October came around bringing with it not only a change in temperature but also a change in schedule. For the past two months I had stayed in the neighborhood not venturing far from the new flat. Practicing yoga with the Wii and a DVD from the library. September was yoga month and I barely took advantage of it, I did how ever sign up at Pure West, an amazing yoga studio on 77th and Amsterdam in NYC. This yoga palace offers many styles of yoga in a beautiful setting. It may cost a pretty penny (especially on a student budget) but the perks are great. Clean yoga mats, subscription to Healthy Living, great changing rooms with mouthwash, cotton swaps, razors, cotton balls, body cream, hair dryers, hair spray and hair gel . Huge clean showers with shampoo, conditioner, shaving cream and body wash. Oh and a steam room. (Although I'm not quite sure what to do with it.)
Now that I have sufficiently advertised the place, here is the first of many accounts of the classes I try at Pure.
Mysore yoga is a breath-led individual Ashtanga Yoga practice originating from Mysore, India and popularised by Shri K. Pattabhi Jois. As opposed to other yoga practices, Mysore teachers do not call out the poses (asanas), each student is taught the sequence individually or in a small group. Once learnt, the student practices at his or her own rhythm. The teacher walks around the room adjusting and encouraging students one on one. Mysore is a series of sequences that you unlock with practice. Each new sequence is more challenging than the last. The postures are linked together in the dance of breath, inhaling and exhaling through the asanas, this movement-breathing technique is called vinyasa.
At first I was a bit unnerved by the chaos going on around me. Everybody doing something different, but most of all everybody already moving. You see, as a beginner student you arrive for the last hour of the class because your practice is shorter (and you are thankful for it). So after being reassured several times that it was okay to walk in to an ongoing class an hour after it has started, I picked up my mat and tentatively made my way to an empty spot in the room. I unrolled my mat and stood in Tadasana and waited. I didn't wait long, the teacher, John Campbell, came around and introduced himself and the general concept of Mysore yoga. We then went through each sequence together once and he made me repeat them on my own 4 times with the occasional "Breath in" and "Breath out" prompted from afar.
The beginning sequences are easy enough, sun salutation A and B, followed by standing poses, and others that I can't recall right now. (It's a lot to learn in one practice.) The challenge at this point is remembering to breathe while you struggle to remember the next pose. "It becomes easier with consistent practice" John told me at the end of my practice as I sat panting on the front of my mat. The girl beside me was relaxing in
Turtle pose (kurmasana) with her ankles crossed around her neck. Incredible. Ideally you practice Mysore Yoga 6 mornings a week (Saturday being a day of rest) and you don't practice during the 3 days of the full moon or the first 36hrs of your period. It is a commitment, but a commitment well worth your efforts.
I really enjoyed the autonomy of this practice and seeing all the different levels of what I will be doing one day, if I keep at it that is. I'm heading back tonight.
Namaste!
