introduction to Mysore Style Ashtanga Yoga
“Practice becomes firmly grounded when well attended to for a long time, without break, and with sincere devotion.” — Yoga Sutra I.14
Introduction
Mysore Style Ashtanga Yoga is both a tradition and a method — a living lineage that originates from Mysore, Karnataka, India.
Its richness lies not only in its history but in its structure of freedom: a balance between form and personal inquiry.
What defines Mysore Style are its distinctive hallmarks that create a deeply personal and transformative experience for practitioners.
These include personalized instruction, the Tristhana Method, the Counted Method, self-paced progression, regular commitment, and the development of independence.
Together, they form a practice that meets each person where they are, while steadily revealing what lies within.
Whether you’re a beginner or a long-time student, Mysore Style offers a framework for lifelong learning and self-discovery.
History: The Roots of Practice
Mysore Style Ashtanga Yoga traces its roots to Tirumalai Krishnamacharya, often called the father of modern yoga, and his student Sri K. Pattabhi Jois.
In the early 20th century, Krishnamacharya taught yoga at the Mysore Palace under the patronage of the Maharaja. His method emphasized breath, alignment, and therapeutic adaptation — tailoring yoga to the individual.
Among his many students, Pattabhi Jois was the one who systematized these teachings into what became known as the Ashtanga Vinyasa system.
After studying with Krishnamacharya for many years, Jois began teaching at his home in Mysore in the mid-1900s. There, he developed the self-practice method that would come to be known as Mysore Style — an approach rooted in tradition yet designed for personal transformation.
Over time, this method spread far beyond India, creating a global community of practitioners who carry forward its rhythm, discipline, and grace.
Today, Mysore Style remains one of the most respected traditions of yoga practice — a bridge between ancient wisdom and modern embodiment.
The Hallmarks of Mysore Style Ashtanga Yoga
1. Personalized Instruction
In a Mysore room, the teacher doesn’t lead the class with verbal cues.
Instead, each student practices their own sequence at their own pace, while the teacher offers one-on-one guidance, adjustments, and encouragement.
This individualized attention honors the student’s current ability, body, and life circumstances.
Beginners receive more guidance and shorter sequences; experienced practitioners work more independently.
Over time, the relationship between student and teacher becomes one of deep trust and transmission — personal, direct, and experiential.
The practice is not about performance; it’s about presence. Personalized instruction ensures that each step is appropriate, intelligent, and sustainable.
2. The Tristhana Method
The foundation of Ashtanga Yoga is known as Tristhana — three points of attention that integrate body, breath, and mind:
Posture (Asana) – steady and skillful form
Breath (Ujjayi) – even, controlled, audible breathing
Gaze (Drishti) – focused, intentional looking
Together, they transform physical movement into moving meditation.
By linking breath, gaze, and motion, the practitioner stabilizes attention and invites the mind to rest in stillness even amid motion.
Tristhana trains concentration (dharana), purifies the nervous system, and opens the doorway to deeper self-awareness.
3. The Counted Method
Every Ashtanga sequence is built on a set number of movements and breaths — the Counted Method (vinyasa krama).
Each movement is synchronized with a specific phase of the breath: inhale to lift, exhale to fold, inhale to open, exhale to release.
As students memorize the sequence and its breath count, the practice becomes an internal rhythm — less about following instruction and more about inhabiting the breath itself.
Over time, the Counted Method fosters focus, discipline, and self-regulation — essential tools for steady progression through the practice’s structured yet deeply personal form.
4. Self-Paced Practice
Unlike led classes, Mysore sessions are self-paced.
Each practitioner moves through the sequence according to their own breath and ability, starting and finishing on their own timeline.
This creates a room that hums like a shared heartbeat — individual rhythms within collective stillness.
Self-pacing cultivates self-knowledge. You learn how to listen to your body, how to rest when necessary, how to challenge when ready.
The sequence becomes a mirror, reflecting back your tendencies toward striving, avoidance, or balance — and in that reflection, growth occurs.
5. Regular Practice
Ashtanga Yoga is built on consistency.
Traditionally, practitioners attend Mysore class six days a week, resting on the new and full moon.
This rhythm of near-daily practice builds heat (tapas), discipline (abhyasa), and humility (vairagya).
The daily return to the mat becomes an act of devotion — not to performance, but to process.
Through repetition, the body grows strong and the mind grows steady.
Gradual change replaces striving; transformation arises naturally from familiarity and attention.
6. Independence
Perhaps the greatest gift of Mysore Style is independence.
Students learn to memorize and internalize the sequence, eventually practicing without reliance on external instruction.
This independence is not separation; it’s empowerment.
It’s the confidence to navigate your own body, your own breath, and your own practice with mindfulness and self-awareness.
Over time, students carry the practice beyond the room — using it as a tool for grounding, clarity, and self-study in everyday life.
Lineage and Parampara
Mysore Style Ashtanga Yoga belongs to a living lineage (Parampara) — a direct transmission from teacher to student that preserves both the essence and adaptability of the practice.
This lineage traces back to the sage Vamana Rishi, through T. Krishnamacharya, to Sri K. Pattabhi Jois, and continues today through Sharath Jois and other authorized teachers worldwide.
Parampara is not dogma; it’s continuity.
It holds the wisdom of tradition while allowing space for intelligent evolution.
Modern teachers have introduced adaptations for safety, inclusivity, and accessibility.
The key is to balance preservation with progress — maintaining the heart of the method while allowing the practice to serve real human bodies and lives.
Closing: The Living Tradition
Mysore Style Ashtanga Yoga is more than a method; it is a mirror.
It asks you to show up daily, to breathe deeply, to pay attention.
Through that repetition, you learn discipline.
Through discipline, you find freedom.
“Do your practice, and all is coming.”
What comes is not instant mastery — it is understanding.
Independence. Kindness. Stability.
The quiet confidence of knowing that your practice, like your life, is your own.