Däs, as he is affectionately known by his students, means servant in Sanskrit. And for almost six decades, Das has devoted his life to the service of others, bringing them together through Yoga.

Born Albert Dawson in 1939, he grew up under the care of his father, a traveling billboard artist. It was during his time as a college student in California that he was introduced to yoga, spurring what would be his first of several pilgrimages to India.

After years of traveling throughout South and East Asia with yogis, sadhus, and holymen, he eventually returned to Oahu in 1975, opening the first yoga center on island.

Returning to India in 1978, he met his guru and manifested his dream of sharing yoga with children into the Happy Child toy. Since then, he has shared the essence of Yoga in 10 countries to thousands of students of all ages.

Now 83, he continues to teach donation-based classes out of the temple he calls home, on the Hawaiian island of Oahu. Beginning every morning well before the sun rises, students from all walks of life are welcomed to class with a familiar gesture: a smile, a prayer, and a bow. Symbols of Däs’ devotion to others, these gestures embody the universal nature of his teachings. And speak to why they resonate with all beings, regardless of race, age, gender or belief system.