What happens in Mysore after morning practice?

Dear Katie and Friends at City Yoga,

As so many of you lucky Ashtangis have experienced recently with David's Immersion Workshop, a regular daily practice is the 'best' teacher. Still there is no substitute for a knowlegable teacher who can give sensitive adjustments and personalized attention to your particular body during those practices. That is the beauty of Mysore style learning. I'm becoming more settled into a routine here. My practice, as I may have written already, begins about 5:15 AM. So generally I am leaving the shala around 7:30 AM when the last batch of students are just beginning. because I am able to take extra breaths in poses I want to explore more deeply or repeat poses when asked by Saraswati. And if you want specific help you need to wait until she can get to you. There is no need to rush through and no one says you're going too slowly. During the rest of the day there are several options. For those who just want to do the complete tourist thing, lying beside a hotel pool and listening to their i-pods that's a possibility. Exploring the city of Mysore is a culturally and visually interesting touritst-type activity - although exhausting and not something you need to do daily. Although I have my favorite places that I enjoy returning to, where I always notice something new. In the spirit of deepening the yoga experience, there are an abundance of classes in which to participate. They vary in cost to completely free to quite pricey - there's something worthwhile for every budget. I am taking a Sanskrit class from a young Sanskrit teacher - it meets 4 days a week. After learning to write and read the Devanagari script for an hour we have chanting with the same teacher to emphasize correct pronounciation. Our chanting is from the B Gita, the Yoga Sutras, shlokas for Bhajan and some shanti pat mantras. On the days we don't have that class I meet with his teacher who is a Professor of Sanskrit (she has a lovely south Indian singing voice) and we chant from a variety of sources. The second class is completely free. There are some yoga students who have gone there, perhaps for months becoming years. That class is like going from my 4-day a week Kindergarden-level course to a college-level course. It's very inspiring and humbling at the same time to see yoga students from all over the world in a small room in an ordinary home in an older part of Mysore chanting these verses accurately, by heart. There are also classes in the local language - Kannada, Ayurveda, Ayurvedic Massage, Yoga Therapy, Yoga Philosophy, the Yoga Sutras and South Indian Cooking. All of them are taught by current or retired teachers and doctors. There's always something to learn. After a nap or two during the day I try to have a light early fruit dinner and be asleep by 8PM. It's gotten cooler here in the morning and I am glad that I packed a sweatshirt. Although the temperature is a probably a comfortable 60 degrees it is chilly especially after a hot practice. Hoping you are all well. Continue your practice and all is coming. Lars