Since the post there have been comments from readers and also some reactions on other websites. Notable amongst these is the post entitled New Frontier from the blog Visions of Cody. The piece is written by a marketing strategist from a “strategic marketing perspective.”

Cody asks what the intention behind the changes are, and since they are not clearly stated we have to try to infer them. He posits that it is:

To exert control over the transmission of the Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga system by reducing the number of officially authorized/certified teachers.

He thinks this will substantially reduce the number of Ashtanga teachers and make the current teacher shortage even worse.

The question of enforcement is brought up:

Which brings up another interesting question: how is the Jois family ever going to enforce these rules? I don’t believe that they own the trademark on the name Ashtanga in the U.S. (please correct me if I’m wrong.) Therefore, they can either ask practitioners to shun non-authorized teachers/studios (a marginal tactic at best) or they can attempt to get the service mark.

Which naturally leads to a comparison with Bikram Yoga (how ironic). A few years ago Bikram yoga “went legal” on studios which did not abide to its official rules, threatening law suits. A lot of studios which could not practically comply with the rules decided to change the name to “Hot Yoga” and slightly modify the official sequence.

Here’s his conclusion in full:

In the end, I think these changes will have a minimal impact in the US. Unless the AYRI aggressively attempts to shut down non-authorized studios (which I doubt,) then the only thing that will change is that basically nobody (with a few exceptions) will be authorized to officially teach Ashtanga so therefore the authorization of Ashtanga teachers will be an irrelevant qualification.

I do feel sorry for the prospective teachers that have been making numerous trips for years expecting authorization. That’s one hard lesson in non-attachment.

If the AYRI does pursue the legal route, then the Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga brand will be screwed anyway because there will only be a handful of places to practice. It’ll be like rolling the growth of the practice back to the 1970s level.

Maybe that’s exactly what the Jois family wants – to scale the practice back to just a few true believers. There are rumors that Sharath is taking a few years off and the rest of the family probably can’t handle the current workload for much longer.

I’m guessing that this is a conscious attempt to limit the practice to a smaller group of practitioners that are dedicated true believers and in exchange they’re willing to sacrifice the potential revenue.

If, however, this is an attempt to control the brand and concentrate revenue, then I think it’s a horrible plan. Managing growth is one thing, but choking it to death is quite another.

No matter what, us crafty Westerners will figure out a way to get Ashtanga regardless of what people in Mysore say – the cat’s already out of the bag.

It’s well worth reading and thinking about. Here are some other links on the same subject:

Sweat and Fire: It’s Never the Guru’s Yoga
InsideOwl: Ashtanga and Imperialism
Yoga Vermont
アシュタンガヨガティーチャーの基準をめぐる一連の動き

In contrast with the familiar list of teachers on ashtanga.com, this list as of today (August 14 2008) primarily lists certified teachers (not authorized teachers), or a fraction of the total.

The new list on the AYRI site comes with a change in the standards for being listed. To be listed, the website states:

[Teachers] should maintain a yoga room or shala to allow for daily, preferably morning, Mysore-style practice and should honor Saturdays and the full/new moon days as rest days.

In addition, it seems that the requirements for keeping the authorization to teach are being significantly tightened. For example, teachers are asked to :

• return to India every year and half to study for 2 months
• have a shala for daily classes
• refrain from teaching on traditional rest days such as Moon days
• refrain from teaching any series beyond the primary series
• refrain from teaching workshops

These requirements look like an attempt to raise standards and the quality of teaching. Perhaps it is due to the notable increase in students and teachers in the past 5 years (we wrote about how the number had at least doubled back in 2006). To me, these changes raise questions about the essence of Ashtanga yoga.

What effect will these new requirements have on the quality of teaching of Ashtanga yoga across the world?

In my opinion, in many ways this is a step in the wrong direction for Asthanga yoga.

Asking for a trip to India every 18 months for two whole months puts a heavy burden on new parents and on those with fewer financial means.

No Workshops?
Workshops provide benefits for both teachers and students, and are a key part in building the worldwide Ashtanga community.

Asking teachers to forgo the extra income from workshops may make it impossible for a lot of them to return to India so frequently, since ironically it is often these very workshops which give the teachers the means to return to do so.

Personally, a lot of what I have learned about Ashtanga yoga is directly due to taking workshops with authorized teachers. Had these requirements been in place when I was starting my yoga journey, I would not have had the amazing opportunities to learn from such talented teachers.

Hundreds of dedicated teachers have devoted their lives to teaching ashtanga yoga. They have made enormous sacrifices to become authorized. It seems unfair to change the rules so drastically and abruptly. The standards are changing in a way that may make it impossible for a lot of teachers to continue teaching as authorized teachers.

In addition, raising the standards in such a way that few teachers meet them could have the perverse effect of lowering the quality of teaching because they become meaningless.

These changes do not seem to be in the interest of the Ashtanga yoga community, and in the continued spreading of this wonderful practice.

These are my initial thoughts and I wrote this because I care deeply about the practice. I welcome your opinions on this important matter.

from MMillerNH

We wondered what exact changes were made to the Ashtanga teacher requirements between this week and the last time they were updated in October 2006. Both Ashtanga.com (more detailed) and Sri K. Pattabhi Jois’ Ashtanga Yoga Research Institute site list these requirements.

by MasTaPiannis

Fortunately, the Wizard of the Interweb (whiz kid sister to the Wizard of Oz) was able to help us. The two main changes are:

NOTE: A student should by no means visit AYRI in Mysore for the sole purpose of getting authorized. Their visit should primarily be for their own education of the lineage to further their own practice under correct guidance of Pattabhi Jois.

and

NOTE: AUTHORIZATION SHOULD NOT BE REQUESTED BUT GIVEN. The decision to give authorization or certification to teach is by no means solely dependent on the number of times a student has visited Mysore. It is based upon Guruji and Sharath’s evaluation of the person, his/her commitment and full respect of the lineage of the practice. Authorization is given with the trust that an AYRI student will teach as he/she has been taught in Mysore by Guruji and Sharath.

from Paleja

For an exact comparison between the October 2006 and April 2007 guidelines, here’s a PDF of the Ashtanga teacher requirements with revisions marked.

by YogaSurf

The information for how to register for class in Mysore is here: AYRI’s class information and Ashtanga.com’s class information.

Ashtanga.com maintains a list of authorized and certified Ashtanga teachers along with workshops taught by these Ashtanga teachers. That information is not available on AYRI. The workshop list can be sorted by location, date, instructor and date added to the list. Handy!

Hope this helps! By the way, what is the theme of this post’s photos?

from KevinHoth

What do you think about yoga students in Tokyo?
It’s becoming more competitive. Everyone is too strict, too serious. Most people are doing only two things: yoga and work. They should enjoy doing some other stuff. Girls, especially, need to make time to find a boyfriend. Most serious practitioners are not even dating.

What do you get out of Ashtanga?
Makes my creativity sharp, and gives me power to work. If I don’t practice Ashtanga, I am not inspired to do anything but sleep. It is a source of energy. Sometimes physically, it makes me tired, but whenever I practice, my mind and heart get more energy. Ashtanga can make me exhausted. It’s hard to get heat. Practicing brings results, bringing self confidence.

Yoga for us: a source of energy

How is Lisa’s teaching different from yours?
I can understand her philosophy about Ashtanga, which is the same for me. I like it, because she teaches calmly. She feels very settled in my classes. Her style is traditional, not allowing people to skip what they don’t like and adjusting so frequently is hard. She has lots of experience teaching Mysore class and we can learn a lot. We are open to teachers coming in as long as it’s traditional.

How do you (Lisa) teach Mysore-style to someone who does not speak the same language? It must challenging dealing with injuries, “problem students” who push too much, new postures, etc.
That could be a whole article in and of itself. I don’t speak in American classes much, so language is not much of a problem. Japanese students are very tolerant. They never say “it hurts” as if they trying to keep feeling in. They can be not very honest in that sense. Sometimes maybe they should tell the teacher, “your adjustment is too hard”. Japanese students are too modest, so they hesitate to say “it’s not good”. Knowing this, I’ve been adjusting very gently, working with their own breath, not pushing them. I can tell if there is pain by looking at the student and how they are practicing. Sometimes I need a translator, but some teachers have decent English, so they can help with that. So far it has not been much of an issue. Pushing too hard, there are a couple, but they refused to listen long before I came into the scene.

Flyer for Lisa’s Workshop “adjasutomento no shingi” The Art of Adjustment

Are there any written materials or websites about Ashtanga practice and technique?
Yoga Mala, John Scott, Ashtanga Yoga for Women, yoga sutras websites in Japanese – there aren’t any websites for Ashtanga in Japanese. Except for Mindy’s blog, which gives them knowledge from some of the scene in Chicago.

What is the “workshop scene” like in Tokyo (or Japan)?
Very good. We have many good teachers who visit. Rolf Naujokat, David Swenson, John Scott, David Roche, Danny Paradise, Nancy Gilgoff, Govinda Kai, Mark Darby, Sharath, Petri Raisanen, Anthony Carlisi, Shankra Darby, Natalia Paison, Louisa Sears.

What are the differences you noticed between Ashtanga in Japan and the teachers who come from other parts of the world?
No difference. They just teach traditional Ashtanga system. We can learn lots of things from experienced teachers. We enjoy studying with the teachers. It’s very good to be taught by someone experienced. Sharing their experience is very good, but we are always looking for “our” Ashtanga.

Fun community: examples from a t-shirt competition

Welcome to Tokyo!

Lisa Hill – a contributor to AshtangaNews through her many great Ashtanga photos from Chicago, Illinois – is teaching at Tokyo Yoga for three months, and kindly shared her blog, yoga and adventures in tokyo, and photos at Bindifry on Flickr with us.

What struck me about Lisa’s blog – and if you like Japan at all, you will really enjoy reading about her daily adventures living there – is the similarity between what she says about Ashtanga students in Japan, which echoed what Govinda Kai said in his post, Vision of Yoga in Japan. From Lisa:

Practice

what i absolutely loved about teaching in this studio was the dedication of the students & their gratitude towards me. every single student was serious, but not too serious (not obsessed). beautiful practices indeed and all completely traditional. there aren’t even any props in the studio to tempt them out of tradition! i am so inspired by this studio that i am going to find a way to do the same thing when i get back to chicago. the owner of the studio is doing all the right things with the right intention & it’s completely inspiring to me. there’s nothing like it at home, and soon there will be!

…i am probably working too hard-adjusting too much. it’s not like the students expect adjustments, they don’t at all. it’s just so cool to be teaching in a room where everyone, no matter what the level, works their butts off, and says “arigato” afterwards loud & clear before leaving the room, much like the greeting you get when entering a sushi bar. it’s just so cool & refreshing. i believe the japanese can be the astanga role models of the future. we have much to learn from them.

Mysore class at Tokyo Yoga

From Govinda:

I have been impressed with the yoga students here in Japan. More than anywhere else I have taught, there is a natural humility and a deep respect for whoever is teaching…This quality makes the process of learning very special, both for the student and for the teacher.

Additionally, I have been impressed by the level of dedication, passion and work ethic that is present in a large number of Japanese yoga students…It is clear to me that the deepest levels of yearning for the fruits of yoga practice (truth, expansion and liberation) are very high.

Lisa and Mindy,
who introduced her to Tokyo Yoga

Stay tuned; more to come…Lisa’s agreed to do an interview with some of the Ashtangis from Tokyo Yoga, and we are looking forward to it.

so if you like new york, you will love tokyo. its the same, only it’s japan. – yoga and adventures in tokyo

She even spied a Hello Kitty yoga mat bag!

Have any of you practiced Ashtanga in Japan? Please comment!

The Wheel of Life

Generally, any kind of transitional movement in our practice goes from the grosser aspects of our selves to the subtler. What this means is that we are apt to go through more physical changes initially and, over time, we will experience more subtle changes to our mental and emotional states.

Yoga is a process in which we are attempting to awaken and bring forth the more essential parts of our selves. By using the word, “essential”, I mean those parts of our selves that are transcendent and do not change over time.

The further we move away from what is natural or essential in our selves, the more “extra” elements we carry around with in our lives. We eat more than we need to, own more possessions than is needed, talk more than is necessary and so on. It is not so much the fact that

Fierce Devotion

we live with these extra elements, it is the attachment and identification we form with these things that is so harmful and causes such suffering. The stronger the attachment and identification with these extra elements, the more we are apt to forget our essential selves. Having an awareness of the essential aspects of selves is, in many ways, the essence of what Yoga practice is all about.

So, when we embark upon the path of Yoga, we begin to practice and live our lives in such a way as to begin to let go of these “extras”.

What you can expect initially is that your body will begin to go through some very strong and often dramatic changes, especially in the first six months of intense and dedicated daily Ashtanga yoga practice. You will begin to develop what is known as “tapas” or heat in your practice, in your body. This will result in profuse sweating (of course in some more than others). For some, very strong odors will emit from the body. Many people experience changes to their skin. Their skin will break out in acne, rashes and such. In more extreme cases, some people develop very large boils.

Eyes of the Truth

Other mild to stronger symptoms of purification will begin to appear for most practitioners. It is very common to see the increased occurrence of colds and flu and fevers, as well as, headaches, drowsiness and light-headedness. It is important to honor and respect these kinds of changes, as they can be quite deep in one’s system. I recommend that you take extra time to rest and be quiet. You can also be mindful of your tendency towards “busyness” and begin to reduce the general number of activities in your day.

Naturally, because the asana practice is so rigorous, you can expect strong changes to your physique and overall health of your body. You will get significantly stronger in a very integrated and well-balanced fashion. In particular the “core” strength of your body will improve. The “core” refers to the area of the lower trunk and pelvic regions. Strength in these areas has been shown to dramatically increase the function of balance, smoothness of motion and speed of reflexes. It is common knowledge that athletic performance can be improved significantly through the development of one’s core strength. Flexibility of all areas of your body should increase dramatically.

Govinda Kai in Samakonasana, October 2006

One area of improvement that is often overlooked is the increased functionality of the gastro-intestinal system. The frequency of forward bends in asana practice very powerfully cleans out and reconditions our digestive organs. Most people in our modern culture and society, because of unhealthy diets and stress, have some degree of bowel or digestive dysfunction. Constipation and excess gas are the norm for most people. One report stated that many people carry up to 20-30 kilos of undigested feces in their bodies at any one time! A well functioning gastro-intestinal system is vital to the optimal functioning of our immune system and hormonal balances. Overall mental and physical health is dramatically affected by the state of our digestive systems.

A Fine Balance

Thus, one of the areas of focus as we dive deeper into our practices, is the greater and greater level of mindfulness and care of what, when and how we put food into our bodies. I will speak more elaborately on this topic at some other time.

Now, as you begin to become healthier and more in tune physically, you will begin to become sensitive and aware of subtler aspects of your self. For example, you will begin to notice that your senses will generally begin to increase in acute sensitivity. Your sense of smell and sight and hearing will be sharper and clearer. You will feel temperature and pressure changes in different parts of your body in a way that you never have before. Many people report an increased sensitivity and depth to their sense of taste. What was once flavorful before will begin to taste overly salty, bitter, savory or sweet. You will find yourself beginning to crave foods that have subtler or even plain flavors.

Guruji in Laxmipuram, July 2002

The process of purification will begin to affect you mentally, emotionally and psychically as well. Usually chronic imbalances in one’s system generally become more acute before any deep healing takes place. You will find that your thoughts and your emotions will become more intense and frenetic at times causing periods of great discomfort. Bad moods and bouts of edginess and impatience are common during this time. Although it may seem like you are going crazy at times, this part of the process is important and necessary, so don’t worry about it too much. It is also common to experience intense dreams and very colorful fantasies.

The result of this kind of mental, emotional and psychic purification is that you will find you are becoming far more sensitive and alert to your own state of mind, as well as, the state and energy of the people and environments around you. Many people report an increased occurrence of psychic types of experiences (i.e., reading other people’s minds, anticipating unrelated events, as well as, an increased occurrence of synchronicity). In short, you will become more sensitive to the “energy” of people and places and things. You will become more sensitive to those aspects of our reality that remains hidden or unseen to most normal people. In the long run, this will not seem so unusual to you. What is strange is how most of us can be so blind and unaware of basic aspects of our existence for so long.

Again, as you go through this process, be sure to give as much respect and honor to the subtle and not so subtle changes that are taking place. This path of Yoga, this path of purification is very, very powerful. You are awakening great stores of energy, vitality and power within yourself that you perhaps never knew you had. Anytime, you awaken or come into contact with these kinds of energies, it is important to realize that with greater power, comes greater responsibility. By its nature, the purpose of this power is not intended simply for the gratification of your own selfish desires. In fact, to do so is foolish and dangerous in many different respects. Reflect deeply and mindfully about this process and take great care.

Govinda Kai

Hari OM!

Govinda Kai

[Thank you, Govinda, for sharing some of your philosophy on Ashtanga yoga. And, thank you, for sharing so many of your wonderful, high-quality Ashtanga photos with the community via Flickr. These photos are from Govinda's set titled, My Personal Favorites. All the captions on these photos are Govinda's.

Readers, please share some of the changes you've experienced because of your Ashtanga practice in the Comments! -Ed.]

In a prior post, I outlined some of the the challenges of setting up a Mysore-Style Ashtanga program.

Mysore class at YiY (photo by Antonia)

Anne Finstad and I were lucky to have Joseph Hentz‘ full approval (and later, his wife Sabina’s) when we embarked on starting a Mysore-Style program at Yoga Is Youthfulness in Mountain View, California (that’s 40 miles south of San Francisco – where Google is also based). It really helped that he was (and is) a dedicated Ashtangi. I think it would be difficult to set up such an intensive program at a studio where the owner did not at least practice Ashtanga yoga.

To get a better picture of how our program progressed over the years, I went back to our old studio schedules (a great way to see the evolution of any yoga studio). Here’s a rough timeline:

• 1999: YiY Grand Opening. Straight away there’s an Ashtanga flavour to this studio: 4 out of 18 classes were Ashtanga led evening classes. The dominating style at YiY at this point is Bikram.
• Sometime in 2000: we started off with an unguided Ashtanga self-practice group 4-5 times a week at 6:15 in the morning ($5 donation). Without the led classes I think it would have been difficult to get this going. We had a handful of regulars at this point, practicing 3-5 times a week. A self-practice group is a good seed for a Mysore-Style program.
• December 2001: First Mysore-Style class introduced (Friday). It took a while to make the jump to teaching Mysore-Style, as we did not have any role models (the nearest other class was 40 miles aways).
• September 2002: twice a week (Friday and Sunday). From that point on, the Sunday class has been our best attended class, when we’ve consistently broken attendance records.
• January 2003: 4 times a week (Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday). We took advantage of the “January Effect” and New’s Year resolutions to double our classes. I think it’s very important to introduce new classes during busy periods, just to get them going.
• November 2003: 5 times a week (no Tuesdays). Up to this point if we had 10 students a day it was considered a busy day. It had been two years since we had started the program, and there were still days at this point when we were wondering whether we were doing the right thing and whether it would work. We were just short of a “full” 6 day a week Mysore program.
• July 2004: 6 times a week. The impetus to commit to a full program came as a result of a month-long 6-day-a-week Mysore-Style workshop. The previous month, we were fortunate to have Dominic Corigliano (a Certified teacher) come to teach a month long Mysore workshop at our studio. This was a first for us: a lot of students who were practicing 2 to 3 times a week took this opportunity to try out daily practice, and as happens often, got hooked. After Dom left, there was no way we could go back to anything less than 6 days a week! We also added a led Friday Primary Series class as it is done in Mysore India.

Lino Miele teaching a workshop at our studio in 2003

Anne made 3 trips to Mysore during those first 5 years (I had twins so my movements were constrained…), and every time she came back it energized every one and took our program to the next level. Particularly memorable was her trip at beginning of 2004, when she took 3 students with her. They all blogged about their experience and it became required reading for our entire community.

Anne’s Mysore experiences and studying with Guruji and Sharath greatly influenced what we did at YiY, in subtle and not so subtle ways:

• Introducing a Friday led class was important to convey the pacing of the practice and for all the students to learn the vinyasa count. I taught the class and tried to model it on the led classes taught by Pattabhi Jois.
• We tried emulate how postures were given in Mysore. How and when postures are given to students can make or break a Mysore-Style program, and Anne’s experience was invaluable in that area.

Anne Finstad and her friend auntie in Mysore, India

• Through being in Mysore, Anne had met with some of the most renowned teachers in the world. Thanks to her contacts we were able to invite Christine Hoar, Kirsten & Mitchell, Dominic & Saisha, David Roche and more.
• Anne’s dedication and commitment to the practice was the cornerstone of the program.

Another YiY Mysore snippet (photo by Antonia)

There was another ingredient which was essential to the success of the program: the flourishing of a “Mysore community” outside the class. Through innumerable potluck dinners and brunchs, video viewings, sutra discussions, chai-making classes and the like, a tightly-knit community has emerged. You can see its virtual expression on MorningMysore.com, the community’s website.

Mysore-style Ashtanga

With the occasion of Tracy’s post on the benefits of learning Ashtanga yoga in a Mysore-style setting, I thought I might share a few observations on what it takes to set up a Mysore program at a yoga studio. Anne Finstad and I went through this experience at the Yoga is Youthfulness studio starting in December 2001 with one class a week. This humble beginning has blossomed into a six-day a week program with more than 20 students attending daily.

Several factors make starting a Mysore-style Ashtanga program more challenging than a traditional, teacher-led yoga class, be it Iyengar, Anusara, Bikram or Vinyasa:

• It’s best to practice Mysore-style Ashtanga in the morning: there are many reasons why Pattabhi Jois’ classes start before dawn (more on this in another post), and that can be a big hurdle to overcome. Our classes were always starting around 6:30 in the morning, and at first it took a lot to convince prospective students to get up early to practice.
• The class is silent: Most students are used to a teacher leading the class verbally, so the silence of a Mysore-style class can be very intimidating. Most teacher-student settings we are familiar with, such as school, college, music lessons, and sports coaching, involve a lot of verbal exchange of information. In a Mysore-style class, a lot of information is passed on via the teacher actually putting the student into a posture, so it is much more of an experiential learning, and thus it feels a bit strange to many students.
• There is no clear starting point: This looms especially large for people who have never tried yoga and may wonder “what do I do in a silent class? I don’t know how to do anything.” A similar objection I hear from experienced students is, “but I don’t know the sequence, so I don’t think I am ready.” I’ve spent a lot of time convincing Mysore-style newbies to try it. The bright side is that once they experience one class, they’re usually hooked.
• There is no clear start or end time: A student can walk in at any time as long as there is enough time left in the class to finish her practice. Newer students who have shorter practices may finish in less than an hour and say “but I have paid for 1.5 hours of yoga”. Eventually, these students may take the entire 2-3 hours of the practice time.
• Students are given postures and asked to stop at a point determined by the teacher: the Mysore-style setting requires the students to closely follow the teacher’s directions, perhaps more than is customary in other teacher-student relationships. This can be bruising on the student’s ego and a factor in some students leaving the class. It also requires the teachers, if there is more than one, to confer about appropriate posture at which to stop a student.
• It takes place nearly every day (apart from Saturdays and Moon Days in some studios): students most often start doing yoga once or twice a week. Doing it up to 6 times a week is a big commitment and is foreign to most student’s idea of “doing yoga”. It is also a huge commitment for the teachers.
• There needs to be a certain population density near the studio: I have heard of quite a few stories of very experienced teachers tyring to establish a Mysore-style program in population centers of 10,000 or even 50,000 and giving up (the one exception I can think of is John Scott in Penzance, Cornwall, United Kingdom with a population 20,000, but that is John Scott after all). At Yoga is Youthfulness in the San Francisco Bay Area, we were lucky to have 2-3 million people within a half-hour drive.
• Most importantly, you need to have an experienced teacher: nowadays a teacher should be authorized to teach by Sri K Pattabhi Jois (see the criteria for authorization on Ashtanga.com). Usually that takes a solid practice of at least 5 years.

So, with all these hurdles, setting up a Mysore-style Ashtanga program is not the easiest thing to do. It could take one to two years before the program is “profitable”, meaning more than 10 students daily. This implies there must be strong backing from the studio owner to stick it out during the lean period.

We were fortunate to have the full backing of a committed studio owner, Joseph Hentz (thank you, Joseph!). The alternative is to open your own studio, which, of course, carries its own costs and risks.

My next post will be about how the Mysore-style Ashtanga program at Yoga is Youthfulness blossomed over a five-year period into a wonderful community of committed practitioners.

Five years later, a crowded Mysore-style class at Yoga is Youthfulness

Mysore-style classes turned out to be one of the best experiences of my life. If you’ve hesitated, I just want to take a brief moment to say, JUST DO IT!

The individual adjustments and the friendly community in the Mysore-style classes motivated me to attend regularly, and the regular practice and advances I made made me want to practice even more.

In Mysore-style class, each student starts the Ashtanga yoga sequence whenever she arrives and the teacher walks around adjusting students as needed. It’s a silent class and students practice at their own pace.

a Mysore class at Yoga is Youthfulness, Mountain View, California

My main fear in trying a Mysore-style class was that I wouldn’t remember the sequence of postures. I did forget the sequence a few times, however Philippe has assured me that no one has ever been kicked out of a Mysore-style class for forgetting a posture.

Fortunately, the teachers at the Yoga Is Youthfulness studio in Mountain View, California have written a friendly and thorough description of Mysore-style Ashtanga yoga, which is just right for curious or apprehensive Ashtangis.

Morning Mysore at YiY

The description is based on the following poem, written by a YiYer:

In Mysore-style Ashtanga yoga
Postures are given
One by one
By the teacher
In charge.

I recently started taking Mysore-style classes at the new YogaStudio San Francisco with Catherine Shaddix. If you have the opportunity to visit, do – it’s a stunningly beautiful studio and the class is great. More on that later.

Please share your thoughts on Mysore-style class for the benefit of hesitant Ashtangis by leaving a comment.

An assistant at
Astanga Helsinki

The conclusion (according to Nancy): It’s okay for kids up to 12 years old as long as they don’t do headstands.

Nancy Gilgoff, one of the first American Ashtangis based on Maui, shared her thoughts in a workshop in Munich (October 2002)

Fine for small kids to play with asanas – although no headstands before the age of 12 as the bones of the skull aren’t completely fused yet.

Not so good for adolescents circa 14 to 17 – the bones are growing faster than the muscles, joints are unstable, stretching can be very uncomfortable & unpleasant.

Nancy has no problem with parents bringing small children into class – good opportunity for the childless students to learn to chill out and let go of their beliefs about how a yoga class “should” be…

Her daughter (now 19) does yoga but normally chooses to go to another teacher.

Alan Little generously wrote out his notes from this workshop, and they are full of nuggets not related to kids as well, a great resource for all of us. Thank you, Alan! Alan’s thoughts:

Having gone through the finishing sequence at one of Lino’s workshops with Lino’s six year old son Oliver and my friend Günther’s nine year old son Alex playing next to me, I completely agree.

We like Navasana!
Kids in Japan courtesy of Jumex on Flickr

An additional resource on Ashtanga and kids is an extensive discussion that took place starting in January 2006 on the AshtangaYoga Yahoo Group. The discussion was started with this message:

Looks like I’ll have the opportunity to create a class for kids – grade school. I’m SO excited about sharing yoga with them. Does anyone have any advice and experience to share? Diane

There were dozens of replies, ranging “kids should not do yoga” to “yoga is the best thing for kids”. If you have a Yahoo login, you can follow the whole discussion which starts here.