MYSORE CLASSES

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The Source of Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga is Sri K

Pattabhi Jois' Yoga Shala in Mysore.<br><br>Sri KPJ, or

Guruji, teaches one pose at a time, gradually building up

a practice for each individual according to his/her

individual capacity over a period of time (usually no more

than one pose on any one day - sometimes no more than

a single posture in several years).<br><br>Teachers

who try to be true to his teaching, teach in a

similar way - one pose at a time - this has come to be

known as Mysore Style.<br><br>In a certain sense,

dividing the postures into groups as series is arbitrary -

when you start learning second series in Mysore, you

do your whole primary series practice and add on new

postures as you go...and so it continues.<br><br>When you

transition from a led class to Mysore Style, one should not

have an attachment to doing so many postures -

especially if you cannot remember the sequence or name of

the individual postures.<br><br>Your teacher will

tell you what is appropriate according to his/her own

perception of where you are at. A cheat sheet is not

necessary or really useful.<br><br>When Guruji conducts

classes abroad - he is not teaching new postures to

people - he clarifies the correct vinyasa and only

announces the name of the pose.<br><br>Mysore style

teaching is the original, and in my opinion, only

apropriate way to learn, or teach, as each individual

student works with his/her own program - appropriate to

individual needs.<br><br>I have come across teachers who are

able to be aware of each individual student in a huge

led class - this takes a great deal of experience

(and Siddhis) - such individuals are very

rare.<br><br>However, any class is only as good as the teacher, and

someone who has not had the appropriate training to teach

Mysore Style (or any other style, for that matter) can

be extreemly dangerous to the student.