See also the other class descriptions: Ashtanga
- Iyengar - Vinyasa
Flow - Meditation - Ashtanga
Moon Days
What is Mysore-style Ashtanga Yoga?
The first thing to strike you when you walk into a Mysore-style Ashtanga
yoga class is that it seems like total chaos. Here's one student doing
a headstand in the corner, while another is coming into the triangle
posture and a third is struggling to balance on her arms.
What is going on here? If you stay a while and watch closely, you start
to notice a pattern emerging. Everyone seems to be on a path, following
a precise choreography. Also, compared to other yoga classes, the silence
is striking. Occasionally the teacher will whisper something to a student,
but the dominant sound is the collective breath. You'll notice the teacher
move swiftly from student to student, giving adjustments as appropriate.
Here's a poem describing
Mysore-Style classes:
In Mysore-style Ashtanga yoga
Postures are given
One by one
By the teacher
In charge.
In Mysore-style Ashtanga yoga
Mysore is a city in the south of India (see map)
where Ashtanga yoga has been taught by Sri
K. Pattabhi Jois since the 1930's. This traditional style of Mysore
has students learn postures in a fixed order using a
special movement-breathing technique called vinyasa. The vinyasa
links the postures together in the dance of the breath.
Postures are given
Each student is given their practice according to their ability. Since
each posture is designed to prepare you for the rest of the series, beginners
tend to have a much shorter practice than more experienced students.
As they gain strength, stamina, flexibility and concentration, additional
postures are given to the student. The sense of the word given in
this context comes from how the practice is taught in India, where a
yoga practice is something that a teacher gives to a student as a spiritual
practice. In the West, people are accustomed to learning a lot of postures
at once, such as in most led yoga classes. The downside is that some
postures may be inappropriate for certain students, increasing the risk
of injury. The advantage of the Mysore-style format is that it is for everyone because
it teaches yoga according to one's individual capacity.
One by one
Postures are given, one by one, but in a certain sequential
order. The structure of the class depends
on the teacher being able to keep track of what every student is doing
with a quick glance. If you attempt something out of sequence,
the teacher will have a harder
time helping you in the appropriate way. If you have trouble with a
particular posture, the teacher can offer you a modification that is
consistent with the intention of the practice.
One by one also means that once you are given a new posture,
you practice the sequence through until you get to that posture, then
wind down your practice with backbends (if appropriate) and the finishing
sequence. The teacher will give you the next posture in the sequence
when she feels it is appropriate for you.
By the teacher
When you practice yoga in the Mysore-style setting, it is important
to wait for the teacher to give you each new posture. The act of waiting
gives your teacher the opportunity to teach you the posture correctly
or adjust you in it. Waiting also is an opportunity to express respect
for your teacher and the practice. The longer you do this practice, the
more you will realize that yoga knowledge is a gift from your teacher—the
way that yoga is a gift to humankind from the sage Patanjali.
In charge
In India, a student has only one teacher or guru, so there is no issue
of which teacher is in charge. Here in the USA, visiting teachers are
often invited for workshops which provide a glimpse of what's
ahead and often inspiration.
A visiting teacher may allow you to progress farther in the series than you have
in your daily practice. However,
your regular teacher is usually the more
accurate judge of the dedication and intention of your practice, so it
is better to follow her instruction when you return to your daily practice
. Likewise,
when you travel and attend Mysore-style classes taught in other yoga
studios (see the list),
the protocol is to stop and wait for the teacher to
give you postures beyond the Primary Series.
If you get confused about the correct sequence of postures or need help
with a particular posture, you should let your teacher know at any point
during the practice. We are happy to help, no matter how many times you
ask. If you are new to Ashtanga or accustomed to led classes, the Mysore-style
setting can seem strange at first. But with commitment and a little patience,
you will be amazed at how quickly you can learn to do yoga as a self-practice!
About commitment to the practice
The practice room is open between 6:00am
and 8:30am during the week, however instruction starts at 6:30am. The
Ashtanga method is intended to be a daily practice and students are encouraged
to make a commitment to practice at least 3 times a week for a month
at a time. Traditionally, we practice every day except for Saturdays
and Moon Days, which occur about twice monthly.
It may be very difficult at first to commit to a daily practice, and
it often takes one or two years to establish this. So don't be discouraged
if you're "only" practicing twice a week at first. Regular attendance
is encouraged, although in some cases 2-3x’s
per week combined with a self-practice at home is sufficient. Drop-ins
are fine for brand new beginners and out-of-town visitors with an
established practice.
Cheat Sheets
If you have
a diagram of the Ashtanga yoga postures, we encourage you to review
and study the postures at home instead of bringing it to class. Over
time, you will memorize the flow of postures by doing them regularly
in class under the guidance of your teacher.
Anne and Philippe
To find out more about Ashtanga vinyasa yoga, check out our Ashtanga
links. Here is a link to Moon Days (rest days). For a more detailed
description of yoga, check out our What
is Yoga? page. |
