So, Is There Mysore-Style Ashtanga in Indianapolis?

I heard rumors, after the Kino weekend (the 9-11 of this month), that sometimes teachers will search online for Mysore-style in Indy and not find it and then decide that we are not a destination. These are rumors.

BUT

If you're a teacher who's just done that, and you've landed on this post, here's my official answer, with more detail than you'll find anywhere else.

SORT OF.

There is "sort of" Mysore-style here. In most ashtanga classes in the city, particularly those taught by whom I would consider to be the major teachers (and those are Carol, me and Amanda), students will do what I call a "Mysore/Led blend," which means that some students will already have memorized, and will do, time permitting, perhaps as much as a Primary-plus-some-Intermediate program. Others, who are newer, will be led.

What we have is Mysore-style STUDENTS. We do not yet have a 6/day Mysore-style PROGRAM, although there is a Monday morning Mysore-style room in one studio and a Monday night Mysore-style room in another studio.

Let me use my own room as a demonstration of how and why:

I teach a class simply called "Ashtanga," at 12:30 on Sunday afternoon. Up until February 2011, classes had been maybe 1-6 students, and I would lead everyone except the brave soul or two who, just from repetition, would move ahead of my lead, and then fall back in, when s/he got lost.

In February 2011, suddenly my yoga room kicked up to a dozen people (in fact it hit eighteen, that month, one day) and it has stayed that way ever since, except for around July 4 and Spring Breaks in March and so on. Very reliably somewhere around 14 people, I'd say. And as those larger numbers developed a more regular crew (maybe a dozen real committed regulars?), the regulars began to memorize and to "do it themselves," with my guidance, and I just couldn't find any other way to run the room. So I split it; some Mysore-style (sort of) instruction over there, and then led class, over here.

This type of split instruction is now the standard, and the regulars are finding that they need more regular practice to advance further in the yoga, and so we are avidly seeking a where, a how, a when, and a whom.

Land in this community and teach us, and we will come.

Admittedly, Kino had rooms of 35-40ish people here in every workshop session (and that INCLUDES a Mysore-style class) but those were people from Indy, Illinois, Ohio, and even Kentucky. Still, does not just the fact that Kino and Cityoga pulled that kind of membership, make us some kind of nexus?

We are looking for a way to crack the eggshell of a real Mysore-style program, but the seam just hasn't appeared yet. It's coming. Come here and help us find it.