Rachel Morarjee in the Financial Times:
Over the decades, the residents of Mysore got used to the sight of westerners dolled up in saris wandering through the streets. Blonde girls in Indian dress were among the thousands of students who flocked to the south Indian city to study Ashtanga yoga with Sri Krishna Pattabhi Jois, the man credited for doing much to bring the discipline to the west.
Jois died on May 18, just short of his 94th birthday, in the city where he arrived, aged 14, to beg on its streets and study Sanskrit. Today, Mysore is the site of one of the world’s biggest IT training centres run by computer group Infosys.
India’s transformation over the past century did little to alter Jois’s daily routine. For more than 70 years, he could be found teaching yoga from four in the morning until midday to scores of eager students from across the world. More:
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I started taking Yoga lessons last month and i am amazed of how it can take away the stress of my mind and body.
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Many yoga classes are out there, and you may be turned off if you pick one that does not suit your personality and state of physical fitness. For most beginners, a hatha or vinyasa class will be most appropriate, depending on whether you want a slow or fast-paced class. These are basic styles, and you can always try something fancier later.