First of all, what is Mysore style? Mysore is named after the South Indian town in which the late K Pattabhi Jois taught from the late 1930s until his death in 2009.

Mysore style is the traditional way of practicing Ashtanga yoga which allows a highly personalised approach with all the benefits of the group energy from a conventional class. Your teacher will know your name and know your practice inside out. You can drop into a Mysore session at any time and stay for as long as you wish. For beginners, this could be half an hour, and for the more advanced up to an hour and 45 minutes. A Mysore room is characterised by the sound of breath – a rhythmic breath which generates heat in the body. Everyone is practicing the same sequence but working at their own pace. Mysore practice gives you the space to focus. The cue to move on to the next posture comes from your own breath, instead of a teacher’s instructions.

The approach of this method enables the student to gradually memorise the sequence. A sequence that has been developed with the teacher specifically for their body and their ability. This gives them the freedom of a self-practice that can be taken anywhere.