Welcome. If you’ve never done this before — never set foot in a Mysore room, never heard a Sanskrit count, never touched your toes without thinking hard about it — you’re exactly who this room is for. Here’s everything you need before your first morning, in the order you’ll need it.
What this actually is
The Yoga Club is a Mysore-style Ashtanga room. It’s self-paced: there’s no instructor at the front calling poses. You move through a set sequence at your own speed and breath, and a teacher works with you one-on-one — guiding, adjusting, and handing you a little more when you’re ready. It suits a seventy-year-old who wants to garden without pain as easily as a twenty-year-old who wants to sweat and fly.
→ What is Mysore practice? · Our ethos
You don’t need experience
Really. No prior yoga, no flexibility, no idea what you’re doing — all fine. The whole method is built to meet you where you are. You’ll learn a few postures on day one and add on from there.
Before you come
- Book a start time. Our schedule runs on Fluent Booking — pick a slot that works and reserve it. → See the schedule & book
- Tell Michael it’s your first time. A quick heads-up so MJH is expecting you and a teacher’s ready to take you through it. → Let MJH know
One thing worth knowing: the doors are open for longer than there is a teacher on duty. That extra window is Open Practice — reserved for students with an established practice and a regular membership. As a new student, you come while a teacher is on duty to guide you, which is exactly what booking a start time sorts out.
Coming to a guided (led) class instead? The teacher begins at the class start time — they may not be there early unless you’ve arranged it ahead of time. And if you need any accommodation at all, reach out first and we’ll make it work.
Your first morning
- Come at your booked start time — after 7:30 on weekdays, 9:15 on weekends — when a teacher is on duty and waiting for you.
- Watch for a minute if you like. You’re welcome to observe the room before you start — no pressure either way.
- A quick chat. Your teacher will ask about any injuries or health concerns so they can look after you.
- Then you begin. You’ll be shown the opening sequence and practice at your own pace.
→ The full first-day walkthrough
What to bring
- Comfortable, breathable clothes you can move in.
- A towel — you’ll sweat; it’s a warm practice.
- A mat? Not at first. We’ve got mats and towels here while you figure out if this is your thing.
- Water bottles live in the cubbies, and there are two showers if you’re heading to work after.
Making it yours
When you’re ready to keep coming, membership is simple — and we run a sliding scale so cost is never the reason you can’t practice.
Go deeper (when you’re curious)
- Mysore resources — reading and how the practice is built
- Meet the teachers
- The Shala Daily — a daily field guide to the practice
- Books by Michael Joel Hall
That’s it. Come as you are, a little before the doors open, and we’ll take it from there.