Garden of Daisies

Mysore Ashtanga Yoga

September 29th, 2005

I walked into the Shala this morning exhausted. I had been up too late, and it had poured rain all through the early hours of the morning, waking me up over and over again. My teacher looked at me warmly (like she always does) and asked how I was feeling. I admitted I was tired and she, with earnest empathy, said something to the effect of, “Yea…rainy days will do that to you.” She leaned in then and said “You know what though? I find this is my sunshine. Once I’ve done my practice nothing can hold me back”.

My teachers (see the ‘bios’ section on the site) are unbelievable. I had read religious texts and books on philosophy as long as I could remember, and filled journals with what I thought it meant to be a living piece of God, and how to live consciously and with peace of mind…but I’d never been able to slow my own mind down enough to take any of what I’d read or written and put it into action.

I tried meditation and yoga in a few different contexts, thinking it would be a good route to take…without anything ever sticking. This Shala that they have built, though, is incredable…and after only a few months it has had profound effects, not only on how my body looks and feels, but on how I feel in relation to the world, and situations I find myself in. My ability to focus has increased 10-fold, and I’m finally finding that the things I think about the world around me are growing near to the philosophies I’ve always held to be true.

My teachers guide us through Ashtanga Yoga in the traditional Mysore fashion. Each of us is on our own learning curve, working gradually through the routine, achieving new poses at seperate paces. We practice everyday, all-together, with our teachers walking around us helping us individually, rather than leading us in-sync.

These days (at least where I live) there are more styles of yoga being taught in more ways than you could hope to count. …and each one has its own benefits. For me though, I’ve gotta say: the support of daily practice combined with the empowerment of having “your own” practice inherant in the Mysore style is something I really love. If you’re interested in yoga, and have tried out a few differant styles but not found something that fits yet, I definately recommend checking it out.

Ashtanga Yoga Shala (Toronto)
Ashtanga Yoga Research Institute (Mysore, India)

Entry Filed under: Yoga