I have never done Ashtanga. Can I come?
Yes.
You don’t need to know the sequence before you come. You learn it here, slowly and one part at a time.
In many ways, beginning without knowing anything is quite wonderful.
There is nothing to unlearn and nothing you are supposed to prove.
Do I need to be flexible?
No.
Flexibility is not a requirement for yoga.
Neither is strength.
You come with the body you have.
Am I too old to start?
No.
The practice does not belong to young, flexible bodies.
How you practise at twenty-five may be very different from how you practise at fifty, seventy or eighty.
That is not a lesser practice.
It is your practice.
But everyone else will know what they are doing.
Some will.
Some absolutely won’t.
And most people are far too occupied with their own breath, body and practice to worry about yours.
What does “traditional” mean here?
It does not mean that everything old is automatically right.
It means that I teach Ashtanga as a practice learned gradually, through repetition and relationship between student and teacher.
There is a sequence. There is a method. There is continuity.
Tradition gives us something to work with.
It does not relieve us of the responsibility to think.
Do I have to practise six days a week?
No.
You have a life.
Work. Children. Relationships. Bodies that sometimes sleep badly. Days when things simply don’t go according to plan.
Consistency matters.
Perfection does not.
We find a rhythm that is realistic enough that you can actually keep returning to it.
What if I have an injury?
Tell me.
An injury does not necessarily mean that you cannot practise. It may mean that the practice needs to change.
Sometimes considerably.
And sometimes rest really is the practice.
Will you adjust me physically?
Sometimes.
But an adjustment is not something a teacher is entitled to do to your body.
There should be a reason for it.
And you can always say no.
How do I know when I am ready for the next posture?
You don’t have to know.
That is part of what I am there for.
Sometimes the answer will be yes.
Sometimes not yet.
Neither is a judgement of you.
How long does it take to become advanced?
That depends entirely on what you mean by advanced.
If you mean difficult postures, some bodies learn them quickly and others never will.
If you mean becoming more attentive, patient, honest and a little less driven by every reaction that appears –
that may take a lifetime.
Can I come once just to try it?
One practice will probably not tell you very much.
Mysore Style is something you learn over time. The first morning may feel unfamiliar. You are learning the room, the rhythm, the practice – and I am getting to know you.
If you are curious, write to me first.
Tell me a little about yourself, whether you have practised yoga before, and what brings you here.
And if you are not sure whether this is for you, you are very welcome to come and watch.
Sit quietly in the room.
Stay for ten minutes or for the whole practice.
Watch how people arrive, how they practise, how I teach, and how different one person’s practice can look from another’s.
There is nothing you need to decide that morning.
Sometimes watching tells you much more than trying something once.
What should I bring?
Comfortable clothes.
A mat if you have one.
And yourself.
That is enough.
What if I still have questions?
Then ask.
You are not supposed to understand everything before you begin.