Mysore style

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Main article: Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga

The Mysore style of yoga asana practice is a particular way of teaching yoga within the Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga tradition as taught by Sri K. Pattabhi Jois in the southern Indian city of Mysore. There are some differences from the usual way in which yoga is taught:

• the class is silent
• students practice their own sequence of asana at their own pace
• the teacher assists by giving physical adjustments

The Mysore style has students learn postures in a fixed order using a special movement-breathing technique called vinyasa. The vinyasa links the postures together in the dance of the breath.

Each student is given their practice according to their ability. Since each posture is designed to prepare for the rest of the series, beginners tend to have a much shorter practice than more experienced students. As they gain strength, stamina, flexibility and concentration, additional postures are given to the student. The sense of the word "given" in this context comes from how the practice is taught in India, where a yoga practice is something that a teacher gives to a student as a spiritual practice. In the West, people are accustomed to learning a lot of postures at once, such as in most led yoga classes. One advantage of the Mysore-style format is that it is for everyone because it teaches yoga according to one's individual capacity.

Postures are given, one by one in a sequential order. The structure of the class depends on the teacher being able to keep track of what every student is doing with a quick glance. If students attempt something out of sequence, the teacher is less able to help in the appropriate way. If a student has trouble with a particular posture, the teacher can offer a modification that is consistent with the intention of the practice. One by one also means that once a student is given a new posture, they practice the sequence through until they get to that posture, then wind down their practice with backbends (if appropriate) and the finishing sequence. The teacher gives the next posture in the sequence when they judge it is appropriate for the student.

The Ashtanga vinyasa method is intended to be a daily practice. Traditionally, practice takes place every day except for Saturdays and Moon Days (Moon Days occur about twice monthly).