Mysore Style 

In Ashtanga Yoga, led classes are meant for beginners only. The classical manner of teaching Ashtanga Yoga is called the "Mysore Style". This means that the students know the series they practise by heart and each practising it individually and at their own pace. The teacher neither demonstrates nor counts but focuses rather on giving adjustments.

For one thing, this way of practising and teaching is most effective for both the students and the teacher. For another, this is the only method of teaching that can assure that the purpose of the practice be achieved at all: Ashtanga Yoga, practised in almost "noble silence" with its uncompromising concentration and its sophisticated breathing technique, cannot be compared with the "Indian gymnastics" that yoga is often taken for. It is a moving meditation, the purpose of which would be rendered impossible with any talking, explanations, demonstration and imitation.