What is Mysore Style?

Mysore Style practice is integral to the asana aspects of the Yoga Teacher Training. This practice is also open to the public and will allow students in training to practice having one-on-one teaching interactions; and with more of a hands-on approach that is done primarily in silence.

What is Mysore Style?

Depending on who you talk to, the answer to this question will vary, and with some people it will be very stern. The stern one’s would likely be followers of a method of practice known as Astanga, as taught by "GuruJi" Patabhi Jois of Mysore, India (...the sister city of Cincinnati).   They utilize a set of postures known as the Primary Series, Second Series and, sometimes, a Third Series (...3rd is useful if you want to join the circus). "Astangians" are usually the most physically flexible yogis among the many styles. And it is of no surprise that you will also find that many of them are clearly of Pitta Dosha; meaning that they hold a few extra degrees of the Fire Element in their body-mind constitution; or simply put: they tend to be "fiery" people. One thing about Pitta (that I can say as an insider) is that -if we dont make an effort to consciously control ourselves- then we will strive beyond the normal measure to be "right", or to dictate how things should be, and we often overly-strive to over-achieve. And that all may sound well and good, but for the "fire type" (as Ayurveda would call it) it would be better that they learn to just cool it ! This will be good for them and everyone around them. Therefore, this practice -as it is usually done today-, is often Not the style that is best for them. It is a style that builds even more Fire and adds it to the excess of fire that they already have. But it doesn't have to be this way, and shouldn't! for it is actually contrary to original way of teaching from the original guru/creator of the Mysore style: Sri Krishnamacharya (not to be confused with  Patabhi Jois, who was Krishnamacharya's student).

What I have described above is only the Pitta style of Mysore Style practice taht came about from the fiery Astangian who only knows how to approach the Primary series or any series of postures in a yang, firey, aggressive way; that often ends up creating imbalances in their being and character because they are adding fire to fire. Nevertheless, their flexibility, concentration, perseverance and endurance is often quite awesome! But again, this in turn adds to the often self-righteous personality that is often attributed to them.

Pitta is described as a "Tiger" in Ayurveda, and too many tigers trying to prove themselves right can become a rather bloody battle. But try to understand, the Pitta Astangian has seen many fruits from their discipline. They have some claim to a bit of their self righteousness. And yet, this again can lead to being quite stern and rigid in their beliefs; and about what asana practice should be, for them and everyone; and how it should be done; and nine times out of ten it is and Astangian, or a fiery teacher in general, that students will refer to as that 'Nazi yoga teacher' or "Yoga terrorist."

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One great thing about this type of yogi, however, is that their capacity for discipline and their love to be right, can also work for them to the greater good. The love to be right can be re-aligned to be a love for truth. And when made conscious of their tendencies to get caught up in the above mistakes, they are then able to use their powerful discipline to hold themselves open to seeing other viewpoints, and perhaps even protecting other viewpoints; whether they agree with them or not. And if they take it a bit further they may also be able to muster the discipline to suspend their own beliefs and take an honest look at the possibility of having been wrong in some of their own rigid beliefs.  

Unfortunately this is not always the case, but as I said, it does not have to be; and this is one of the reasons I am writing this. The main reason, however, is so that everyone can enjoy and be comfortable with the Mysore style of practice, not just the tigers. The rigidity of philosophy among many who practice Astanga has completely infiltrated the “Mysore Style.” But Mysore Style did not evolve for only Astangians nor for just the Astanga series of postures.

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The ark was built to carry every creature, but when the tigers came on they hoisted the tiger flag and souped up the engine. Many of you know this teacher. They shout,  “Full Steam Ahead! If you’re not with the program you had better jump off!” They have mistaken that beautiful series of postures, wrongly called Astanga, to be reserved for only the lion hearted; not realizing that Kapha dosha (with symbol of an elephant) and Vata dosha (with its symbol being the monkey) could also benefit from the style; but not if they do it like the tiger, but in a way that is right for them.

But again, the pitta tigers in most places have taken over most any Mysore style classes you might find, and they are usually dictating a one and only "correct" approach: the tigers approach!  

In Ayurvedic reality...

Back to the origin..If we take Mysore Style back to before it had a name, we find it as a very flexible approach to asana. It was meant to adapt to all Doshas (mind-body types), all characters: monkeys, elephants, tigers, monkey-tigers, elephant-monkeys, and even the occasional platypuses. Nevertheless, and understandably, most attribute the creation of the style to the late “GuruJi Patabhi Jois“. But this is sort of like saying Sri Patanjali invented yoga; and this sort of thing happens all the time. For example, Patanajli’s 8 limbed approach to the state of being called Yoga is actually what should be termed as the Astanga approach to Yoga, but the world has taken only The 3rd limb of Astanga, called Asana, and deemed it to hold the entire title of Yoga in and of itself , regardless of the other 7 limbs intrinsic to the goal; and perhaps all more adequate than asana to really hold that title -if any could on its own. But they cannot, it is all supposed to work together. As Masterji Vishwanath has taught that Hatha yoga is the first 5 limbs and Rajah Yoga is the remaining 3. However there can be no Hatha yoga without Rajah yoga and there can be no Rajah yoga without Hatha yoga. Yoga is meant to humble the ego, but often when we find those who are ignorant of this we also often find that instead of their practice becoming humbling it inflates their ego instead. MasterJi has been teaching for many years, since he was a young boy as an assistant to Sri Patabhi Jois. Often he would express his dismay at how many come to yoga, usually unknowingly, to build up their ego. Popular pitta-like Mysore style classes can surely do this!  -Hence this long explanation. For, on the other hand, if we know the real goals of yoga, such as to balance our temperament, to become humble, and honor all life and all doshas, and create harmony all around us, then Mysore practice can be the most effective and beautiful approaches to spiritualized movement and higher consciousness.   

Mysore and Astanga...

The other 7 limbs of Astanga, yama and niyama (virtues), pranayama (breath work), pratyahara and the other meditative limbs, for some strange reason are just called limbs. But asana was the limb most people liked the most. And therefore it rules as the great misnomer to define Yoga. And this wrinkled language that continues to lose the deeper meanings in its folds, becomes wrangled even further as we look at these 3 modernized series of postures (that have nothing to do with Patanjali’s third limb (asana) except that the series fit’s the category of asana in general) and we call it Astanga yoga.

We mis-name this one limb as the entire Yoga in and of itself, and the remaining 7 limbs are simply limbs.  It is no wonder that those new to yoga get so completely off base with so many of their unfounded assumptions. Likewise, it is of no wonder that Mysore style practice has completely lost the roots of its intentions.  

Its naming was a very natural unfoldment that happened in the city of Mysore, India, but is certain to have occurred long before this in other parts of India; or anywhere there is a master teacher and students. The difference may only be that in other places a name or term for this approach never emerged. But in Mysore it did; and the only definition for this term that can be given without imposing any degree of unsubstantiated bias is as follows:  

The Mysore Style of teaching involves providing a space for individual asana practice within a group setting, under the supervision of an asana teacher.  It enables students go at their own pace, to work on their own, or work one-on-one with the teacher, to discern and apply postures that are most advantageous when it comes to toning and balancing their muscles and meridians in their own unique mind~body constitution. The goal or result of this, when properly applied by acknowledging such uniqueness and acting accordingly, is a state of harmony. 

Balance/Harmony is the goal. 

Now if we were to say that the object is to go hard like a tiger, and only apply a certain set of postures, and in only one order of doing them, then we are saying what many Astangians claim to be as the ony true form of Mysore. However, if we say this, then we cannot simultaneously claim that the goal of this yoga practice is harmony/wholeness. It negates the right to use the word Yoga in the practice. For the tiger only approach is proven to imbalance many people who try it this way.

We can further qualify this definition by pointing out that the term Mysore style did not even come from Patabhi Jois. It actually came from western students who, upon describing it to others, described it as  “as what they do in Mysore city.”

"GuruJi" (Jois) himself spoke little English. It is certain he did not englishize this term Mysore style. We can be certain however that he mimicked the teaching techniques of his teacher, Sri Krishnamacharya.  And Sri K didn't even teach the primary series or any of the "Astanga" series. He certainly taught postures that you will find in those series, but many other postures and practices as well, and in varied order, as he saw fit. His way of teaching was to meet students who came to him from all over the world, with their varied bone sturctures, proportions, doshas and temperaments, where they were at. Sri K also spoke little english and had to resort to teaching from having the students begin with whatever they know [..which is also how my Astanga teacher, MasterJi Vishwanath, taught me; who is the nephew and former assistant to Patabhi Jois]. From there he would adjust and tweak them until they began to master the poses without so much of his help. It is probable that he would also give a set of postures. But this master was sure to know that the Vedas declared there to be as many postures as there are living beings  ...and the symbolism that is meant by that! But it is not practical or necessary to know thousands of postures. It is good to work with a set, but to apply one set approach for every person is proven time and again to be inappropriate and often even dangerous. If you read Kaushtbub Desikachar's biography on his grandfather Krishnamacharya you will get the feel, as i did, that the way Krishnamacharya would work with individuals would often vary considerably from one student to the next, according to their capacity, constitution and temperaments.

So if you want to know a bit more about Mysore style, do not look to Sri Patabhi Jois, instead go to his teacher, Sri Krishnamacharya. You can trace many styles back to him (including Iyengar) and the masters of these styles/methods practiced with Krishnamacharya in a way that was unnamed, but truer to what we call Mysore Style today.