Did you know Mysore is called the yoga hub of India? Want to know the history of yoga in Mysore and how the city will be playing a major role on International Yoga Day 2022? Read on to find answers to all your questions.
Mysuru city, which is located 150 kilometres from the state capital Bengaluru, is known as Yoga Nagari (City of Yoga) now. But of late, more and more new yoga Kuteeras or centres are coming to the city outskirts.
There are over 100 yoga schools in this tiny district which has around 3 million population and includes around 11 lakh population within the city limits. Every year, thousands of yoga enthusiasts from around the world visit the city to learn yoga. The Yoga season starts in the month of March and continues till July.
International Yoga Day 2022 In Mysore
This year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is attending the main event of International Day of Yoga (IDY) in the Mysuru city which made the entire world look at Mysuru for its contribution to preserving and promoting yoga.
In Mysuru city, a typical yoga course involves 300 hours of teaching. The first name which comes to our mind when we talk about Mysuru Yoga is Hatha yoga, Iyengar Yoga, Viniyoga, Ashtanga Yoga, etc. Patanjali, Art of Living, and other yoga institutions are also offering various yoga training in the city.
History Of Yoga In Mysuru
According to the Mysuru palace documents, for over 225 years, the Mysuru palace is patronaging yoga. Sritattvanidhi, a scholarly book by Shri Krishnaraja Wadiyar III has documented the history of yoga which has the illustration of 122 Yoga asanas.
Mysuru palace has a Yoga Sala started in the year 1930 by Shri Krishnaraja Wadiyar IV to teach yoga to the royal family members and the general public.
Read: The Wodeyar Kings of Mysore
Yoga Acharyas Of Mysore
Tirumalai Krishnamacharya who started the Yoga Sala in the Mysuru palace is considered as the father of Modern Yoga. He popularized postural yoga. The historians point out that Shri Krishnaraja Wadiyar IV sent T Krishnamacharya to various parts of the country to promote yoga.
T Krishnamacharya developed hatha yoga and started the first Hatha yoga school in the city. His son Desikachar, who was also his student developed the Viniyoga.
Bellur Krishnamachar Sundararaja (BKS) Iyengar is another famous student of T Krishnamacharya. He developed the Iyengar yoga which is also popular across the globe today.
K Pattabhi Jois, who developed Ashtanga yoga, is yet another famous yoga guru from Mysuru. This form of yoga is popular among enthusiasts today.
In the last few decades, Mysuru has grown as an important Yoga learning destination in the world. Besides traditional Ashtanga yoga, Hatha Yoga, and Viniyoga, tens of modern yoga training institutions were also founded in Mysore. Another important aspect of yoga in Mysore is that there are many yoga teachers’ training institutes that prepare enthusiasts to take up yoga training as a profession.
Yoga In Mysore – Selecting A Good Yoga School
selecting a good yoga ashrama/ school or yoga teachers’ training institute is also key to learning yoga in the city.
The yoga institutes of Mysuru formed a Yoga Federation of Mysore to coordinate the yoga training activities. Many of the institutes are part of the Yoga alliance. The Union Ministry of AYUSH listed the authorized yoga teaching institutes and qualified trainers. The details are available here.
Why Yoga Training In Mysuru?
When it comes to yoga training, Mysuru is selected over many other centres spread across the country for various reasons. Here are a few important reasons why Mysuru is the ideal place to learn Yoga
- Weather: Mysuru is known for good climatic conditions. Around the year Mysuru weather remains very good.
- The traditional style of teaching: a majority of the government-recognized yoga institutes are still operating in heritage-style buildings with teachers having decades of teaching experience. These teachers are personally following the yoga rules in their day-to-day life. Many families are involved in yoga teaching for generations.
- Low cost of living: outsiders can learn yoga here without much expense as the cost of living is low compared to many other cities. As the city has a good public transport system and a good road network without the challenges of traffic jams, yoga students can learn yoga without burning their pockets. Quality food is also available at lower rates.
- International recognition: The yoga teachers who studied in Mysuru/ Mysore can explore career opportunities worldwide as the institutes have international recognition. Many youths from Mysuru pursue yoga careers abroad after learning in Mysuru.
- Proximity to Bengaluru: Presently Mysuru is well connected with Bengaluru through road, train, and air. Daily flight service is now available between Mysuru and Bengaluru. Once the Bengaluru-Mysuru 10 lanes access-controlled road is thrown open for the public, the road travel time between these two cities will come down to 90 minutes. Tens of express trains including a Shabadti connect Mysuru with Bengaluru now.
- Heritage tourism: Those who arrive at Mysuru for yoga learning can visit hundreds of heritage sites including Nanjangud, MM hills, Somanathapura, Belur-Halebeedu, and famous safaris of Nagarahole, Bandipur, etc, as they are within 2 hours journey from Mysuru city.
- A safe city: Mysuru is one of the safe cities in the country with a very low crime rate which makes the city a safe place to be.
- Classical research institutes: For those who are interested in carrying out research on Yoga and Ayurveda, the city has two important research institutes i.e. palace library and the Oriental Research Institute where tens of manuscripts on yoga and Ayurveda are available for study.
How To Reach Mysuru
By Air
The Mysuru airport is located 10 kilometres from the heart of the city on the Mysuru-Nanjangud national highway. The city has daily flight services to Chennai, Hyderabad, Kochin, Goa, and Bengaluru. As these flights are being operated under the RCS-Udan scheme, the flight charges are also very moderate.
By Train
Mysore has a good train network with daily service to Bengaluru, Chennai, and Hyderabad. Major cities like Varanasi and Mumbai are also connected to the city.
By Road
Mysore is well connected to Bengaluru, Hassan, Mangalore, and Madikeri with a good road network.