The yoga community mourns the loss of Maty Ezraty, an influential teacher and founder of YogaWorks. According to yogi David Kim, Ezraty died unexpectedly in Tokyo Japan at age 55.
Ezraty’s cause of death has not been confirmed.
In a tribute to Ezraty’s life work, David Kim in part stated the following in a statement on Instagram.
“Maty was a sharp-eyed, incisive teacher who cut through the faux-spirituality that too often afflicts what is a profound practice of seeing clearly at every level. Not everyone agreed with her methodology, but she had the vision and dedication to build a yoga school that made yoga accessible to so many people, taking it from the hippie fringe into mainstream America.”
Maty began practicing yoga in her 20’s and studied under several teachers, most notably Dona Holleman, Gabriella Giubilaro and Pattabhi Jois. Maty began teaching yoga in 1985 and founded YogaWorks in 1987, which offers different styles of yoga, such as Iyengar and Ashtanga.
The 55-year-old is considered a pioneer in yoga and sold YogaWorks in 2004. However, she continued to teach yoga around the world.
Several tributes have poured in following the sudden death of Maty Ezraty as her fans all around the world celebrate her accomplishments.
Tonight I learned that #matyezraty has passed away. I am devastated and shocked and I wanted to tell all my friends in case they haven’t heard or read the sorrowful news. I loved her. #mentor #teacher #friend #loss #toosoon #waytoosoon https://t.co/VbuMfJ8GVy pic.twitter.com/j7uiE5Znnb
— Sarah Bell Yoga (@SarahBellYoga) July 10, 2019
Thank you so much #matyezraty for all your teachings & for sharing so much of yourself! May your spirit be forever free! ❤️❤️❤️ #yoga pic.twitter.com/A5MRTP65h4
— Warrioryogabee (@warrioryogabee) July 10, 2019
We are deeply saddened by the sudden passing of Maty Ezraty. Maty was a friend to, colleague of, and leader for many of us at Yoga Alliance and across the global yoga community. pic.twitter.com/LLERDOpSUK
— Yoga Alliance (@YogaAlliance) July 10, 2019
Maty Ezraty’s death was unexpected as she was scheduled to hold a workshop in China and Singapore later this month. Ezraty is remembered for her impact in the yoga community and her dedicated, passionate and influential teachings.