Ashtanga Yoga

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mysore-style ashtanga yoga page

Mysore-Style Schedule - Kentucky Street Studio

mon

6:30-8:00 am Mysore-style Ashtanga Laura Spaulding Kentucky Street

4:00-5:30 pm Mysore-style Ashtanga Gail Minotti Kentucky Street

tue

6:30-8:00 am Mysore-style Ashtanga Laura Spaulding Kentucky Street

4:00-5:30 pm Mysore-style Ashtanga Laura Spaulding Kentucky Street

wed

6:30-8:00 am Mysore-style Ashtanga Laura Spaulding Kentucky Street

4:00-5:30 pm Mysore-style Ashtanga Gail Minotti Kentucky Street

5:30-6:30 pm Sanskrit Study* Sanskrit Club Kentucky Street

thu

6:30-8:00 am Mysore-style Ashtanga Laura Spaulding Kentucky Street

fri

6:00-7:15 am Mysore Led Class Laura Spaulding Kentucky Street

7:30-7:45 pm Kundalini Stavah Chant* Chanting Group Kentucky Street

4:00-5:15 pm Mysore Led Class Mysore staff Kentucky Street

5:30-6:45 pm Yoga Sutras Class Group Discussion Kentucky Street

sun

7:30-9:00 am Mysore Led Class Laura Spaulding Kentucky Street

9:15-10:15 am Guru Gita Group* Chanting Group Kentucky Street

* These classes require texts or handouts. Click here for information.

Moon Days for March - May (No Mysore Classes)
March 8, 22, April 6, 20, May 6, 20

Mysore Registration

Advance registration is required - drop-ins are not allowed.

- Phone Laura Spaulding at 502-585-9642 to register before coming to class. Leave a message with your name and phone number and Laura will call you back to confirm. You can also observe class first. Call ahead if you plan to come and observe a class.
- New students must attend a minimum of 3 classes per week, Monday-Thursday, for the first month to learn the series.
- New students should not attend the led classes on Friday and Sunday until you have had some experience working with the poses in the non-led classes. The instructor will tell you when you are ready to attend led classes.
- You must attend a minimum of 10 classes in your first month to re-register for your next month.
- Intro memberships do not apply to Mysore classes. The purpose of intro membership is to allow new Yoga East students to try lots of different classes. Mysore classes are for students who have made a decision to commit to Mysore-style practice on a long-term basis. We appreciate your understanding.

Mysore Membership

One Month	$100
Three Months	$275
Monthly - Recurring Debit	$85	12 month minimum commitment. See details below.
Yoga East Alumni - Recurring Debit	$60	12 month minimum commitment. See details below.
Yoga East Current Teachers	Donation

Recurring Debit Policy

Recurring Debits require a 12 Month Minimum Commitment. All debits are made on the 1st day of the month. We will not pro-rate tuition if you enroll later in the month.

ACH Debits: debits are made by our bank's ACH department on the 1st business day of each month. Pay for your first month by cash, check or credit card and give us a voided check for bank coding purposes. Your automatic debit will start the following month. 10 days notice is required to add, change or cancel bank account debits. Notify us of changes by the 20th of the month prior to the change you are requesting.
Debit/Credit Card Debits: Bring your credit/debit card. All debits take place on the 1st day of the month.

What is Ashtanga Yoga?

Ashtanga Yoga�s Founder - Tirumalai Krishnamacharya

Krishnamacharya in Urdhva Padmasana
Date and photographer unknown Ashtanga Yoga is the oldest form of yoga practice that we know of. All traditional forms of yoga taught at Yoga East - Gentle Yoga, Hatha, Vinyasa, Ashtanga, Iyengar and Anusara yoga are all derived from Ashtanga Yoga which was first taught in modern times by Tirumalai Krishnamacharya (1888-1988) who actively taught yoga in the Mysore, India area from 1924-1955.

K. Pattabhi Jois - Ashtanga Yoga Master

In 1927, 13 year-old K. Pattabhis Jois met Krishnamacharya in the village of Hassan, near the city of Mysore, India. Arising before dawn, Jois practiced yoga with Krishnamacharya before going to school. He continued to study with his teacher, first in Hassan and later in Mysore, until 1948 when Krishnmacharya moved to the city of Chennai, India.

Jois began teaching classes at age 19 and taught regularly for over 70 years, until 2007. His school in Mysore, the Ashtanga Yoga Research institute (AYRI), attracted students from all over the world. Pattabhi Jois died on May 17, 2009. His school, now named The K Pattabhi Jois Ashtanga Yoga Institute (KPJAYI), is headed by his grandson, R. Sharath Jois, and his daughter (Sharath�s mother), Saraswathi Rangaswamy.

K Pattabhi Jois 2004
photo- L Spaulding

A complete biography of Mr. Jois and an explanation of the Ashtanga Yoga system and photographs of the complete sequence of Primary series postures can be found on the KPJAYI website.

Ashtanga Yoga has many benefits. Our students say that Mysore-style Ashtanga Yoga...

- Builds strength and flexibility;
- Creates radiant health and well-being;
- Improves chronic conditions;
- Heals old injuries;
- Frees one from old habits and patterns of depression, worry and anxiety;
- Builds confidence, courage, enthusiasm and joy;
- Enables one to be at one's best in any situation, no matter how difficult;
- Makes one steadfast, compassionate, and light-hearted.

What is Mysore-Style Ashtanga Yoga?

Mysore-style is the teaching method of the Ashtanga Yoga system as used at the K Pattabhi Jois Ashtanga Yoga Institute in Mysore, India. Mysore-style is the original method of teaching yoga in which the instructor works with each student one-on-one. The instructor gradually teaches new students the sequence of postures, allowing students to work through the postures at their own pace. The instructor makes suggestions for improvement and gives corrections and adjustments. As the student learns the sequence and develops proficiency in the postures, more postures are given. New students should allow 30-60 minutes for practice in your first few weeks. As you gain experience and learn more postures you can expect to spend 60-90 minutes practicing 24-48 postures.

Mysore-style Ashtanga is only for students who want to make a commitment to the daily practice of Ashtanga Yoga. Students must attend classes at least 3 days a week. The best results will be obtained from practice 4-6 days a week and most Mysore students attend class 6 days a week. This is why we do not allow drop-ins to Mysore-style classes. Most students need 2-6 weeks or longer to establish a practice rhythm with Ashtanga Yoga. If you do not attend regularly, it takes longer for you to learn the form, longer for you to see progress, and this gives you an inaccurate perception of the Ashtanga Yoga system. If you are ready to practice yoga on a daily basis, then you are ready for Mysore-style Ashtanga Yoga.

Mysore-Style Ashtanga is the way yoga has been taught in India for thousands of years. Yoga East is one of less than 50 yoga schools in the United States with this kind of class, and the only school in Kentucky with a teacher who was trained and authorized by Pattabhi Jois to teach Ashtanga yoga.

Click here for a good article about Mysore-style classes in New York City with my friend, Eddie Stern.

Yoga East Chanting and Sanskrit Classes

The importance of Sanskrit study and chanting was emphasized by Krishnamacharya and Pattabhi Jois. Chanting is a yoga practice - a method for personal transformation. In the past, chanting was taught with other associated disciplines, including how to sit, how to focus, etc... Why should we study Sanskrit? Because yogic knowledge has always been communicated this way, with the many technical terms that are part of the Sanskrit system.

The traditional philosophies of yoga are called darshanas, and they are important to study because they contain rules of logic and ways of knowing the truth. In yoga, experience is very important. However, experience is useless without understanding. A yoga teacher must have correct knowledge and correct understanding. Krishnamacharya once said, "Invalid knowledge - taken as valid - blocks the entry of valid knowledge." It is important for one who is dedicated to the path of yoga, particularly those who teach yoga, to have correct knowledge of the yoga tradition.

One needs knowledge of Sanskrit to know the meaning of technical terms found in the texts. For example, there are many words that mean "cause", and six terms for cause are found in the Yoga Sutras, eg, the cause of the conjunction of the seer and the seen. Hetuh, bija, etc - all mean "cause" but the meanings are slightly different. For the word intellect, there are different words with different meanings, eg., manishya, prajna, buddhi... It's important to understand the differences.

Yoga East's Sanskrit and Chanting classes are very basic, for beginners with little or no Sanskrit and chanting experience. At the present time we are learning to read and write the Sanskrit alphabet, learning correct pronunciation of asana names, and chanting and studying these texts: Shri Guru Gita, Kundalini Stavah, and the Rudram.

The Sanskrit Club is an informal study group that meets on Wednesday nights at 5:30-6:30 pm. Please download the Chanting Manual and bring your Guru Gita book. You can order the Guru Gita from the Siddha Yoga bookstore online here. Kundalini Stavah and Rudram texts are available at class, but you can also order your own copies from the Siddha Yoga Bookstore.

Phone Laura Spaulding for more information about Sanskrit and Chanting classes. Phone 502-585-9642. Please do not phone in the evenings or on weekends. Leave a message with your name and phone number.

Yoga East Mysore-Style Instructors

Laura Spaulding began studying with Pattabhi Jois in India in 1999 and studied with him every year until he died on May 18, 2009. Mr. Jois first authorized her in 2004, and she was in the first group of students to receive Level 2 Authorization from R. Sharath Jois, Pattabhi Jois's grandson and successor, in 2009.

Laura is assisted by Gail Minotti, Erin Cronin, Lauren Schott, and Patty Stark. These are Mysore students who have maintained a dedicated practice for a substantial period of time, and have completed Primary series. Gail, Erin and Lauren also teach led classes and are graduates of our teacher training program and Patty is a volunteer who has also assisted Laura in the Mysore classes and studied in Mysore with Saraswathi.

2012 Moon Days and Holidays
Mysore classes do not meet on Full and New Moon Days.

January 9 Full Moon January 14 Makara Sankranthi January 23 New Moon Year of the Dragon	February 5 Superbowl XLVI February 7 Full Moon February 12 Lincoln's Birthday February 14 Valentine's Day February 20 Maha Sivarathri February 21 New Moon	March 8 Full Moon March 11 DST begins March 17 St. Patrick's Day March 20 Vernal Equinox March 22 New Moon
April 6 Full Moon April 6 Good Friday April 7 Passover April 9 Easter April 12 Ram Navami April 20 New Moon April 22 Earth Day	May 5 Derby May 6 Full Moon May 13 Mother's Day May 18 Punyatithi - K Pattabhi Jois May 17 New Moon May 28 Buddha Purnima May 28 Memorial Day	June 4 Full Moon June 19 New Moon June 20 Summer Solstice
July 3 Full Moon - Guru Purnima July 4 US Independence Day July 19 New Moon July 20 Ramadan begins	August 1 Full Moon August 2 Raksha Bandhan August 10 Janmasthami Ram's Birthday August 15 Indian Independence Day August 17 New Moon August Ramadan ends	September 1 Ganesh Chaturthi September 14 New Moon September 17 Rosh Hashana September 19 Ganesh Chathurthi September 22 Autumn Equinox September 29 Full Moon September 30 Pitru Paksha begins
October 2 Gandhi Jayanit October 15 New Moon, Pitru Paksha ends October 16 Navratni begins October 24 Dassera October 29 Full Moon	November 4 DST ends November 13 New Moon November 13 Deepawali November 22 Thanksgiving November 28 Full Moon	December 9 Hannukah December 13 New Moon December 21 Winter Solstice December 28 Full Moon

Mysore Class Etiquette

Morning arrival time - experienced students who are practicing full Primary series may arrive between 5:45 and 6:30 am. New students should arrive no earlier than 6:30 and no later than 7:00 am. If you arrive late, please start your finishing poses by 7:45 and be finished by 8:00 am so the instructor can close the studio.

Afternoon arrival - all students practicing full Primary series need to arrive at 4:00 pm. If you are late, you will need to cut your practice short so that the teacher can lock the studio at 5:30 pm.

Parking - in the morning please pull up right behind the car in front of you so everyone can easily park.

Maintain silence in the studio as a consideration to students who are in relaxation or meditation.

Shower before practice. Make sure your clothes, mats and towels are clean.

Do not bring water bottles, clothes, mat bags or anything else into the practice room. If you sweat a lot, you may use more than one towel. You should only have your sticky mat, Mysore mat and a towel.

Bring all injuries to the instructor's attention.

If you will be out of town, please write it on the roster.

Women should not practice on the first three days of the menstrual cycle.