Mysore Room Orlando

Ashtanga yoga is a very old and traditional form of yoga. The way it is taught in the city of Mysore, India is very special. The Ashtanga Yoga Research Institute in Mysore has been called the Harvard of yoga schools. This is where Pattabhi Jois first started teaching this method. This school is special because students study one on one with their teacher in a group setting with other students present. The room can look chaotic if you are accustomed to having one teacher telling everyone the same instructions at the same time. All students are learning the same sequence of postures but the approach can be different for different types of bodies. Teaching individuals instead of a group allows each student to explore the inner sensations and effects of the poses in a way that is much more meaningful and therapeutic. This develops over time with practice to become much more than just exercise but rather a moving meditation with a very strong inward mental focus.

Students will learn the sequence and the teacher will help them with the memorization and the techniques to use when practicing. Eventually the student will know what to do and will practice the sequence from their own memory what I would prefer to describe as "from heart" like you would describe playing a piece of music that you know well.

Outer space is infinite and explored by astronauts. Our inner space is also infinite and can be explored through these postures making the student a somanaut. We gain so much from sticking to a specific sequence of postures, which by the way are quite demanding. It gives us a baseline to examine how we change over time. The practice looks the same to the untrained eye of someone who looks in from the outside. But if you do this practice what you feel on the inside is a dramatic shift that takes place over months and years. You will increase the range of motion in your joints and you will also benefit from a psychological shift in your perspective of yourself and your relationship with others. If you have chronic pain you can also work to realign your joints and lessen your problematic postural patterns by working closely with your teacher to learn how to do the asanas in a way that targets your specific needs.