Astanga Mysore

Mysore is the name of a city in South India where Sri. K. Pattabhi Jois studied with his teacher T. Krishnamacharya and taught this yoga practice for many decades to students from his own home. To this day, practitioners of Ashtanga Yoga come in to the shala and work at their own pace and ability with the teacher's supervision. New postures are slowly added to enable students to memorise the sequence and form a daily practice aligned with their individual needs. It is a safe class for all levels, from beginners to long-term practitioners.

The Mysore Program runs six days a week as it's through regular attendance that one's practice benefits the most. We encourage students to commit to 2 or 3 days a week practice to start with and work up to six days, if and when possible.

Level of Self-Practice

The Mysore Program is on the schedule at the level of "self-practice" but this doesn't mean that the sequence has to be memorised before you start. In reality, no prior knowledge is needed so do not let this hold back your enthusiasm for learning the Ashtanga method in the traditional way. If you are curious and would like to observe the Mysore room before committing to practice, please email the teacher at the location you will be attending. We will be happy to have you and answer any questions you might have.

Ashtanga Mysore for Beginners

New students are welcome in all Mysore classes, their first visit might be only 20-30 minutes long but will increase over time as their practice grows. Learning this practice requires patience and repetition, so committing to a couple of months to start with is necessary to get a sense of how this system works and to experience its benefits on your own body. While not necessary, it might be useful to join an Ashtanga Led class beforehand (beginners level) so to have an idea of the flow of the practice. There are also a few Mysore Beginners classes on the schedule, where you get a little more guidance at the start. We also offer an Introduction to Ashtanga Mysore Special Class in Amsterdam every couple of months, another perfect way to get started. After attending any of these classes, you are encouraged to join the regular Mysore Program to build your steady practice.

Advanced Ashtanga Led

You may see an “advanced” or "intermediate" level Ashtanga Led class offered on Sundays by the Mysore teachers. This full-led primary class is for those with some experience with the Ashtanga sequence as there is less verbal instruction. However, once somewhat familiar with the beginning of the sequence, students are encouraged to attend this class regularly and simply follow along until they reach their final Mysore class posture in the series or are instructed to stop.

Practical info:

Language: English

Type: 20-120 min.

Location: Delight Yoga Amsterdam, De Clercqstraat & Nieuwe Achtergracht / Den Haag, Scheveningseweg

Price: €20 Delight Single Class | Also available with an Introduction Card, Delight Class Card or a Delight Mysore Membership See all pricing. For OneFit & ClassPass members we do not have spots available for The Mysore Program.

For questions regarding the Mysore Program:

Amsterdam De Clercqstraat: Claudia Pradella - claudia@delightyoga.nl

Amsterdam Nieuwe Achtergracht: Daniela Agius - info.yoginidan@gmail.com

Den Haag Scheveningseweg: Jurre Twijnstra - jurretwijnstra@gmail.com

Advice for your Mysore Practice

• Practice for a maximum of six days a week. Make sure you reserve one day of rest. In our programs, a rest day is taken on Saturdays.

• There is no Mysore practice on the new and full moon days each month. Make sure you check the schedule in advance to avoid showing up to a closed shala.

• If you have an injury or sickness, practice with the intention to heal, and let your teacher know, so that together you can find suitable ways to adjust your practice safely.

• The room is mostly silent, and the teacher (and assistant) walk around to help students individually. While you will receive verbal instructions to learn new postures, most of the assists will be in the form of "hands-on adjustments". Should you have any injuries or sensitivities in your body, please inform the teacher at the beginning of your practice.

• During your menstrual cycle (period), we traditionally rest from Mysore practice on the heaviest days. This observance is both for the physical and the subtle body.

• Don’t practice if you have a fever. When in doubt, try a few Surya Namaskara on your own at home. If you are contagious or very weak, please stay at home.

• Avoid wearing strong and synthetic fragrances as they can be irritating to fellow practitioners.

• There are mats and showers at all 3 locations.

• Take a shower in the morning or the night before so that you can remove oils and lotions, and come to practice clean.

• It's handy to have a clean small towel with you during practice.

• No warm-up is necessary. Keep your energy and intention up by entering and beginning the practice.

• Once you start fostering a regular practice, you might appreciate having your own mat. There are racks in all locations where you can store your mat, space permitting. Keep your mat clean and dry (there are spray bottles with mat cleaner in each studio you can use at the end of your practice; also good to keep your mat unrolled outside for some fresh air once in a while - at home).

• Drop-ins are welcome for regular practitioners visiting from out of town or from other schools.

• To make efficient use of the space in the room, we ask you to come and practice at the stated scheduled times. There is a bit of flexibility around the starting time, so you can start up to 15 minutes before or after the stated starting time. Make sure your practice ends before the end of the shift (including rest time).

• At the Nieuwe Achtergracht location, the Mysore Program only runs monday to friday from 6:30 to 8:30. You are of course welcome to practice at De Clercqstraat on sundays.

• At De Clercqstraat there are additional Mysore classes in the evening, from monday to friday from 18:00 to 19:30. Bear in mind that it is best to practice with consistency at the same time of the day. If you do practice in the evening, refrain from practicing again the following morning as the body needs to rest for a 24-hours period before practicing again.