Mysore

On Monday morning I went to a self-led yoga class. The classes are called Mysore because that's how this type of yoga is practiced in Mysore India by the teacher Sri. K. Patthabi Jois. I practice the series stopping and moving to the closing sequence when I cannot physically (or mentally I suppose) get into and "execute" a posture, for lack of a better word. So this is what I practice when I'm home alone. In a Mysore class, you have teachers walking around to give you personal instruction, really helping you work on the asanas. If you are starting off learning this way, you learn one posture at a time gradually building up. One posture prepares your body for the next and that is why the same sequence of asanas is always repeated. Basically starts off with a warm-up (sun salutations), standing postures, seated postures and then finishes with the closing sequence.

I would love to go to this class more often, the trouble is in the timing so I really only ever get to go when I have the day off or if it's a holiday and there are still regular classes at the studio. They've just started an afternoon Mysore class that'll I'll be able to go to. I had intended to go to my first afternoon class today and I was really looking forward to it, but then found out I had forgotten the bag will all my clothes so I had to come home first. Of course then I never left again. Oh well, try again tomorrow. Monday morning was fantastic though, a really nice way to start the day.