Ashtanga yoga is a great practice for beginner students. This lineage of yoga breaks down the core concepts of asana practice from the beginning. It is extremely beneficial when the student embarks on the Ashtanga journey by first experiencing the Mysore method rather than a led class. More common than not, I will hear from a prospective student, “I feel like I need to take the led class so I know what I am doing in the Mysore setting.” Though, the opposite is true.

The Mysore method allows the practitioner to learn at their own unique pace. Advancement to the next posture in the series is determined by the teacher. A student is encouraged to create a daily practice and when they consistently are guided by their teacher they are able to develop relationship within the practice. The teacher can take time to introduce the student to proper breath work, focus, alignment and so on. When we take group led classes it can be difficult for the teacher to address everyone’s individuality on the mat. How the Mysore method is structured, a practitioner is basically receiving one on one instruction within a group setting. Since people arrive and leave during an allocated time, rather than everyone showing up at once, the teacher can float from student to student giving instruction.

If a student has never tried yoga before and attends an Ashtanga class, they have true beginner’s mind. There is no need to break habits that haven’t formed from home practices, class settings, etc. They are able to learn true foundational work that they can translate into other yoga classes they may take. They can confidentially move on their mat with breath, alignment and body awareness.
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The Ashtanga yoga method is truly a unique lineage of yoga. Anyone can benefit from it. The practice does not discriminate against physical capabilities, gender, age, and so on. It simply asks that you show up to your mat and be open and accepting. The healing benefits of this practice are vast. I encourage beginning practitioners and well versed yogi’s to try a class to understand the beautify of Ashtanga Yoga.

“In the beginner’s mind there are many possibilities, but in the expert’s there are few”
― Shunryu Suzuki