What is Mysore style Ashtanga Yoga?
Mysore-style Ashtanga Yoga is the traditional method of learning and practicing Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga as taught by the late Sri K. Pattabhi Jois in Mysore, India. Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga is the oldest developed lineage of Vinyasa Yoga and the first to be passed down and taught in a class setting.
A Mysore class is not guided as a whole but rather all instruction is given individually within the group class setting. No experience in an Ashtanga practice or any Yoga practice is necessary. Complete beginners are taught from the ground up. Poses are taught one-on-one which allows the practitioner to learn and progress through the fixed sequences at their own pace under the guidance of the teacher. The teacher assists each student individually by giving verbal instruction and physical adjustments while guiding the student through memorizing the sequence of poses in each series. The specific expression of the postures, and transitions between them, may be adapted to meet the individual’s specific needs. There are 6 Ashtanga “series” which are taught in sequential order as the student progresses from one to the next.
There is a deep focus on the union of breath with movement as well as using the breath to sustain energy, relax, move deeper into the body, and create a meditative quality to the practice. Initially, the student receives much attention and instruction. Once the student memorizes the foundation of their practice it evolves into a quiet and meditative self-guided practice in which the teacher observes and adjusts as necessary to help the student to refine, deepen and advanced the understanding of every pose. The teacher will always continue to guide the student including adding poses to their practice that will progress them through each series for as long as the student commits themselves to the practice.
When to practice?
You may begin your practice at any time during a Mysore session and leave once you have completed your practice. For beginners, this could be half an hour, and for the more advanced up to 2 hours and 30 minutes.
It is recommended to practice as often as possible up to 6 days a week with 1 day for complete rest from physical activity. Beginners should be ready to commit to at least 3 days per week in order to remember what they have learned in each session and build their foundation for their practice.
There is no class on the days of the full and new moon. It has always been the tradition in Ashtanga Yoga to rest from asana practice on these moon days. When asana practice is done daily, rest days are important for regeneration; and the biweekly "moon day" comes as a welcomed respite.
http://ashtanga.com/html/moondays.html
What are the benefits of an Ashtanga Practice?
A self guided practice allows you to get really quiet and focus on what is happening in your breath, mind and body on a deeper level. There is a greater sense of presence within yourself since you are free from having to give attention to external instruction. This way of practicing creates a greater meditative effect on the mind and body bringing more peace and clarity into your daily life. Because the asanas remain the same each day you will be able to observe how your sleep, work, relationships, habits, and diet influence how you feel in your body from day to day. This will influence you to make better choices that nourish rather than deplete you. Having set poses to do does not allow you to avoid that which you struggle with. Instead you are asked to face these areas and learn how to work through them. This deepens your connection to observation, listening, and mental endurance. In the physical you will find more freedom and strength within your body and the deep breathing will strengthen your respiratory and cardiovascular abilities. Ashtanga is a very balanced practice of mental and physical conditioning.
Ashtanga yoga literally means "eight-limbed yoga," as outlined by the sage Patanjali in the Yoga Sutras. According to Patanjali, the path of internal purification for revealing the Universal Self consists of the following eight spiritual practices:
Yama [moral codes]
Niyama [self-purification and study]
Asana [posture]
Pranayama [breath control]
Pratyahara [sense control]
Dharana [concentration]
Dhyana [meditation]
Samadhi [absorption into the Universal]