Starting July 1, I will be making some changes to the morning Mysore classes. For the Monday-Thursday classes, the studio will open at 5:45 am for students at all levels, including new students, and the studio will close at 8:30 am. I am adding 2 self-practice sessions for Intermediate students on Fridays at 8:00-9:30 am; and Sundays 5:45-7:15 am. Intermediate students are those who are practicing Intermediate series or students practicing Primary series who have my prior permission and need no adjustments. There is no change to the afternoon Mysore class times for now.
Jude Vanderhoff has been assisting me in the mornings and now teaches the Tuesday afternoon Mysore. Jude has been attending Mysore classes on a daily basis for three years, has now completed Primary series, and he will be making his first trip to study in Mysore in October. Before Jude leaves, I will be looking for someone who can assist me while Jude is away. From now on, I plan to have a regular assistant in the morning classes.
I'm delighted that our Mysore program has grown. The morning classes now fill both rooms one or two days a week. I need assistants. In the past I've relied on volunteers such as Karen Cairns, Patty Stark and Jude, but we can't continue to run our Mysore program with volunteers.
The Ashtanga system sets a high bar for teachers. Ashtanga teachers are expected to maintain a 6-day-a-week practice and teaching schedule, must be proficient in all the postures he or she teaches, and must continue to study in Mysore annually under the supervision of Sharath Jois, the current head of the Ashtanga system.
This is not easy to do, and traveling to Mysore every year is expensive - not that any of us are complaining or consider this to be a tiresome chore. Far from it - we understand the importance of our annual time in Mysore and we value it.
I hope that our community understands the importance of it and values it, too. For all of these reasons, I am raising the Mysore tuition beginning in September, which will give everyone enough time to evaluate your practice and determine the level of your commitment to it.
Starting September 1:
Attending up to 12 days per month (3 times a week):
Non-Recurring: $100 (no change from the current fees)
Recurring debit: $85 (no change from the current fees)
Unlimited Attendance (22-24 days per month):
Non-recurring, monthly: $115
Non-recurring, 3 Months: $310.
Recurring Debit: $100
Recurring debits require a 12 month minimum commitment with a penalty for early cancellation.
This is Yoga East's highest tier of tuition, and Mysore members may attend classes at all other locations, but must still maintain Mysore practice requirements. Remember - if you are not practicing 6 days a week, you are not experiencing Ashtanga Yoga as it is meant to be experienced.
There are special rates for Yoga East (non-Ashtanga) teachers, teacher trainees and work-study students. You can view these on the website. I do not want to turn anyone away who is not able to pay the fees, but I do expect a high level of committment from anyone who requests a special rate.
On a slightly different note, one of the reasons I'm making the change is that I find I no longer have time to practice before the morning Mysore class. My practice takes almost 2-1/2 hours now, and it's very hard for me to complete my practice by 6:30 am. My practice has suffered lately by having to rush through it, skipping poses sometimes so I can finish and start teaching at 6:30 am. Jude and I are going to try to switch off practice and teaching to enable each of us to get our practice done and still both be available to give adjustments during the time when most students need adjustments.
Someday I hope that we will have 3-4 people assisting in class and that we will be able to expand the afternoon Mysore hours into the evening times with assistants, and add more led, beginning and intro Ashtanga classes in the traditional format. KPJAYI sets the standard for Ashtanga teachers: one must have studied in Mysore at KPJAYI and be Authorized or Certified by KPJAYI. An Authorized teacher is allowed to have assistant teachers, and those individuals must be dedicated Ashtanga students who have studied with the teacher for a substantial period of time (Sharath prefers 3-4 years), and who are planning to study in Mysore. Gail Minotti has been practicing with me since 2002; Patty Stark has attended for a long time and has been to Mysore; Erin Cronin has practiced with us for years and is headed to Mysore this Fall. If you are interested in teaching or assisting in the Mysore class, keep practicing to meet the requirements, and I invite you to talk to me.
After every practice I feel so blessed to have discovered this practice, to have been receptive to it; to have practiced it regularly, to have sought out teachers like David Swenson and Tim Miller, to have been encouraged by them to go to Mysore, to have gone to Mysore, to have met Pattabhi Jois, Saraswathi and Sharath; to have hosted Sharath here; and to have gone to Mysore so many times. This practice has changed my life, and everyday I thank God and my Guruji that I found it.
Much love is there,
Laura Spaulding
Jude Vanderhoff has been assisting me in the mornings and now teaches the Tuesday afternoon Mysore. Jude has been attending Mysore classes on a daily basis for three years, has now completed Primary series, and he will be making his first trip to study in Mysore in October. Before Jude leaves, I will be looking for someone who can assist me while Jude is away. From now on, I plan to have a regular assistant in the morning classes.
I'm delighted that our Mysore program has grown. The morning classes now fill both rooms one or two days a week. I need assistants. In the past I've relied on volunteers such as Karen Cairns, Patty Stark and Jude, but we can't continue to run our Mysore program with volunteers.
The Ashtanga system sets a high bar for teachers. Ashtanga teachers are expected to maintain a 6-day-a-week practice and teaching schedule, must be proficient in all the postures he or she teaches, and must continue to study in Mysore annually under the supervision of Sharath Jois, the current head of the Ashtanga system.
This is not easy to do, and traveling to Mysore every year is expensive - not that any of us are complaining or consider this to be a tiresome chore. Far from it - we understand the importance of our annual time in Mysore and we value it.
I hope that our community understands the importance of it and values it, too. For all of these reasons, I am raising the Mysore tuition beginning in September, which will give everyone enough time to evaluate your practice and determine the level of your commitment to it.
Starting September 1:
Attending up to 12 days per month (3 times a week):
Non-Recurring: $100 (no change from the current fees)
Recurring debit: $85 (no change from the current fees)
Unlimited Attendance (22-24 days per month):
Non-recurring, monthly: $115
Non-recurring, 3 Months: $310.
Recurring Debit: $100
Recurring debits require a 12 month minimum commitment with a penalty for early cancellation.
This is Yoga East's highest tier of tuition, and Mysore members may attend classes at all other locations, but must still maintain Mysore practice requirements. Remember - if you are not practicing 6 days a week, you are not experiencing Ashtanga Yoga as it is meant to be experienced.
There are special rates for Yoga East (non-Ashtanga) teachers, teacher trainees and work-study students. You can view these on the website. I do not want to turn anyone away who is not able to pay the fees, but I do expect a high level of committment from anyone who requests a special rate.
On a slightly different note, one of the reasons I'm making the change is that I find I no longer have time to practice before the morning Mysore class. My practice takes almost 2-1/2 hours now, and it's very hard for me to complete my practice by 6:30 am. My practice has suffered lately by having to rush through it, skipping poses sometimes so I can finish and start teaching at 6:30 am. Jude and I are going to try to switch off practice and teaching to enable each of us to get our practice done and still both be available to give adjustments during the time when most students need adjustments.
Someday I hope that we will have 3-4 people assisting in class and that we will be able to expand the afternoon Mysore hours into the evening times with assistants, and add more led, beginning and intro Ashtanga classes in the traditional format. KPJAYI sets the standard for Ashtanga teachers: one must have studied in Mysore at KPJAYI and be Authorized or Certified by KPJAYI. An Authorized teacher is allowed to have assistant teachers, and those individuals must be dedicated Ashtanga students who have studied with the teacher for a substantial period of time (Sharath prefers 3-4 years), and who are planning to study in Mysore. Gail Minotti has been practicing with me since 2002; Patty Stark has attended for a long time and has been to Mysore; Erin Cronin has practiced with us for years and is headed to Mysore this Fall. If you are interested in teaching or assisting in the Mysore class, keep practicing to meet the requirements, and I invite you to talk to me.
After every practice I feel so blessed to have discovered this practice, to have been receptive to it; to have practiced it regularly, to have sought out teachers like David Swenson and Tim Miller, to have been encouraged by them to go to Mysore, to have gone to Mysore, to have met Pattabhi Jois, Saraswathi and Sharath; to have hosted Sharath here; and to have gone to Mysore so many times. This practice has changed my life, and everyday I thank God and my Guruji that I found it.
Much love is there,
Laura Spaulding
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