The Ashtanga Mysore Method is a Vinyasa System that was put together by Sri K Patthabhi Jois, in Mysore, India who studied yoga directly under his master T.Krishnamacharya. It is now still being taught by his grandson Sharath Guruji. The practice consists of a series of postures Asanas, that join up continuously through Transitions in close observance with an Ujjayi breath, a Drishti 'gaze point' in each posture, as well as the 3 techniques of Bandha activation. Probably what stands out most in a Mysore Style class is that each student does their own practice, at their own pace, without the vocal instruction of the teacher, (unless it is a stated led-class which is often done once a week) which may seem daunting for some beginners as there is a need for them to learn the sequence by heart. But in the larger view of things, it really is trivial to worry about the extra effort for the rewards it can bring. The postures are introduced very gradually and at the pace needed for each student so it's an easy approach ;)

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Ujjayi Breath; Ujjayi is a deeper inhale breath cultivation that helps to increase the amount of oxygen supplied to us, as well as increasing our exhalation to remove excess toxins. A good awareness of ones exhale is important here, because as we exhale more efficiently and completely, we will naturally create more space for our Inhales. The removal of toxins include also Mental, Emotional, Physical and Environmental. We always breath through the nose, with an ever so slight constriction in your throat to hear the humming of your breath.

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Bandha Locks; The term Bandha means 'bonding'. We bond breath, movement and awareness together. The first bandha is Mula Bandha - found at the root of the spine, centre of the pelvic floor, the perineum. By the slight contraction of the pubic bone to the tailbone we create an energetic seal that locks prana (Life force) in the body. The second bandha is Uddiyana Bandha - a light contraction of the transverse abdominus muscle, which runs horizontally across the abdomen and is used to draw the abdominal contents in against the spine. More simply it can be explained as a slight suction inward just above the pubic bone. Jalandhara Bandha - This lock is only used in a few postures such as the breathing count in Padmasana.

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Drishti; Every posture has a focal point, and this helps in our assistance of Pratyahara (Sense Withdrawal) and Dharana (Concentration) allowing for a more meditative internalization into the practice, as well as just preventing one from looking around which would disrupt a calm mind. The points are towards the; Nose, Third Eye, Navel, Hand, Toes, Side, Thumb and Upward.

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This Vinyasa System was build with the householder in mind, so as to contain as much benefits inside the practice and have respect for the time it took to complete, so the practitioner could easily fit it into their day. The practice also generates quite a bit of heat in the body which further helps the removal of toxins, and with the addition of jumping between sides, along with awareness of our bandhas, we greatly support our development of flexibility with core and muscular strength, which is important so as to avoid destabilizing the body.

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Vinyasa Count; Every posture and breath is accounted for in this practice! So, a led class is a very good way to understand and observe the ancient system of counts (usually pronounced in Sanskrit) following each movement / breath in the practice. This helps us to make sense of the sequence structure.

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