Larry Schultz was an American yoga teacher who was a long-time student of the founder of Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga, K. Pattabhi Jois. Schultz is primarily recognized as the creator of Rocket Yoga, a style derived from Jois's, which contributed to one of the forms of Power Yoga.
Early life
Schultz lived in Austin, Texas in the late 1970s and early 1980s, working as an insurance salesman. His first encounter with yoga was at age 29 when in the Caribbean he met Cliff Barber who was practising Ashtanga Yoga's advanced 4th series outdoors. Although Barber was older, Schultz was impressed by Barber's fitness. Schultz met K. Pattabhi Jois in 1982 during a yoga workshop hosted by Stan Hafner, and studied under Jois for the next 7 years in India and the USA.
In 1989 Schultz returned to San Francisco and started to teach Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga from his home. Schultz believed that all students should get access to all poses, which was in conflict with Jois's Mysore style, in which teachers were authorized to give a student a new pose to practice only after the teacher felt the student had mastered the previous one. Schultz instead taught a modified version of Ashtanga Yoga in which each of his classes incorporated poses from all 3 of the traditional Ashtanga Series with all students welcome to try all poses; this gained Schultz the nickname "The Bad Man of Ashtanga Yoga". Schultz gave priority to opening the joints to reduce the risk of injury when stretching muscles.
In the mid 1990s Schultz traveled on tour with the Grateful Dead as the band's personal yoga teacher until Jerry Garcia died. In an interview in a Deadhead magazine, Phil Lesh credits Ashtanga with having a real effect on the music this tour and giving him personally a new feeling of centeredness. Says Lesh, "This has opened a whole new world for me." It was Weir who encouraged Schultz to write his first book on yoga, Ashtanga Yoga As Taught by Shri K. Pattabhi Jois.
In 1991 Schultz founded It's Yoga at 848 Folsom Street in San Francisco. At It's Yoga he created a promotional package called "90 days for 90 dollars." At the time yoga was mostly practised by small groups in homes: Schultz's studio pioneered the concept of teaching yoga in health clubs. It's Yoga on Folsom Street attracted celebrities such as San Francisco 49ers players and Christy Turlington. In 2002 It's Yoga moved downstairs to a larger space in the same building at 848 Folsom street. Schultz's notoriety in the South of Market, San Francisco area led him gain a second nickname, "The Mayor of Folsom Street."
Rocketman
Schultz became known for creating The Rocket series, which takes poses from the first, second and third series of Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga and resequences them around the joints of the body. Some consider The ROCKET sequences to be the origin of Power Yoga. Schultz said of his teaching philosophy:
Later years
In 2009 It's Yoga San Francisco closed. In these final years Schultz and his partner Marie Russel focused on their global 200-hour Rocket Yoga teacher training program, which graduated more than 5000 students, including many who became well-known yoga teachers, at 15 yoga studios. He was known for "his signature mix of humor and discipline, generosity and firmness—and above all, kindness".
Schultz is recognized as one of the creators of Power Yoga. Schultz left behind a global network of yoga studios operating under his brand, It's Yoga, and teaching his Rocket Yoga.
