New Yoga Class In Mysore

Masterji, as our yoga teacher, is generally called, has moved from Bangalore to Mysore and his new yoga school is up and running. Masterji (or M.S. Viswanath) comes from Mysore and studied with his uncle, the eminent yoga teacher, Sri Pattabhi Jois, for many years. He is one of the few teachers to have learnt aspects of Ashtanga yoga rigorously from Pattabhi Jois over a long period. He is quite involved in teaching students yoga for their personal practice and also to enable them to teach others.

We just returned from a short trip to Mysore, partly for work and partly to meet Masterji once more. Mysore is always a wonderful change from the raucous, rushed city that Bangalore has evolved into. Mysore has also grown and expanded, but its sleepy, friendly air still remains and R.K. Narayan's descriptions still flood my mind as I drive through market places, enter ancient streets with old family names etched on houses and eventually find my way to Lakshmipuram, where the yoga studio is located.

It's not as large as the Bangalore set up but there is an air of purpose and a nice energy that emanates from the class. For me, it's always a joy to meet the teacher who has taught me so much about the practice of yoga. The landlord, a pleasant, middle aged man, trundles up for his daily yoga class along with the other students.

The weather is warm but there's a refreshing breeze and one hears the rustle of coconut leaves and occasional strains of music or vendors' calls from the streets below. There is very little traffic in this area and it's easy to get around with a two wheeler or, of course, with the ubiquitous autos (autorickshaws). It's a nice little set up and Mysore will probably remain a gentle, unhurried town for another decade or two before it catches up with the madness of Bangalore.

The address of the class is 946/1A-CH16, 2nd Floor, Behind Lakshmipuram Post Office Road (on the bylane left to Homkara internet café, next to Sri Hebbar’s house), Lakshmipuram, Mysore. Details can be obtained from http://viswanath-masterji.blogspot.in/

The class is not easy to locate from the address alone. The simplest way is to go past the Lakshmipuram post office until one sees a sign on the right, (put up on the wall of a house) for Masterji's yoga class. This sign is placed just before Homkara café. Near the sign, to the right, there is a small lane which one has to walk down. The studio is located a few houses down the lane, on the left, at the top floor of a house and it has a sign for Masterji's class.

There are some options to rent rooms in the area. However, it is easy to move around in Mysore and one can look for accomodation in our neighbourhoods as well. The rooms don't often come with food or cooking options, one has to make independent arrangements. Good food and a comfortable room are important to sustain one's practice so it's well worth looking at the options carefully before deciding. There are also lovely weekend possibilities for overnight trips from Mysore - to forests or hills or to a Tibetan settlement, if one has the energy to travel after a week of intensive yoga!