25 Aug 08: My seemingly ‘obsession’ with Mysore explained

Of all the people receiving this email, only about 1% of you are ashtangis … and if you don’t know what an ‘ashtangi’ is, you’re definitely part of the 99%!

I can safely assume that most of the 99% think I’m quite crazy to keep travelling to India, and only to 1 place (ie Mysore). Not only over and over again, but also for lengthy periods of time. Hands-up those of you who harbour those thoughts? Dad, guilty right?! ;o)

I thought it would be quite appropriate to try and explain why I come here and what I get out of it. I know that you are all busy people rushing from one thing to another. This is in stark contrast to me who’s done with practice at 8am every morning and then has the rest of the day to do just about … nothing. With this in mind, I will try and keep this as succinct as I can.

Since I picked up ashtanga yoga 7 ½ years ago, it’s increasingly become an important part of my life. Ashtanga started as a purely physical activity which has deepened over the years to a mental ‘quiet time’ on my mat as well. Without going into details, the key difference between Yoga and gymastics or bodily contortions is the focus on the Breath and the Present moment. So, I am not trying to join Cirque de Soleil or the Chinese acrobatic troupes on Orchard Road. I’ve been told that I’ve changed since I started doing yoga … more chill, more laidback plus the unspoken … weird eating habits, sleeping hours and an ‘obsession’ with going to Mysore 

I enjoy ashtanga because it builds physical strength, stamina and flexibility as well as providing a mental refuge for myself every morning. It’s changed my entire outlook on life. I appreciate and enjoy all the things I’ve been blessed with (there are many) and try to take each day as it comes.

So what’s the deal with Mysore?
Well firstly, my teacher Sharath looks a bit like Roger Federer (whom most of you know plays quite an important part in my life!). I’m SERIOUS and if you’ve never met Sharath in person, you don’t have the right to poo-poo this.

Secondly, Mysore is the source and home of Ashtanga Yoga. Practitioners from all over the world (from complete beginners to super-experienced) come here to practice. You enter a room of 50+ people and all you hear is breathing and all you feel is a sense of focused energy. It inspires you to give your best every day. Even though you don’t feel like it, the group energy carries you through. As my teacher Sharath said, 15 days practice in Mysore is like 5 months anywhere else.

Things move slowly here. The ‘1st commandment’ of ashtanga is ‘Practice and all is coming’. The 2nd is ‘Ashtanga is 1% theory and 99% practice’. These are the guiding principles here. It’s not so much about getting more advanced postures but to work fully with the postures you are doing now … the rest will come.

There is a lot more I could say but I’ll stop here or eyes will start to glaze over. Akan datang … a typical day in Mysore, starring me, supported by ‘Roger Federer’, the coconut man and my bouncer-chef neighbour.

ps. For those of you who read to the end of last week’s update and are wondering, the washing machine is PERFECT  … almost as good as finding a popiah stall outside the house.

pps. the ants are still here too!