When is the right time to start a Mysore practice?

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Flow’s Mysore room on Sundays. All levels are welcome from the absolute beginner to advanced.

As much as I love summer, I have also love the energy of fall. Personally, I’ve never quite been able to get myself off the academic calendar, and September always feels to me like the right time to start something new.

This seems to ring true on the yoga scene, too. We all seem to return to a more normal routine come September — summer vacation is over, kids are back in school, travel dies down, temperatures start to cool and the pace of living gets back into its usual rhythm. All of this makes it the perfect time to double down on your yoga practice.

That’s why I think September is the perfect time to consider starting a Mysore style practice. I know how intimidating starting something new can be, and starting Mysore can be especially scary. I so vividly remember the first time I went to a Mysore class. I was in grad school and already familiar with Primary Series, though I hadn’t committed it to memory, and I dragged my sleepy butt to the Metro at five in the morning and studied my Primary Series cheat sheet in an empty train car under florescent lighting. I arrived at the address and couldn’t even find the front door. Finally I was let into the building when someone came out, and went to the wrong yoga studio before realizing the Mysore studio was in a dingy basement. I walk in, a little bashful about my incompetence, and it smells funny, looks serious, and is totally intimidating. Somehow I made it through practice, and never stopped going back. 

But I realize now that this wasn’t the most welcoming experience for a beginner. Ever since I started teaching Mysore, I’ve made it a goal of mine to make sure students’ first experiences with Mysore aren’t intimidating like mine was.

The point of this story is that there’s no perfect way to start practicing Mysore, and there’s no perfect time to start practicing Mysore. But I believe that the secret to anything is just to begin. I went that one time, and here I am all these years later. Open yourself to the possibility of something unfamiliar and new and wonderful happening in your life.

When should you consider Mysore style yoga practice?

When you are a beginner. No prior experience required. We like a clean slate to work with. New students have fewer bad patterns, so your teacher can begin teaching you the Ashtanga method without it being influenced by previous experiences with other styles of yoga. New students are taught Ashtanga one pose at a time, piece by piece, and together we build a sustainable practice.

When you are experienced. Think you’re the most advanced person in a class? That will never happen in Mysore. After ten years, you’re still considered a beginner. There’s a depth to this practice, and we are uncovering it one layer at a time. I may be biased, but I truly believe the best way to advance your practice is with Mysore style. Here’s my biggest problem with group class: the teacher teaches to the middle of the group, so to speak. There’s really no other way to safely teach a group class, but that means the students on either end of the experience spectrum — beginners and advanced yogis — are less likely to get the instruction they need to take their practice to the next level. In Mysore, the postures are taught to you as an individual. Mysore style practice is designed to keep you on the edge of your seat — just when you start to get comfortable, your teacher will throw you a curve ball and there you are working your edge again. The repetition and individualization built into the practice ensures your progress. There is no better way to take yourself to the next level than by surrounding yourself with people who are already doing it.

When you are injured. Mysore style teachers are highly trained with a minimum of ten years of practice under their belts. The Mysore method asks you to practice 5-6 days a week. That means that, at some point, we’ve all practiced through injuries. Or maybe a better way to say this is that we’ve practiced around injuries. And because the practice is taught to the individual, we welcome students who are injured. You go at your own pace in Mysore practice, making it easier to work within the limitations of an injury. Your Mysore teacher’s goal is to make the postures fit the person — not the other way around. So come as you are, and let the practice help you love yourself just the way you are.

When you are looking for a more personalized experience Do you love working with a teacher who knows your name? And knows your practice? Mysore style is firmly rooted in consistency — consistency with style of practice, consistency with a time of day, consistency with a teacher. Heck, some students have been practicing in the same exact spot for years. But you know what’s waiting for you on the other side of a consistent practice? Anything you want to go for. There’s simply no better way to advance forward than committing to practice and being consistent with it.

You need a nudge to commit. Look, we get it. Life is busy and there will ALWAYS be things pulling you away from yoga. Let community pull you in. Your teachers and your co-practitioners will keep you accountable. They have that effect on people. My favorite catchphrase is see you tomorrow. We’re all more likely to show up when we know someone is expecting us in the Mysore room the next morning.

You adore practicing in a community There’s something powerful about practicing with a community — even if the community is just one other person. Community holds us accountable. Community helps us believe that change is possible. In a community, you are practicing with people who are already doing it. People who have already gone through it. People who are silently supporting you, without anyone saying a word, there is a collective voice encouraging you: You can do it. Belief is essential, and it grows in a communal experience.

You like safe spaces. Mysore rooms are places that support our practices. The teachers are skilled and offer you help. The community is all going through it too. Mysore rooms are places where you can fall, laugh, cry, yell, and keep going. Mysore style practice allows for you to have your own experience. You aren’t going to be told what to do pose by pose, minute by minute. This allows for you to have your own experience. No one is going to tell you what to feel in a pose. No one is going to read you poetry and try to manipulate your feelings. Good or bad, your experience is yours to have. We will provide the safe space, but the experience of yoga will unfold to each person individually.

You like results. There’s no doubt about it: a daily Mysore practice will yield noticeable change in your yoga practice in a small amount of time. Repetition is built into the practice. You practice postures until you become proficient at them, and then you practice them some more. It might seem boring at first, but anyone who has practiced Ashtanga will tell you, it’s never the same thing twice. You can practice the same postures several days in a row, and each day it will be a completely different practice. The repetition that is built into the practice allows for things to change quickly. It won’t take long for your body to change, your mind to steady, your quality of breath to improve. Because we practice the same postures on a daily basis, it doesn’t take long for things that once seemed impossible to become possible.

The best time to begin was yesterday and the next best time to begin is tomorrow. Wherever you are, begin. 

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Guest Spotlight: Nate Gorence

Meet Nate! A Flowgi for the last six years, Nate is dedicated to Flow's Mysore program but can also be found in a Pilates or Rocket class. Learn more about his love of Flow & fly fishing.

What is your current practice like and how does it fit into your daily routine?

My practice is focused on Ashtanga and Pilates, but I mix in a few other classes here and there. I aspire to make Mysore every morning, but, between work travel and lack of sleep, my Mysore practice is far from daily. Still, I try to get to the studio every day that I'm in town--for a led primary or Vinyasa class, or Rocket on Sunday. I also try to make Pilates 2-3 times a week to compliment my yoga practice. I'm definitely more focused, more energized, and happier when I practice daily.

What inspires you to practice at Flow?

The entire Flow community--great mix of welcoming, dynamic, and motivating teachers and practitioners.

What was your first yoga experience like?

First yoga experience was a gym yoga class in 2009. I had no idea what I was doing and could barely touch my toes. I thought it would be good to increase my flexibility after a week-long backpacking trip that left me with a little tendinitis. I gradually started practicing a few times a week until Mimi Rieger told me that she thought I would really enjoy a more consistent practice at a studio. So, I gave that a whirl and haven't looked back. I think I've been a Flow member since 2011, which is hard to believe.

Who are some of your most influential teachers?

Whoo, I have a lot. The Flow Ashtanga clan: Jen Rene, Gail Harris, Todd Anderson, Cory Bryant, Nicole Kaib, and Chris Anderson. Mimi Rieger, who got me beyond gym yoga. Jonathan Ewing for Sunday Rocket. Clare Kelley and Juliet Stovall for cringe-inducing but ultimately rewarding Pilates. David Kyle, who taught my teacher training and helped focus my Ashtanga practice.

What is something the Flow community may not know about you?

As much as I love yoga, I love fly fishing more. There are a lot of similarities between the two, but fly fishing will always be first passion.

Anything else you would like to share?

If you run to Flow, you can go easy on the first few Vinyasas.

Ashtanga 101: Welcome to Ashtanga

Here’s the truth: Starting an Ashtanga practice is hard.

Yoga is often misrepresented as being all happy feelings and pretty asanas, or my personal favorite “relaxing.”  But the fact is that getting serious about your practice is a challenging endeavor. The thing is, though, that that’s the case with starting anything new. It makes us feel awkward and frustrated and challenged. Starting something new is a struggle.

A big part of an Ashtanga practice is learning to honor the struggle.

Unfortunately, the struggle is a hard sell. Yoga is sold as a feel-good, relaxing experience, when the truth is that a daily Ashtanga practice will make you work. There will be a lot of difficult steps along the way and there will probably be days that you don’t want to practice.

The benefits of an Ashtanga practice, though, far outweigh the struggles that they grow from. If you engage wholeheartedly, your practice will change you – first it will change your body, then it will change your mind, and then it will change your behavior. And that’s when it starts to change your life.

Strictly speaking, an Ashtanga asana practice is six asana sequences that are practiced with prescribed drishti, breath, and duration, and a pranayama sequence that is equally well defined.

When you start an Ashtanga practice in the Mysore setting, you start small. You don’t need to have all of primary memorized, in face you don’t have to have any yoga experience at all. You don’t have to be flexible or strong — your body will change with practice. Trust that you’ll get there.

When I first introduce a new student to the Ashtanga practice I explain it to them the “bookends”. Each day, you start with sun salutations and the end with the last three seated postures. These are the bookends. They’ll always be how you start and finish your practice, but what will change over time is what happens in between them.

Your teacher will show you the postures one by one. When you come to practice, repeat the practice that you have been taught; when you get to the last pose you know, go to your finishing postures. It might seem tedious sometimes, and it might look like you are doing the same practice every day, but it’s never quite the same. If you go through all you know every single day, you’ll get to know it that much better in both your body and your mind. The body changes with every single practice as well as with every day, and week, and month. In fact, this is one of the most important philosophical concepts we learn — that nothing in this material world is permanent. Don’t expect it to be the same every day, but rather observe the change without attachment or negativity. Part of the practice is being ready each day to work with the changing nature of your body.

The repetition that is built into the practice lends itself to transformation. You will quickly begin to feel more comfortable and proficient in the postures. You will begin to notice how the body changes from day to day. Importantly, the repetition of postures also provides us with the opportunity to not only recognize our habits, but also to change them. And then as soon as you begin to get more comfortable, a new pose will be introduced.

Initially, your practice will be short. It’s a steep learning curve and things change quickly at first. Plan on 45 minutes to an hour for your first practice. In the Mysore room, it's an open format, so arrive based on when you want to leave. If you have to be on your way to work at 8:00 and your practice takes 45 minutes, plan to start no later than 7:15. Regardless of how much time you have, though, the absolute most important thing is that you make it to your mat. This can be for five minutes or forty-five. But if you have a jam-packed day, a shorter yoga practice is always better than none.

Don’t worry about what you can’t do. If you can’t do a pose or if you forget a sequence, it’s all part of the growing process. Begin the practice of listening to your body, rest when you need to rest, and keep going.

The most important thing to do in your practice is breathe. Movement always follows the breath, and finding breath consistently throughout the practice will help you cultivate a greater ease in your practice. Try to worry less about what your pose looks like — instead, continually check in with your breath. Breath is the foundation for everything — it’s a constant in our lives from beginning to end. Over the years postures will come and go, but the breath will be something we do until we die.

Don’t be afraid to ask questions if you don’t remember what pose is next or when sensations come up in your body — a good teacher (or teachers) will support your practice and encourage you to ask questions. Communication with your teachers will become paramount to your development, so start practicing now. And remember that the teachers are here to support you.

If you don’t have a teacher available to you, there are lots of good resources online. You should follow the same guidelines: Show up consistently five or six days a week, gradually add poses of the primary series, try to achieve a level of ease in the pose, and continually check in with your breath. You don’t have to do all your poses for it to be considered a practice, and you’ll learn to recognize when less is more. Your practice should leave you feeling energized, not drained.

If you’re like most people, you will be sore from practice. The best thing to do, even though it might feel unnatural, is to keep practicing. A common early mistake is to rest every time you’re sore, but this tends to perpetuate the cycle of soreness. If you show up more frequently but do less, this will allow your body to adapt to experience less soreness in the future and will give you the opportunity to better understand your discomfort.

Try to be consistent with a practice time and set a routine to help you make it to your mat. Showing up is the hardest part — it’s much easier to keep going than it is to get started.

And remember, always be compassionate to yourself. Practice loving kindness on you. No one said this would be easy. But I promise that with the right attitude and guidance, this practice is for everyone. You don’t have to be flexible or strong or fit or young or skinny. You just have to be open to change.

Check out Jen Rene’s blog for more ashtanga everything!

And if this post has gotten you Ashtanga /Mysore curious…guess what? We are offering an Intro course in a few weeks led by Cory! If you can’t make the workshop - did you know you can try Mysore out at Flow - we have an awesome special! for you to try out.

A three day workshop: 

Saturday, September 29 8:30-10 AM
Sunday, September 30 8:30-10 AM
Monday, October 1 6:30-8:30 AM

Curious about our Mysore morning practice at Flow? We invite you to join Cory in this special workshop offered in a small group format for the perfect introduction to the Mysore style of practice. The workshop is limited to 12 people for personalized attention.

In the first three days of this workshop (Sat, Sun & Mon) you will be introduced to the essentials of the Mysore Asthanga system, practice the elements of the primary sequence with an emphasis on the foundational postures of Ashtanga and get a lot of personalized attention. After our three day introduction you will join our daily Mysore practice group (your choice, morning or evening) for the rest of the week where you will continue developing your practice under the guidance of experienced teachers. The week of Mysore following the workshop is included in the cost!

This workshop is appropriate for beginners and all students wishing to deepen their Ashtanga practice and who are curious about our Mysore program. You do not need to know Primary Series to attend!

When the Learning Starts

I’m not sure exactly when I stopped obsessing over asana. There’s been a gradual shift over the past couple of years, as I’ve become less hungry for the next pose and more hungry for how to become a better teacher, a more devoted practitioner, a better person. This year has been full of unexpected challenges which have shifted my perspective. I went to India to practice and was stopped there by life circumstances. I went to Encinitas to see my teacher to help me through an injury when I was too scared to practice, and now I’m working on new techniques and at a different pace.

I’m here in Boulder almost 3/4 of the way through Richard Freeman’s month-long teacher intensive. This has been on my Ashtanga bucket list for years, and it has absolutely been worth the wait. The practice is slow and deliberate, led mostly by Richard. Confession: we haven’t done full primary yet! It’s a different thing for me, to take a month off from teaching and not bust out my practice. I teach all year, and when I go away I really like to focus on my asana practice because I so often just don’t have the energy or focus to invest into my own asana.

But this year, it seems, is different.

It’s a new thing for me to take time off to practice and to realize that I’m not that interested in practicing asana. Don’t get me wrong – I love asana! But in not focusing specifically on asana work, I’ve been able to focus on being a better teacher, a more devoted practitioner, and a better person. I’ve been able to shift toward serving my students better, and I’ve had this modeled to me so well by my own teachers.

You know what? It’s just as exciting and just as rewarding as any study or practice I’ve ever done.

Over the years, I’ve started to realize what it means to be a teacher. A teacher performs a function to a student, projects possibilities for growth to the student, and is representative of the path – this is no joke! Students are vulnerable to teachers, and that’s a delicate relationship that needs to be honored.

A teacher nurtures the journey of the student while not interfering with their path. Teachers work with all the hopes and fears of their students. A teacher should never hold on too tightly, but instead foster a love for the practice and empower students to be their best selves.

As a teacher, I try to create a warm and supportive environment for my students. A place where everyone feels welcome, safe, and supported. A place where growth and transformation are not only possible, but happen every day. I believe that a teacher should empower students, not hold them back or tell them how to feel. My goal as a teacher is for students to surpass me and eventually to find teachers who know more than me.

I’ve only learned all this because I have been blessed with amazing teachers. Teachers who have given to me generously, who hold me up, who humble me, who give me confidence and tell me I can. My teachers encourage me to study with other people and continue to learn.

What I value most in a teacher now is someone who supports not only my practice but my teaching, and gives me something to model myself after. The way I see it, great teachers are those who want to be surpassed by their students.

As a student I have gotten to the point where I no longer want to be taught about technique. And maybe this is where the learning starts. My growth now is to try to grow into my role as a teacher. And this is why the student-teacher relationship is so important to me. This is why I prioritize spending my time and my money to go learn from teachers who I hope to someday be like. Because I’m no longer looking only to learn the next pose – what I want now is someone who can teach me how to be a better person.

A teacher has to be a leader for their students, but also a follower of the lineage. There needs to be a willingness to lead, and to sacrifice. A teacher has to come from a place of love and willingness to lift others.

And when this happens it is truly is a beautiful thing.

Think of the fullness of possibility! A teacher raises a sangha, a community, to go forth and multiply and build their own communities and support all beings.

So you see, the point of building community isn’t to patrol – it’s to raise them up. And as a teacher, I am at the center not because I want to be the boss but because I want to serve other beings. The energy, power, and love doesn’t flow outwards from the center – it comes inwards.

The most important thing that I have learned from my most important teacher is that a teacher doesn’t hold the student back and the teacher always has the student’s back.