You’re a busy college student. Getting up for a 10:30 a.m. class is hard enough, you can’t even imagine getting up to go to a 6:30 a.m. yoga class. But for many people who practice Ashtanga yoga at The Yoga Shala, this is an everyday reality.
The Yoga Shala is a studio located in a small plaza in the middle of Winter Park. It’s a small space, but it’s full of energy and light.
The walls are painted shades of green, purple and blue. Lights are strung throughout the exposed ceiling and tiny lamps sit in the corners of the room, casting a calming glow throughout the space.
The white tile floor is cool to the touch as you walk barefoot on it, weaving your way in and out of other people who are slowly, yet diligently, going through their Ashtanga yoga practice. Soft acoustic music can be heard in the background, but it’s muffled by the sound of everyone’s breath.
The owner of The Yoga Shala, Krista Shirley, turns off the music and calls out something in Sanskrit, a classical language of India. Everyone stops practicing, stands at the top of their mat and chants the opening mantra with her. When it is over, they immediately resume where they had left off.
This is one of the main differences that separates Ashtanga yoga from other forms of practice. Shirley does not stand at the front of the class and call out poses to the members. They each have memorized sequences of poses, called asanas, that they go through on their own. This is a Mysore class.
“The idea of Mysore is that you come in and I teach you, but I’m teaching you to teach yourself. I’m teaching you to empower you,” said Shirley of the Mysore method of teaching.
Ashtanga yoga is the type of yoga that is traditionally taught in Mysore, India, where the name for this method of teaching comes from. It can be argued that Ashtanga yoga is the oldest form of practice, as many types of yoga that are practiced today are influenced by it.
In Hatha yoga classes, the teacher designs each class by pulling various poses from different asanas. Because of this, they must call out each pose and each pose is held for a longer period of time.
Ashtanga yoga is focused on building on each asana. You don’t move on to the next pose if you can’t do the one before it. This makes it much more challenging, and much more of a time commitment because students of Ashtanga yoga must memorize the order the poses go in.
As you go through the sequences of poses, you can feel your body adjusting to the work you are doing. Your mind is too busy thinking about your breath, what you’re looking at and what comes next in the sequence to be worried about anything else. You start to sweat, but it is welcome. Your body is detoxifying itself. You can feel it getting stronger.
The Yoga Shala offers both Mysore style classes and led classes. In led classes, an instructor calls out each pose, but unlike a Hatha yoga class, students are guided through a series of poses in the order they are meant to be in. Because the led classes are fast-paced, this doesn’t give students the opportunity to work on specific poses and prevents the instructor from making individual adjustments.
In Mysore style classes, students are allowed to come to the studio within a certain timeframe, begin their practice and take as much time as they need to complete it. Instructors will watch over each person as they independently move through the series and make adjustments to each individual as needed.
It is recommended that you practice Ashtanga yoga six times a week, resting on Saturday. Shirley started practicing yoga in 2003. Besides taking a few weeks off after having her son and to recover from a few injuries, she has practiced six times a week since.
“People always ask what can I do to get better at yoga,” Shirley said, pausing for a moment. “Practice everyday.”
Besides one day of rest each week, those who practice Ashtanga yoga also take off new and full moon days. Shirley explains that because our bodies are made up of 70 percent water, the tides of the moon greatly affect our energy levels. We become less focused and are more likely to be injured.
Despite these few days of rest, Shirley’s practice has led her to become a level two authorized Ashtanga teacher. Her teacher, Sri K. Pattabhi Jois, was the founder of the Ashtanga Yoga Research Institute, for whom the institute is now named.
Shirley gained her authorization on her fourth trip to India. Her teacher told her to go home and open a yoga studio. The Yoga Shala was born. The studio is dedicated to Ashtanga yoga and past teachers of the practice.
In Ashtanga yoga, Shirley emphasizes that it is important to commit to a practice and to a teacher. It is not for those who want to try different types of yoga and practice at a different studio each week.
“If you’re typically a type A personality, you’re always on the go, your mind is always working, you work really hard; that kind of person would really love Ashtanga yoga because you do have to work really hard,” Shirley said. “The idea behind Ashtanga yoga and the true benefit of Ashtanga yoga is that it’s a moving meditation practice.”
Shirley notes that if you don’t like Ashtanga yoga, there is a type of yoga out there for you, but she encourages people to try Ashtanga yoga and the Mysore style of teaching at least once. The practice will help relieve stress, tone your muscles and allow you to become more aware of how your body and mind work together.
“I would encourage college students to practice Ashtanga yoga before they leave college because it will help tremendously. And I know a lot of college students are so busy; you’re working, you have all your classes and trying to keep up with some sort of social life and to fit yoga in just seems impossible,” said Shirley with passion in her voice. “But if students would do that they would enjoy their college experience so much more.”
She suggests that people bring an open mind, easily removable shoes, comfortable, loose fitting clothing, as well as a bath towel and a smaller hand towel. If you don’t have a yoga mat, you can rent one at the studio.
Shirley emphasizes that those coming to The Yoga Shala to practice Ashtanga yoga should drink plenty of water before and after their practice. Students may not drink water unless necessary during their practice to prevent the body from cooling down in the middle of a series.
The Yoga Shala is located at 927 N. Pennsylvania Ave., Winter Park, Fla. 32801. It is open seven days a week and classes are offered at various times each day. Visit the website at www.theyogashala.org for more information.