What is Mysore Style Yoga?
Mysore style is the method of teaching yoga as exercise within the Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga tradition as taught by K. Pattabhi Jois in the southern Indian city of Mysore. Unlike conventional yoga classes where all students follow a teacher’s verbal cues in unison, Mysore style classes are not “led” as a whole—all instruction is one-on-one within the group class setting, with students practicing their own portion of the Ashtanga sequence of asanas at their own pace. This self-directed approach allows practitioners to memorize a fixed series of postures and move through them according to their own breath rhythm while receiving individualized adjustments and guidance from the teacher.
The term “Mysore style yoga” appears frequently in searches for “what is mysore style yoga” and “mysore style yoga meaning,” reflecting seekers’ curiosity about this distinctive pedagogical format. Rather than being a separate yoga tradition, Mysore style is specifically a teaching methodology for Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga, characterized by students arriving at different times during a designated practice window and working independently through progressively taught sequences.
Origins & Lineage
K. Pattabhi Jois established the Ashtanga Yoga Research Institute in 1948 in Mysore, India. Born on 26 July 1915 in Kowshika, Hassan, Kingdom of Mysore (now Karnataka, India), Pattabhi Jois died on 18 May 2009 at age 93 in Mysore. Jois claimed to have learnt the Ashtanga system from his teacher Tirumalai Krishnamacharya. Pattabhi Jois is one of a short list of Indians instrumental in establishing modern yoga as exercise in the 20th century, along with B. K. S. Iyengar, another pupil of Krishnamacharya in Mysore.
With his students’ financial help, Pattabhi Jois was able to purchase a small house with only two rooms in Mysore’s Lakshmipuram district in 1948, where he founded the Ashtanga Yoga Research Institute (AYRI), and classes were taught in the living room. Pattabhi lived a simple, disciplined life, taught with great enthusiasm and worked long hours: classes started at 04:30 in the morning and, with the exception of days of the full moon and the new moon, he also taught classes in the evening, paying great attention to the individual needs and conditions of his students and helping each single one develop their own personal practice. This intimate, individualized instructional approach became the hallmark of Mysore style teaching.
The current style of teaching is called “Mysore style,” after the city in India where the practice was originally taught. Western exposure began with a visit by the Belgian André van Lysebeth to Pattabhi Jois’s small yoga school in Mysore in 1964. In 1975, Jois stayed for four months in Encinitas, California, marking the beginning of Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga in America.
How It’s Practiced
In a Mysore style class, students arrive within a designated time window (often 2-3 hours) and begin their practice independently. Students practice at their own pace, in time with their own breath, moving through postures independently with the support of the teacher who offers individual instruction that’s personal to each practitioner. There is no verbal instruction directed to the entire group; instead, the room maintains a meditative silence punctuated by the sound of ujjayi breath and occasional whispered adjustments.
Practitioners memorize a set sequence of Ashtanga asanas, beginning with Surya Namaskar (Sun Salutations) and progressing through standing poses, seated poses, backbends, and finishing postures. Students are taught postures sequentially—only when a student demonstrates proficiency in their current sequence does the teacher add the next posture. This progressive method can take months or years to complete even the Primary Series (Yoga Chikitsa).
The teacher circulates through the room, observing each student’s practice, offering physical adjustments, answering questions, and determining when students are ready to advance. Traditionally, Ashtanga yoga students memorised a sequence of asanas and practised it together without being led by a teacher; teacher-led classes were introduced in K. Pattabhi Jois’s later years. Mysore style thus represents the traditional form of Ashtanga instruction, while “led” classes (where the teacher counts and calls out postures) emerged later as a complementary practice format.
Mysore Style Yoga Today
Mysore’s fame has made that city a yoga hub with a substantial yoga tourism business. Thousands of practitioners travel annually to Mysore, India, to study at the K. Pattabhi Jois Ashtanga Yoga Institute (KPJAYI), now directed by Pattabhi Jois’s grandson R. Sharath Jois following Jois’s death in 2009. To accommodate the increasing number of students coming to study, Jois opened a new school in Gokulam in 2002.
Mysore style classes are now offered in yoga studios worldwide, typically scheduled 5-6 days per week in early morning time slots (often beginning at 6:00 AM or earlier). Students seeking “mysore style yoga for beginners” will find that most authorized Ashtanga teachers welcome newcomers, teaching them the opening sequence and gradually building their practice over weeks and months. The self-paced nature allows complete beginners and advanced practitioners to work side-by-side in the same room.
Many practitioners distinguish between practicing “Mysore style” (the self-directed format) and attending “led classes” (where the teacher counts in Sanskrit and all students move together). Serious Ashtanga students typically maintain a daily Mysore practice while occasionally attending led classes to reinforce sequencing and synchronized breath count.
Common Misconceptions
Mysore style is not a separate yoga lineage or system—it is specifically the teaching method for Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga. Students sometimes confuse Mysore style with other self-paced or individualized yoga approaches, but authentic Mysore classes teach the fixed Ashtanga sequences as codified by Pattabhi Jois.
The practice is not unstructured or “flow yoga” where students create their own sequences. While students move at their own pace, they are practicing memorized, standardized sequences within the Ashtanga system. The sequences themselves are rigorous and predetermined.
Mysore style is also not necessarily gentler or easier than led classes. Because students receive individualized attention, teachers may actually push students deeper into postures through hands-on adjustments. It should be noted that Jois sexually abused some of his yoga students by touching inappropriately during adjustments. This historical reality has prompted important conversations within the Ashtanga community about consent, adjustment protocols, and teacher accountability.
Finally, “Mysore style yoga” does not refer to all yoga taught in the city of Mysore. The term specifically designates the self-paced Ashtanga teaching methodology, though Mysore hosts various yoga traditions and schools.
How to Begin
Those interested in starting Mysore style yoga should locate an authorized or certified Ashtanga Yoga teacher in their area (directories are available through KPJAYI and other Ashtanga organizations). Most studios welcome absolute beginners to Mysore classes—students need not memorize anything before attending their first session. The teacher will introduce the practice posture by posture, beginning with Sun Salutations and fundamental standing poses.
New practitioners should expect to attend 3-6 times per week, as the memorization and physical conditioning develop through consistent repetition. Bringing a yoga mat, towel, and water is standard; studios often provide or rent mats as well. Arrive at least 15 minutes early for your first class to introduce yourself to the teacher and discuss any injuries or physical limitations.
K. Pattabhi Jois published the book Yoga Mālā in Kannada in 1958; an English translation appeared in 1999. This text remains the primary written resource explaining the Ashtanga system and philosophy. Reading Yoga Mala alongside establishing a Mysore practice provides valuable context for the method’s theoretical foundations and traditional approach.