Mysore is really a nickname for self guided Astanga Yoga. Mysore is the city in South India widely believed to be the birthplace of the method.

You might have tried Astanga Yoga in another format, like a led class where the teacher instructs everyone in unison. Or you might have tried similar types of yoga such as Rocket or Flow…in all these classes you are almost certain to have heard the word “Vinyasa”.

Vinyasa literally means “careful or ritualised placement”. So matching a movement to a breath is vinyasa. Holding a posture for a number of breaths is vinyasa . And so is the order of postures and movements within a sequence.

Some sequences change from class to class but in Mysore style Yoga the sequences are set. This is because the order of postures and movements between them is considered to be highly therapeutic for the body and the mind. In a Mysore session you learn the sequences in small sections at a time, gradually putting them together. In this way you can build up a practice of your own. It can become long and complex or you can keep it short and sweet, depending on how much time, space and energy you have! There are two huge benefits to this way of learning. The first and most obvious is that it gives you self sufficiency. Less widely known but perhaps more important is that -as you start to guide yourself- the practice takes the form of a moving mediation. This can lead to a profound sense of wellbeing, even after your first session.

Everybody receives one to one tuition, in a group setting. You’ll see that the Mysore class looks quite long. This is because it’s not really a class at all. It’s more like an open door session. Everyone arrives and leaves, starts and finishes at their own time. This allows the teacher to move freely around the room, helping everyone when and where they require it.

No not at all, it’s a truly open level session. On your very first visit the teacher will check to see if you are working with any issues or injuries. From day one every aspect of the practice can be tailored to meet your individual needs…from the length or intensity of the sequences to the postures themselves.

Yes of course you can. To give you self sufficiency and access to that feeling of a moving meditation, we will keep your first session quite short and simple, based on repetition rather than lots of things to try and remember. It’ll take about forty minutes. Even if you’ve done led astanga or other types of yoga this is still the best way to start a Mysore practice.

it’s totally normal to be shy or self conscious about stepping into the room for the first time. First and foremost, the room is full of people of all ages and abilities. Everyone in the Mysore room has been a beginner, including the teacher! Many of the people around you might still be beginners and you just don’t notice because after one or two sessions it’s honestly quite hard to tell.

Just remember that you’re never expected to catch up with anyone else because over time your practice will become something unique…just like you.

If you are joining me after doing led classes, it helps to shift the focus of your practice a little. Memorising the order of postures is a crucial part of the method. In your initial sessions, we will simplify things while you commit short sections of the sequences to memory. It’s easy to feel you are being held back but trust me – this is the way to set yourself free and become self-sufficient on the mat. You can also tire a little faster in Mysore than in led so you might find that less is not only more, it’s also plenty!

You are never too old to take up some form of the practice. It can be tailored to suit all ages and levels of fitness.

Children are not usually taught the full practice before the age of ten or eleven as it’s a lot to ask of them. Practicing with your children can be fun so there is no need to stop them if they join in naturally. Keep the experience playful and resist the urge to’ teach’ them when they are very young.

This is probably the question I am asked more than any other. You do not need to be flexible to enjoy Yoga. Regular practice will increase your core strength, stamina and overall sense of well – being. It will also make you more flexible but this is an added bonus. It is definitely not a requirement!

I would not advise anyone to take up this practice as a beginner when pregnant. If you have an established practice the general advice is to rest for your first trimester. After that you can enjoy the practice right up to your due - date if it feels right for you…

Some Yoga Shalas close on full and new moons. This stems from an Indian tradition of resting from asana practice on these days. For many people its a chance to focus on other, gentler rituals instead. Some people also notice physiological changes around certain phases of the moon and rest accordingly. If you have a five or six day per week practice it might be a good idea to take an extra rest every two weeks or so, and moon days are a handy opportunity for this. You can read more about moon days here