Student #151 @ AYRI

Yesterday afternoon we were asked to go to the shala to collect our i.d. cards and to determine what time we should practice. Sharath organized the distribution of the cards per batch depending on the day of registration. This is, before december, before AYRI's mid-dec holiday break, Dec 30, Jan 1, Jan 2 and so on... This is the first time AYRI instituted an i.d. system. We have to bring and present the i.d. when we come to practice.

Those who registered way back come at 5-6am. For instance, Bela who registered last September, is scheduled at 5:45. I'm student # 151 and my timing is at 7am. Apparently, some students who came in to register yesterday had to be turned away because the shala is closed and can't accommodate more.

I think there's roughly about 250 students here from all over the world. I may be wrong but it seems like the ratio is 55% men and 45% women, mostly yoga teachers. They come mainly to get away from the cold winter days and take advantage of the long holiday break from christmas to new year.

This morning, when I left past nine, there were still lots of people inside the shala. To tell you the truth, had I known that Sharath has his own shala, I would have registered in his class instead. There's just way too many people inside the shala. As a first timer in Mysore though, I'm glad to be in the presence of Guruji who's still strong at 92 years old.


My recommendation and this depends also on your intentions, if you want to avoid the crowd, try to come before or after the peak months of Jan-Feb. If you want to experience the amazing energy though come this time of the year. You can also sign up with Sharath or Saraswati. Both their classes start at 8:30 am and charge less than AYRI.