Mysore or Led Primary? Finding Your Way Into Ashtanga
We have 2 methodologies in Ashtanga: Mysore-style classes and led classes.
Since it’s January and it’s a time when a lot of new students are exploring yoga, I thought I’d discuss the two options and offer some strategies for which class might be the way for you to start.
It’s a question we get all the time. New students are often a little scared or intimidated by the idea of the Mysore room. How can you learn the sequence if you don’t already know it? The self-practice nature of the room seems so unfamiliar compared to the led classes that are more commonly taught.
Let’s be clear: the two classes are entirely different experiences.
And where to start depends a lot on what your background is and what your schedule is like and what you’re hoping to get out of the practice.
In led class, you get a wide view of the entire sequence. That means ALL THE CHATURANGAS (73-ish?), full closing with backbends, a long shoulderstand sequence, and headstand. It’s an incredibly useful way to get a holistic experience of the practice. But it’s also impossible to teach individual poses with any detail or subtlety or precision.
We are in and out of poses so fast–five breaths in most cases–so if you haven’t ever seen Janusirsansa C before: good luck to you. Same for Garbha Pindasana.
The teacher is calling the poses and the breath count, but offering little (if any) cueing. The assumption is that you know the poses.
I’ve seen new students look on in horror as people roll back onto their heads in the final seated pose in primary, Setu Bandasana. There’s a ton of lotus/Padmasana, so your hips need to be ready. Class is also roughly 90 minutes, so there are real demands on your physical conditioning and focus.
So in led practice you get the macro view of the sequence, the proper pace and breath count, but might lose ways to access individual poses with care.
And in Mysore class? Because the teacher is working with you, it’s a chance to get more detailed information about the poses and how to work into them, modify them, and transition in/out.
You get to drill down and really focus. You can spend as much time as you need or want warming up and cooling down and workshopping around poses you struggle with. But (potentially) at the expense of maintaining a consistent pace and solid relationship to the breath.
As you’re learning initially, your practice will also be shorter which can help build conditioning over time. Folks around you might be doing breathtaking backbends or putting their foot behind their head, which can be more than a little distracting if you haven’t seen these poses in a class before.
Mysore classes give you the opportunity to study with intent, but at the cost of partitioning the sequence in ways that can sacrifice the bigger picture. And the experience required to maintain focus in a busy room might be too much for new students.
Here’s the other thing: they are deeply different community experiences.
In led class everyone is moving and breathing together: doing (suffering?) through the slow count of Navasana, together. Your breath and focus reinforces the focus of the students around you. Their breath reminds you to breathe. In the Mysore class, that shared experience is more diffuse: you become a community through seeing each other every day. Even though you are all doing different parts of the sequence, you’re all still breathing and learning together.
We all love when students come to observe too. It’s a really useful way to see how the practice works. It can be tough, when you’ve made the time to get up early and are eager to practice, to just roll your mat out and watch but it can help settle you and show you a lot about how the room functions. One of my teachers showed up to practice back in the day and her teacher made her watch for a week. She demonstrated her patience and dedication and she also by the end saw the structure of the sequence start to finish (and how to do a sun salutation properly!).
So: where to begin really depends on your background and experience and what you’re looking for in the practice (and let’s be very honest: the early time of most Mysore classes is itself a roadblock to some.)
I’ve had newcomers–people who literally have never done yoga before–come to led class and do great. BUT they usually had backgrounds in dance or cheer or martial arts and could follow the choreography of led class with no problem.
I’ve also had newcomers completely adrift and by about the halfway point hit complete mental and physical overload. I’ve also seen students with a long history of yoga balk at the particularities of the sequence and really struggle.
And some transparency here: my introduction to this practice was through led classes. I fell in love with it through that experience and I still love teaching it. I don’t think I would have had the discipline or dedication as a younger student to stick around through a Mysore practice. I needed to be led.
This is maybe the final question to ask of yourself if you’re thinking of starting an Ashtanga practice: are you looking to be led or do you want to lead yourself?
How much (posture alignment, sequence, breath count, transitions) can you absorb? In led class you get all of of it. In Mysore, the information is presented more slowly and methodically.
We love having new students, whichever class you decide to begin with. Sharing this practice I’ve studied and dedicated myself to is a valuable part of this experience. Hope to see you on the mat soon!