Practice and Methodology
What do we practice?
In Ashtanga Yoga, we practice two main things: vinyasa and yoga tristhana.
Vinyasa, simply stated, is moving and breathing together in synchronisation. And, vinyasa is also more than that. It is attuning to the pattern of rising and falling energy that is occurring within us and around us all the time. Practicing vinyasa is learning to be in harmony with life and the world in which we live.
Yoga tristhana is practicing attention. With the aim of calming the mind, we maintain attention in 3 places: asana, drishti, and breathing.
Using the structure of a set form, we move the body into a series of shapes called asanas. Asanas are tools we use for purifying our bodies and accessing our fullest potential life energy. Moving, bending, and twisting our tissues cleanses, tones, and strengthens our whole body, even our internal organs. Drishti is practicing gazing in a particular direction. Each of the asanas has a prescribed gazing point (drishti). Practicing drishti is practicing mental steadiness; it is strengthening the mind and its ability to remain focused even when processing all kinds of distractions or thoughts. Whilst we are practicing asana and drishti, we also practice free, full breathing that calms the nervous system and builds resilience.
In essence, practicing vinyasa and yoga tristhana is a path into living more at ease with the normal ups and downs of human life. Learning yoga is learning to be at ease with being human and to be with peace in our hearts.
When, how often, and for how long do we practice?
Well-established Ashtanga Yoga practitioners typically practice 6 days a week, resting once weekly on the same day each week (ie. Sunday); we also rest on both full and new moon days. It is okay to practice less frequently! However, Mysore Melbourne recommends practicing no less than 4 days a week - otherwise it is difficult to develop and maintain an appropriate, meditative focus. Infrequent, irregular practice becomes a near-constant physical battle with little opportunity to develop a deeper understanding of yoga.
For beginning students, daily practice typically takes about 30 minutes to complete. Gradually, as a student learns more asanas, the length of practice increases. Practice could eventually be as long as 1.5 hours. It is not important to have a long practice. It is important to practice consistently, even if only for 15-20 minutes every day.
Learning Method
*All Mysore Melbourne students learn slowly and step by step. Students are required to take responsibility for their own learning, memorising the practice that they are taught and practicing it consistently. The teacher guides everyone in the program individually, teaching each student one asana at a time. Whilst the student always remains responsible for cultivating their own practice, the teacher acts as a mentor, observing and directing attention and determining the rate at which a student learns the sequence of asanas. It is best to cultivate a respectful relationship with the teacher, the other students in the program, and the space we inhabit.
*Even new students who come to Mysore Melbourne from another yoga discipline start from the beginning with us.