Followup Mysore Class Question.

[Guest guest]

Following the expert and unanimous advice of this

group, I attended my first Mysore class yesterday. It

was definitely a good experience, and I think I will

try some with other teachers in my area as well (I

have access to several of the teachers on Betty Lai's

list).<br><br>I do have a nuts and bolts question about the best

way to benefit from Mysore classes. I guess I had

assumed that I should just do my practice, and that the

teacher would just come around and adjust me when I

needed it. He did adjust me a couple of times, but I

quickly realized that with ten people in the class, he

probably was only noticing one tenth of the things I

needed help with.<br><br>Furthermore, he spent fifteen

minutes at a time explaining the intricacies of certain

poses to other people in the class. I suppose I could

ask for similar help with poses I am trying to learn

or improve, but it seems like doing so would break

the flow of my practice, disrupt my heat,

etc.<br><br>So -- what should a guy still in his first six

months of practice DO in his Mysore class? If I want or

suspect I may need help with a specific pose, do I ask,

thus disrupting the normal flow of my practice until

the teacher can come over and explain it to me? Or do

I just do the pose as best I can, and wait for my

teacher to adjust me as needed?<br><br>Thanks in advance

for your advice.

[Guest guest]

Keep going to Mysore class. It may take a while

for your teacher to get to know you and your

practice. As he becomes familiar with you, he will probably

be better able to see where you need help, so you

might not have to ask for it. In the meantime, go ahead

and ask if possible. There is no point in having a

seamless series of postures if you don't get some of the

parts. The Mysore classes that I attend are fairly

small, and my teacher welcomes questions, so it is not a

disruption to my class or my practice to ask for assistance

or ask questions. I don't know if this is usual for

all Mysore classes. <br><br>Good luck!

[Guest guest]

My limited Mysore-style experience has yielded

one simple technique for getting help: just keep

repeating the posture. Eventually teacher(s) swarm like

flies.<br><br>But don't try for too many adjustments. I was in a

small Mysore class recently where the instructors were

helping me on about every other posture of second series.

It was a great learing experience (am still

digesting it) but I was pushing to the point where it

didn't feel like yoga.<br><br>By the way, thanks to

those who offered dining\yoga advice for my trip to LA.

I ended up taking four Mysore classes at Ahimsa

Yoga and folks there were terrific -- knowledgable and

welcoming. A little Ashtanga pilgrimage for a Kentucky

boy.<br><br>Peace and Good,<br>Homer