Led Class Etiquette

How to be the most polite of Ashtangis:

ARRIVING

Read our etiquette

1.  Know your practice space.  Go the yoga shale's website and find out how much class will cost and if you can pay by cash, card, or either.  Are there yoga mats available to borrow or should you bring your own?  Read any recommendations or etiquette notes and follow them.

2.  Leave refreshments at home or work, etc.  Asana is practiced on an empty stomach. There are some exceptions (such as pregnancy).  If you aren't sure, contact the shala and ask.

3.  Wear clean, comfortable clothing.

4.  Arrive early.  If class starts at 6:30am, be there at 6:15am.  This allows plenty of time to sign-in, pay, fill out forms, put away your belongings, use the restroom, set up your mat, etc.

IN THE ROOM

1. Introduce yourself to the teacher if you are new.

2. Always alert the teacher to any conditions.

3. Ask the teacher where to place your mat.

4. Be aware of where water is for Garba pindasana

5. Maintain silence.

DURING CLASS

1. Wait for the count.

2. If you are a Mysore student, stop at your last asana and wait for further instruction.

Where to start AT HOME (Ashtanga Yoga Led Classes on YouTube 2024)

 So if you want to practice and home or don’t have a local teacher etc etc here are some free YouTube videos you can follow along with…

Absolutely a Beginner / Ashtanga Newbie

I send these out to yoga-curious friends. Just try to do these 10 minutes each day and boom you now have a daily yoga practice. The class is taught by my teacher, Sharath Jois. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ybRZa2WK0tA

Seasoned Ashtanga Yoga Practitioner 

This is for you if you have a Mysore practice. It is a recording of a full led primary series class with Sharath.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PNxda4Oxyeo&list=PLFMBVx1px256nJqangJbe58Lp-mDlK81D&index=31

Those are my top picks. Really though, the best classes will be the ones that speak to you. Not everything or everyone is for everybody. Just find something that speaks to you. That’s the perfect class.

Ashtanga Yoga LIVE from Mysore, India via Zoom

For those who make or have made the pilgrimage and for those who wish to or plan to — these classes are for you.

It doesn’t get any closer than boarding a plane and heading to India. 

Usha teaches ongoing classes at the main Shala and has perhaps spent more time studying at the source than most. These classes are seriously not to be missed. You will be led through primary series in the traditional manner with a small conference to follow. Born and raised in India, Usha brings together a deep knowledge of Indian culture and spirituality with the technical asana teachings. 

Classes will be held via Zoom

Sign up here:

https://www.eventbrite.com/cc/ashtanga-yoga-live-from-india-2975099?utm-campaign=social&utm-content=creatorshare&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=odclsxcollection&utm-source=cp&aff=escb

Dates:

20 January

17 February

16 & 30 March

Who should register:

-Current ashtanga practitioners

-Vinyasa students

-Athletic beginners

Classes are on zoom. Gathering is encouraged. 

A glimpse of Mysore

New video documenting moments from led primary, led intermediate, and mysore practice at the KPJAYI (Mysore, India).

Sharath Led Primary Livestream

Video streaming by Ustream

Via Ashtanga Yoga School Moscow

How to learn Ashtanga yoga

People are sometimes a little confused about what Led and Mysore classes are, what they are for, who they are for, etc. Here's the rundown from the main shala in Mysore, India (KPJAYI) and authorized teacher Magnolia Zuniga.

Mysore in a nutshell via KPJAYI:

All students commence their instruction in the same manner in which on the first day of class they are taught Surya Namaskar A, followed by Padmasana and deep breathing, and a few minutes of rest to conclude their first day of practice. The next day after Surya Namaskar A has been performed, Surya Namaskar B is taught, and one then again concludes in the same method as the previous day, with Padmasana, deep breathing, and rest. After both of the Surya Namaskar have been learned correctly, each of the various asanas are added one by one. When one asana is correct, the next one is taught.

Led class in a nutshell via KPJAYI:

Because of the difficult nature of remembering and mastering the various vinyasas, on Fridays and Sundays, group guided classes are taught, in which all the vinyasas are counted out loud and all students follow along together accordingly. 

For a deeper look and further explanation, read Magnolia Zuniga's post at Mysore SF.  Here's a little taste:

I know, I know, you’re not in India. I get it. But you are in a city/town/place where you have responsibilities and an active life. All the more reason to take it slow and be reasonable with your expectations. Supta Kurmasana is certainly not a beginner posture. Just because it’s called primary series, that doesn’t speak to it’s actual level of proficiency necessary to do the postures safely.  Continue reading...

Yoga Comics: Isvara Pranidhana

 

"Awaken isvara pranidhana...especially when Sharath is counting soooo slooooowly during these three postures. Surrender and feel the inner strength expand (even as the outer strength diminishes)."

Isvara pranidhana means surrendering to the supreme soul, or worshipping God. Isvara is the purest form of the soul, not unlike samadhi. Once you surrender to isvara, to the divine, there will be no delusions. The yoga practice is a spiritual practice - not just doing exercise - it is striving to attain spiritual knowledge. First you surrender to the guru, then to the teachings. Only then will isvara pranidhana come. The more you think of God, the more you become attached to the divine, providing inner strength to deal with the uncertainties of life and with samsara.

Via The Yoga Comics

Weekend Edition #1

Eating to support your practice
Guy Donahaye
Ashtanga Yoga Shala NYC
http://bit.ly/VMCWpx


How to learn Ashtanga Yoga. Led class versus Mysore class?
Magnolia Zuniga
Mysore San Francisco
http://bit.ly/YMwMme


How to practice when hell’s freezing over
Angela Jamison
Ashtanga Yoga Ann Arbor
http://bit.ly/V4PXYP

The winds
Kate O'Donnell
Ashtanga 4 Life
http://bit.ly/14JDXiD


Food + Yoga
New segment on the blog on you guessed it, food!
http://bit.ly/VLoo4f


Check out
No Impact Man (book, movie, how-to's)
Vegucated (trailer, watch online)

{Local} Led Primary Series

Led primary series of Ashtanga yoga

Sunday, December 9, 2012

8:15am, arrive early

@Albuquerque Ashtanga Yoga Shala

206 Dartmouth Dr NE (Nob Hill)

More info & registration:
www.AshtangaYogaAlbuquerque.com

Event: Mary Jo Mulligan

YOGA CHIKITSA : MARY JO MULLIGAN
A special practice with KPJAYI Certified teacher Mary Jo Mulligan

DETAILS
Sunday, March 11, 2012
10:00 am - 12:00 pm

Albuquerque Ashtanga Yoga Shala

206 Dartmouth Dr NE, Albuquerque, NM 87106

ABOUT
Mary Jo started practicing yoga in 1990 and teaching Ashtanga Yoga since 1997. She achieved her formal Authorization to teach Ashtanga Yoga in July of 2003 by the late Sri K. Pattabhi Jois and Certification by Sharath Jois in September of 2009, after completing her 10th trip to Mysore, India.

Mary Jo studies chanting at the Vedic Chant Center with Sonia Nelson in Santa Fe, NM, where she currently resides. Other yoga training includes workshops with several world-recognized teachers from the Ashtanga, Iyengar and Viniyoga traditions. Mary Jo has also accomplished the following: Masters of Arts in Eastern Philosophy from St. John’s College in Santa Fe, NM; Yoga Works Teacher Training Program in Santa Monica, CA; Certification of Instruction in Exercise Science from University of California, San Diego, CA; Registered Yoga Teacher through Yoga Alliance at the 500 hour certification level.

See Mary Jo’s website at www.ashtangawithdetail.com for further information and testimonials to her teaching ability.

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