The people at the Shala

Jill from Philadelphia has a great practice, all of primary and most of second series. She also has a sweet straight leg jump through. She has been practicing yoga for the past ten years and has studied with Guruji and Sharat here in Mysore twice.


I met Alyson the first week I was here yet she seemed really familiar. She currently lives in L.A but grew up in Jacksonville and even attended High School with my mother. The more we talked we discovered that we have a few mutual friends in Florida, and she even knows of my late Grandmothers love of card playing. She is also one of the lucky few to have studied with Chuck Miller for the past 14 years, who was one the first Americans to help bring Ashtanga to the States.


Kolin and I arrived on the same day have been good friends since. He practices a raw food diet and hasn't had a cooked meal in over three years. I've eaten a few meals with him and I've never seen someone eat so much fruit in one sitting. Another interesting thing is that he lives in Tokyo and speaks great Japanese, it sounds pretty cool with his Australian accent.


Thomas and Tamara are a Canadian couple that serves a great western breakfast. I think this picture properly shows the kind of funky and relaxed vibe they have at their cafe. I've never really enjoyed breakfast until I came to their Shantosha Cafe, now I've been eating a large meal in the morning, a smaller Indian lunch with rice and chippoti, and fruit with tea in the evenings. Thomas also had a great cooking class and I have a few ideas for some baking projects when I return home.


Camino has been visiting and practicing yoga in Mysore since 1988. She was one of the first to bring Ashtanga yoga to Spain and was a student of Guruji's when there where only twelve students in the room, now there are at least sixty-five students from 4:45-9:00am. She and her son are both Authorized by Guruji and Sharat and has great stories about the old shala, before Ashtanga gained in popularity.

Christine is from Ireland but lives in Spain and has a great humor about herself, which makes me laugh easily.


It's hard to think that I left a month ago. The days are both slow and fast, the yoga practice seems to play tricks with time. I've been practicing full primary and doing back bends with Sharat, all while I'm surrounded by so many great yogis. Last Sunday night Sharat lectured on the fact that Asana is the foundation of our practice but is not the last step. With a strong foundation we are able to continue into the future with great support and can more easily stay in a state of constant positivity or as he said, "always thinking of God." As Guruji used to say, "strong body, quiet mind." Sharat simply says, wake up early, do practice and it will transform your world.

Moments from the practice

On the search

One of the many interesting things about India is that you can pee just about anywhere. I've been amazed by this freedom of relieving yourself in outdoor public locations since I got here and have started to feel a greater connection to nature through some of the things I've seen. Earlier this week I was out for a mid-day walk and found myself eagerly searching for a public restroom, the search continued for about ten minutes until I saw a man peeing on the side of an old building. Why should I be excluded from this basic human right? There was no rational explanation in my mind that could keep me from this piece of freedom, so I slowly walked up to the building and my search for a public restroom came to an end.

For the past year and a half I've had a growing interest in learning more about the Yoga Sutras, which is the spiritual and philosophical foundation for my study here in Mysore. Every morning after practice and breakfast I've been going to the Jayashree Ashram for a philosophy class that has been covering the sutras very deeply. The teacher has been a yogi for many years and it's easy to see and hear that he teaches from his own personal expeience and practice. In the evenings I'm back for chanting of the sutras lead by a sanskrit professor and one of the founders of the ashram Dr. Jayashree. Her voice and pronuciation of each sutra is absolutely perfect and has a great way of breaking down some of the more difficult words to chant. I'm also inspired by a new friend, Niko, who is my age and can chant most of the first chapter from memory.

On a more simple level, the weather has been great, the food has been tasty and the people are cool. I even got to play hand drums for a Kirtan last Friday night. I am truly in an atmosphere that completely supports full time yoga practice. Even eating chocolate cake seems to be apart of the practice.

Till next time.........Om.......

Practice, Practice, Practice

I finished my first week of practice here in Mysore and know very deeply that this is a place of tremendous growth, which is a good vibe for a Capricorn. Being surrounded by so many people that are truly passionate about yoga really helps cultivate a genuine commitment to this practice. The energy at the shala is amazing, everyone seems to be working together, breathing deeply, it's like riding a big wave for two hours.

My practice is at 8am Mon-Thurs, which will gradually get earlier the longer I'm here and 4:45am Friday and Sunday for led class. I have been truly challenged, nothing is ignored and I'm learning to take my time even when the last thing I want to do is take another breath in Kurmasana. Sharat has an eye on everyone and has been a big inspiration to me within this first week. Every morning he does his two hour asana practice before the first students arrive at 4:30am and then teaches till 10am and then teaches the locals in the afternoon and has a wife with two children. Yet every time I see him he's full of energy with a big smile.

I've also been reading a great book by Swami Vivekanada, Vedanta, Voice Of Freedom. The First paragraph of the introduction is what interested me to continue with the book and has been another source of inspiration this past week.

The river does not drink its own water, nor does the tree eat its own fruit. They live for others. Similarly, from time to time great souls are born whose lives are lived for the good of others. They bring peace and happiness to mankind. Having themselves crossed the ocean of Maya(relative existence) they help others cross without any selfish motive. It does not matter when and where a great soul is born or how long he lives; his life and message are a source of inspiration to all people in all ages.


Here are a few pictures from the week.

Hello Mysore, Guruji, Sharat

I landed at the Bangalore airport at 4:30am Tuesday and was soon told that my luggage was lost, a very warm welcome to India. I was given a number to call, $30 on an ATM card, a smile and a wave goodbye, though I was a bit nervous it was exciting being alone in India not knowing what could happen next.

There was no way I could have found an easy way to the train station so I asked a random driver to take me the entire two hours into Mysore, which he seemed very excited to do. I latter found out that I paid double for what I should have, but my experience from Bangalore to Mysore was priceless. Driving through Bangalore was like the zoo and circus exploded into one big wild movement of life, everything is in the open with nothing to hide. Within the next two hours we drove pass street corners playing Indian music louder than most concerts I go to, almost hit a stray dog going about 60mph on the highway, weaved in and out of cows, hogs, lamb, people, road kill, stopped for a pee at a crash site where a man on a motorcycle fell off a bridge, stopped for coffee, stopped for smokes and finally stopped in a random area of Mysore where I roamed until a rickshaw driver brought me to the shala.

Everything started to take a new shape and feel, after many hours of travel I was finally at the Ashtanga Yoga Research Institute. It was such a surreal experience to actually stand where some many great yogis have been before, to see the practice room, ask Guruji and Sharat for lessons at registration, and to simply be at the home of ashtanga yoga.

I feel at home here in Mysore and know very deeply that many great things are starting to happen. There's a unique feeling in the air and in the shala that I cannot explain, which I feel is the essence of yoga.




More things to come, much love to all.

Peace and Om,
K