter, Saraswathi Rangaswamy and grandson, Sharath Jois. 

​

Teaching Background

In the early 90’s, Jörgen spent a year in his hometown of Malmö where he opened and ran the first Mysore program in Sweden. He returned to California and taught at Yoga Works Santa Monica, and later at Yoga Nemo in West Hollywood, LA Yoga in Westwood, Yogis Anonymous in Santa Monica, Brentwood Yoga and MahaYoga in Brentwood. 

From 1999-2005, Jörgen taught both morning and afternoon Mysore classes. During this period, he was also the daily personal yoga teacher to Madonna for six years. including going with her on 3 world tours. He was also hired by Julia Roberts and was on set during the filming of “Erin Brockovitch”. He was the  private teacher to Sting and Trudie, Robert Downey, Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Tobey Maguire, Gwen Stefani, Regina Hall, and several  others. In addition to this, he taught 3 times a week at a Malibu Substance Rehab/Recovery Center working with people with addictions. 

On Diwali, November 5th, 2010, Jörgen founded Omkar108 Yoga in Culver City, California. He successfully ran a Mysore program along with other classes for another 10 years there until the COVID lockdown in 2020.  Quick thinking, Jörgen immediately took to teaching live on ZOOM  from the onset of the lockdown, supporting, encouraging and guiding students everyday. As weeks turned into months, daily yoga practice live via Zoom continued and the classes went beyond just Mysore. He added alternative yoga classes (Hatha based) for the non-Ashtanga students, and Donation/Community-Based classes.

Today, as some studios try to reopen, Jörgen continues to teach online. The community is global and reside in different time zones, and live all over the world.  He continues teaching daily, the Mysore program, as well as led classes (Ashtanga and Hatha). So no matter where he is, or his students are in the world, students can always practice with him online. 

​

Student-Centered Approach

Jörgen incorporates his experience and wisdom in his teaching and applies what is necessary to the student regardless of background. He has a unique ability to sense each student’s limits and abilities, and has been noted as a very intuitive teacher.  Besides alignment and Vinyasa, Jörgen emphasizes correct breathing, consistency, and attitude in the practice. With his inspiring attitude and positive nature, he keenly guides students to break through old patterns and fears, to find freedom and growth in their yoga practice, and in life.