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Student Questions on Mysore Practice
Why does practice have to be so freaking early in the morning (6 am)?
There are a lot of different reasons as to why practice begins so early. Before the sunrise are the quiet hours of the morning. There’s very little activity going on during this time. Computers haven’t been woken up yet, phones aren’t ringing, streets are low with noise, children are sleeping, animals are still sleeping… you’re probably saying to yourself, “yeah, so I should be sleeping too!” I know, I know it’s tough especially if you’re not an early riser. We are distracted all day by people, noise, social media, phones, traffic, work, families, friends, ourselves, etc. At least in the early morning you haven’t really had too much time to make a bazillion excuses to get in your own way. Trust me, I’ve heard every excuse there is out there too!!
Early morning practice stimulates healthy brain activity, therefore, leading to better decision-making. It also stimulates healthy digestion and increases energy levels. I could sit here and tell you all the benefits of morning practice, but you won’t really know unless you experience it yourself. When you think about it, the only thing holding you back is you. So the next time you want to hit the snooze button 10 times or shut the alarm off, ask yourself this: “Why do I practice Ashtanga yoga?”
Why is water not allowed in the Mysore room?
The number one reason why you don’t bring water into the Mysore room is because water kills the fire, agni, that you’re creating in your body with breath and movement. When you kill the fire, it takes more energy to get the fire going again. The other reason is because it becomes a mental distraction for you. It becomes an exit door for you to take a break from your moving meditation. When you really think about it, how bad do you really need that sip of water?
