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* 1st week in Mysore with Guruji at the AYRI (November 2005)

David and I arrived in Mysore on Sunday 6th November. On Monday afternoon, all nervous and excited, we registered with Guruji at the Ashtanga Yoga Research Centre. This also serves as Guruji's home, which is a large and beautiful house by any standards, and even more by Mysore standards.

Anyway, Guruji likes chocolates, so we brought him some. He was sitting in his office when we arrived (there were just 2 other people waiting to register before us). We had written him earlier to tell him we were coming, but he had misplaced our letter together with the photos we sent him. Anyway, he asked us to take new photos and give it to him the next day. We filled in the registration form and turned the next page to see the conditions that we had to sign - only 3 conditions - fees are not refundable nor transferable, we cannot attend another yoga teacher or shala whilst we are studying with Guruji or Sharath or they would expel us and finally, we must stop practising when they tell us to.

That was it. We handed Guruji Rupees 26900 each (or what felt like a million dollars), he counted it , smiled and told us to come "6.30am tomorrow morning". (He actually has a money counting machine behind him).

Anyway, the next morning, we arrived all bright eyed and bushy tailed. There were about 60 people already practising in the shala from the 5am session, and about 20 people waiting to be called in. At first, we did'nt understand the order in which we were supposed to go in. But it transpired that Guruji or Sharath or Saraswati would call out "one more!" everytime somebody finished their back bends, and Sharath would come out and choose us in order of registration seniority. Some people who arrived later than us got to be called in first, so long as they were "an older student". That first day, all 5 of us newies were called in last, at about 7.15 am.

We occupied whichever space was available and started practice. The other newie next to me, a young man from Greece was doing his own thing. He completely threw me out - I was wondering if I was doing the right thing - when I figured out that he did NOT know the sequence at all. Nobody realised this until about 20 minutes had passed, when Sharath came by and asked what he was doing, and told him to do shoulder stand and come back the next day at 7.30am so that he could teach him from scratch. As it was, that day Sharath only taught him Surya Namaskar A.

By 8am both Sharath and Guruji had left leaving only Saraswati. After we finished, I compared notes with David and 2 other newies. Everyone confirmed that we got NO attention except for a touch here or there from Saraswati. Hahaha

This went on to the 3rd day (Thursday) when I figured that I would see how far I should go before someone would stop me. So, when I finished my primary series, I tried out about 6 asanas of the 2nd series before Sharath yelled at me to stop "Primary Series only, Primary Series only!!!!" Caught out in my naughtiness, I nodded and complied.

Today, Friday is led class day. The first session at 5am was led by Guruji and the 2nd session (for us newies) was led by Sharath at a brisk pace. We finished everything including Savasana in 1 hr 15 minutes. As for the Greek boy, Sharath let him follow till Navasana - which we thought was pretty good considering he's only done 3 days of ashtanga!!

No class tomorrow on Saturday.

They announced today that there will be no classes on Sunday and Monday because Guruji is going to Mangalore to receive an award and Tuesday will be moon day. Woe is me!!! We are only just to be here for 2 weeks ( and we have paid a king's ransom already) and now no classes for 2 days!! Oh well, I guess this is part of the Mysore experience.

In any event, it is quite an experience practising in the main shala. The energy is high in the hall, and my practice has been very light and fluid.

2nd Week in Mysore at the AYRI

This was a very short week, considering that the shala was closed on Sunday and Monday as Guruji and Sharath were in Mangalore to received an award for Guruji. Then, Tuesday was a Moon Day.

Practice for the week began on Wednesday . We went through the rigmarole of the previous week, again doing our own thing. But, I did get drop-back help and adjustments from Guruji himself (yaay!) on Wednesday and from Sharath on Thursday (rewarded with a big smile and a "Very Good" (yes!))). Friday was a Primary series led class day. There were 2 sessions.

No class on Saturday. Sunday was another led-class day, but the Primary Series session was held at 5am and the Second Series session at 6.30am.

Although minimal attention is received by the individual student at the main shala considering the large numbers of people coming through, I must say that my drop-backs and stand-ups have grown considerably stronger. Probably that comes from the psychological urges for me not to be a sloppy cop-out when Sharath and Guruji are watching. Also, merely the fact that Guruji was walking around the hall and spreading his energy gave me a fluid and light practice.
Great stuff!

As for the system here – well, I think I have it figured out. If you have arrived for the first time ever, in the first month, you practice only the Primary Series (no matter at which level you are in your personal practice). You only get to do your Second or Third Series in the subsequent months and subject to being permitted or told to do the same by Sharath or Guruji. If you have been promoted beyond your Primary Series by either of them, during your later returns to the shala, you may be permitted to practice your Second or Third series within the first month.

It all means that if you are an advanced practitioner, but have never been to the main shala in Mysore, you should intend to stay longer than 1 month in order to practice your normal practice with them.

As for fees, every time you come to the main shala, you pay Rp26900 for the first month and subsequent (continuous) months will be Rp16900 per month, whether you are a new student or old student. Even if you have been there for awhile, should you take a break to travel and you return a few weeks later, you will have to start with the Rp26900 fees all over again. Fees are payable on a monthly basis and no prorating of fees allowed.

Currently, Sharath will accept prorated fees by the week if you study with him at his shala across the road. However, his classes start at 8.30am after he finishes at the main shala. You also have the option of taking Saraswathi's beginner's classes at 8.30am at the main shala for a similar prorated arrangement. Fees are similar to Guruji's second and subsequent month charges ie approximately Rp16000 per month prorateable.

Harald Sager a friend we met from Austria (he is also a freelance journalist and writer) became a little dejected in the second week. He expressed it succinctly when he said " In my home shala, the teachers were very caring and attentive, and the other students were more outward and friendlier. Here (in Mysore) I feel like I am just being `processed- through', and I am feeling very demotivated and frustrated."

Another student, the Greek fitness instructor who was here for 2 weeks, despite the injunction against attending other shalas for the duration of study with Guruji and Sharath, went to another reknowned yoga teacher (there are quite a few of them in Mysore). He regaled us with stories of some unorthodox methods of helping his back-bends (including having his legs around the teachers neck and being swung around upside down like that, ostensibly to "lengthen" his spine) and he felt that he had benefited from the instructions.

Laurie Cook , a beautiful woman and in her normal life a Judge from Edmonton in Canada, shared with me her experience of tears of gratitude every time she was near Guruji. She said she felt so grateful to him that she cannot help crying.
Ghee, from Brazil, said to David "The energy in this shala is fantastic, but some of these people have huge egos too!!".

An observation I made during those periods of waiting to be called into the shala, was that there was an air of stress… many of the waiting students looked expectant and under pressure (eventhough some of them had been there longer than us). Perhaps it was "guru- worship" and being afraid to do wrong that placed them under this kind of exertion. The were others who felt despairing when they watched advanced practitioners and thought "I will never in this lifetime be able to do that".

On the last Thursday , I saw a few people nursing injuries. A Japanese girl was applying a cold pack to her shoulder, there were bandages around assorted knees, ankles and wrists. I could not help wondering if the mental stress had resulted in these injuries, as neither Sharath, Guruji nor Sarawathi would have spent enough time with any one person to result in these injuries directly.

I have concluded that this was all part of our individual yoga. The true complete yoga Mysore experience should not solely be the asana work (although that was the emphasis at the main shala which in my view developed the huge egos Ghee had observed), but must include your response to pressures and perceived expectations of the environment as well as your ability to balance the importance of the asanawork and the guru within the framework of your lives.

For many of the students at the shala, who had given up or taken long leave from their ordinary jobs and lives, the practice and the guru defined them and their lives. For working Janes and Joes like me, yoga is a part of my life but not my whole life. How you apply this gift of yoga is up to you.

Namaste from India. Alina