Sharon Gannon

🕊️ The Divine Wildness of Sharon Gannon

A meditation on yoga, art, and radical compassion

There is something about Sharon Gannon that refuses to be flattened into a single word. Yogini. Activist. Artist. Mystic. Vegan punk priestess. All true, and yet none of it quite captures the trembling electricity her presence conjures.

I didn’t come to Sharon through a yoga mat.

I came through poetry—sharp, untamed, haunted by cows and saints, breathing with Sanskrit, smelling faintly of incense and revolution. Her words didn’t feel like “writing” in the conventional sense. They felt like invocations. Like spells. Like the sound a tree makes when it breaks in half and still stands.

A Path with Teeth

Sharon co-founded Jivamukti Yoga, a spiritual path that merges rigorous physical practice with devotional worship, animal rights, music, and radical nonviolence.

It’s yoga with teeth.

Yoga with tears.

Yoga that demands you wake up.

In a world that often dilutes ancient wisdom into Instagram poses and athletic elitism, Sharon insists on truth. Truth as vibration. Truth as justice. Truth as daily practice. She reminds us that yoga is not about transcendence or retreat—but about radical return. To the earth. To others. To the responsibility of being alive and awake.

Veganism as Dharma

Her veganism is not a lifestyle. It’s a lineage.

For Sharon, kindness is not optional—it’s holy. To extend compassion beyond the human species is not some lofty ideal. It’s a spiritual necessity. A form of yoga in itself. A practice of ahimsa—non-harming—not just in theory, but on the plate, in the store, in the heart.

Art, Devotion, and the Body

I see Sharon in the lineage of sacred women who blur boundaries—Hildegard of Bingen, Audre Lorde, Ana Mendieta. Women who refused to compartmentalize their art from their politics, or their bodies from their spirit.

Sharon, like them, works in collage. In chant. In sacred provocation.

When I hear her teachings or practice with her recordings, I’m reminded that the body is not the obstacle to liberation. It is the doorway. It’s where we pray, where we grieve, where we return.

Toward Collective Liberation

This post is a small bow to Sharon Gannon:

To her divine irreverence.

To her animal tenderness.

To her relentless belief that liberation must be collective, or it is not liberation at all.

She reminds us that yoga isn’t about performance—it’s about presence.

And love—always—as the real yoga.

🕉️🩶

Sharon Gannon’s Books

1. Jivamukti Yoga: Practices for Liberating Body and Soul-Co-authored with David Life, this foundational book outlines the Jivamukti Yoga method, integrating physical postures with spiritual teachings, music, and activism.
2. The Art of Yoga-Also co-authored with David Life, this visually rich book explores the artistic and spiritual dimensions of yoga practice, featuring photography by Martin Brading.
3. Yoga and Vegetarianism: The Diet of Enlightenment-Gannon delves into the ethical and spiritual reasons for adopting a vegetarian lifestyle, linking it to the principles of yoga.
4. Yoga Assists: A Complete Visual and Inspirational Guide to Yoga Asana Assists-This guide provides detailed instructions on assisting students in yoga poses, emphasizing safety and alignment.
5. Simple Recipes for Joy: More Than 200 Delicious Vegan Recipes-A comprehensive cookbook offering a variety of plant-based recipes that align with Gannon's philosophy of compassionate living.
6. The Magic Ten and Beyond: Daily Spiritual Practice for Greater Peace and Well-Being-Gannon presents a simple daily spiritual practice combining yoga poses, meditation, and blessings to cultivate inner peace.
7. Eternity Is Happening Now: Volume One & Two-A two-volume collection of essays and stories reflecting on interconnectedness, consciousness, and the human experience.
8. Magic Is A Shift In Perception: Poems 1972–2019 – A Memoir of Sorts-A compilation of poems spanning decades, offering insights into Gannon's personal and spiritual journey.
9. Cats and Dogs Are People Too!-A children's book promoting compassion and empathy for animals, reflecting Gannon's advocacy for animal rights.
10. The Art of Norahs Nepas-A lesser-known work, showcasing Gannon's artistic expression and storytelling.