My First Mysore Studio Class

On this most glorious fall day in Washington, DC, I attended my very first mysore studio class. I’ve practiced plenty at home and in studio led classes, but the magic of studio mysore after all these years has been elusive for one reason or another.

I signed up for the second shift so I could ease in and check out what was going on. At the studio, Ashtangis were arriving with me, stowing shoes, keys and jackets. Shedding layers of clothing. I’ve been here before for led primary, so I was not completely in unchartered territory. The studio is located in an unpretentious space, and has just enough room to handle the business of practice. I climbed the stairs timidly behind another practitioner who moved up the stairs with the ease of a regular. The familiar sounds of jumping, landing and breathing were getting louder. The wave of humidity at the top of the stairs was welcoming.

The first shift was well under way, and my stairway guide told the teacher, “She’s new.” The teacher recognized me instantly, welcomed me in warmly and said, “5A’s and 5B’s and we’ll go from there”. This is looking promising I thought but I’ve been practicing a modified version of Primary for years and hadn’t committed the full series to memory. Also, a medial meniscus tear in my right knee in April has prevented me from taking postures that require getting into full lotus without modifications. 5 A’s and 5 B’s later, I proceeded to standing postures, which I’ve done a million times before without thought. Modifying on the right, this was going well and all around me Ashtangis were in various stages of primary and secondary series. Everyone was in meditative bliss. Heaven.

A few assists from the teacher revealed deeper postures totally within my ability but yet to be experienced by me until then. Next it was down to seated postures, and all I knew to be true about sequencing went out the window. I skipped dandasana, paschimottanasana AND purvottanasana! Instantly the teacher was there with gentle correction – how did I forget that? I regrouped.

Shortly after getting back on track the teacher was back at my side. Not to give an assist or a subtle nod of approval, but TO CALL ME ON MY JUMPBACKS. I’d gotten caught shifting my hands forward instead of keeping them planted. Being lazy was my excuse, and habit my reality. Most often, I don’t get called on my tricks and workarounds and now I was cold busted on a nuance I’ve helped so many yogis to achieve for themselves. I felt a weight lifted from my shoulders because this is what I came to mysore for, really.

Instead of modifying between sides, I either did or attempted an honest jump back every time. It’s in the struggle, right? Tired as anything, but feeling stronger than ever, I was permitted to stay in the main room through closing sequence so the teacher could observe me. The weight that was lifted was the relief of having someone look out for me and who while praising me for the things I did well, was willing to call me out on the things that needed improvement. We both laughed at this while I gathered my things, preparing to leave. “I liked that I called you out on your jumpbacks.” the teacher said. “Me too.” I replied.