The value of learning a practice

A couple of times over the past few weeks I had the new experience of being confronted by first-time students over the value of Mysore-style method of practising. Both of these new students had already done a lot of ashtanga yoga classes before (I didn't ask where) but they had never done a Mysore-style class.So, as I almost always do, I spent a lot of time carefully explaining exactly what our approach is and then I proceeded to teach the sun salutations and the beginning of the primary series (any of you out there who teach Mysore-style will know that you have to give a lot of attention to new students, both so that they learn the practice correctly and also so that you can get to know them and their bodies). It is always our intention to send new students away with something that they can practice at home, even if it's just Surya Namaskara A. Most students appreciate this, and see the value in learning the practice for themselves.But occasionally you can see that this way of teaching doesn't sit well with certain students. In my experience it's usually the ones who have already attended a lot of led classes and are new to Mysore-style who end up having problems with it.Here is the main problem: When you go regularly to a led ashtanga class for a long time you end up getting through quite a lot, or even all, of the primary series. But, unless you're exceptionally switched-on and have a really good memory, you don't actually memorise any of the sequences of poses (let alone the correct vinyasa for each one). Then, when you come to a Mysore-style class we get you to memorise the beginning of the series (we could, of course, bring you through the entire primary series but that's not really the idea behind Mysore-style) and you are limited in how far you get by how good your memory is, not by how much stamina you have or by how flexible or strong you are. This can be frustrating.The experience in your first few Mysore-style classes can be "I can do waaaay more than what I'm being taught here", and  "I thought yoga was supposed to be about switching off my mind; they're making me really think a lot here". Then, after the class, these two particular students who I mentioned at the beginning both said that they didn't feel that great feeling that they usually get after doing their 'regular' class. Well, of course not, they only practised the sun salutations and the first few poses of the series.It's a tricky thing sometimes, trying to sell people on the benefits of this way of practising when they don't think there's anything wrong with the way they were doing it before. But here are my thoughts on why you need to persevere and get over that initial resistance:Please don't get me wrong here, there are some great teachers out there who, for one reason or another, are only teaching led ashtanga classes but the majority of ashtanga led classes are, in my opinion 'exercise' classes as opposed to 'yoga' classes. The ashtanga yoga primary series is a fantastic exercise routine and so there is, of course, huge benefit to practising it in any setting. However, if we are ever to go deeper with the practice so that it affects not only our bodies but our minds, emotions, and way of life we are eventually going to need to go much deeper than is possible in the typical led class. When we learn the series ourselves and remove the external stimulus of having to be talked through the whole series, we are narrowing our focus considerably. Then ekāgratā (single-pointed focus) has more potential to arise.Once you learn the ashtanga yoga method for yourself it is yours forever. It is a practice which you can do for decades, slowly refining and going deeper into its many aspects. And you'll still get all the physical benefits that you were getting before in the led classes.If you practice for a long time, without interruption the potential is there for you to experience quiet and stillness on a profound level and even to get a glimpse of your real self, the self that is untouched by modern existence. This is spelled out for us very clearly by Patanjali in the first 16 verses of the first chapter of the yoga sutras.

• 1:2 Yoga is the stilling of the mind.
• 1:3 When the mind is still the seer sees his/her true self.
• 1:4 At all other times the seer identifies themselves with their thoughts.
• 1:14 The mind can be stilled through practice and detachment.
• 1:16 Practice is firmly established when done for a long time without interruption and with a positive attitude.

I'm not saying that none of this is possible in a led class but I am saying it is much more possible to experience what Patanjali is describing when we take ownership of and responsibility for our own practice.Some people, of course, will disagree.If you are thinking of transitioning from led classes to Mysore-style remember:

• The object of yoga practice is to quiet the mind. At the very beginning of your experience with Mysore-style you will find that your mind is busier than it was in the led classes, because you are having to think and remember all the vinyasas. After a short while of practising in this way you will find, however, that it is possible to go much deeper into the experience of stillness as there are much less external stimuli.
• You will generally do less than what your body is able for in the first few classes. This is so that you can remember everything that you need to. We could teach you the whole series but, if we did that, you wouldn't remember any of it. Be patient.
• You might not feel that post-yoga-glow that you experienced in the led classes right away. After only a few classes you'll be back up to the same number of poses that you did before but, this time, you'll know it yourself and will be able to recreate that feeling anytime and anywhere by practising alone wherever you are.
• Yoga is a personal practice. It becomes personal when you take ownership of it.