Mysore Ashtanga at Mission

 

Mission is home to one of the largest and most established Mysore Ashtanga communities in the UK. Our six-day programme welcomes beginners, long-term practitioners and visiting students who want a consistent, supportive space to develop their practice.

 

The programme is led by Corrie Ananda, a KPJAYI Level 2 authorised teacher with decades of experience in Ashtanga yoga and pranayama. Corrie teaches with a calm, inclusive and grounded approach, meeting every student where they are and guiding them to build a practice that is sustainable, intelligent and personal. Her room has become known for its warmth, steadiness and a strong sense of community that continues beyond the mat.

What is Mysore Self Practice

Mysore is the traditional method of learning the Ashtanga system. Unlike a led class, students move through the sequence at their own pace. The teacher works with each student individually, offering verbal cues, hands-on adjustments and tailored guidance. This makes Mysore suitable for all levels, including complete beginners, because the practice is built one step at a time.

 

You don’t need to memorise anything before you start. Your sequence grows gradually as you develop strength, mobility, breath and focus.

The Ashtanga System

Ashtanga is a structured method of yoga that develops gradually, posture by posture, over many years. It is built around a consistent sequence of movements linked by breath. The system includes:

  • Primary Series
    A sequence designed to cleanse, strengthen and stabilise the body.
  • Intermediate Series
    A deeper sequence that works with the nervous system, energy channels and backbending.
  • Advanced Series
    Postures for highly experienced practitioners who have built the grounding and steadiness required over a long period of dedicated practice.

 

Most students work with the Primary Series for a significant period of time, learning how to regulate breath, build internal heat, move with clarity and work patiently with the mind.

Tristana: The Foundation of the Practice

Ashtanga is anchored in the method of Tristana, three points of focus that support the entire system:

  • Breath
    A steady and free breath that guides the pace of the practice.
  • Bandha
    Subtle internal engagement that supports the spine, regulates energy and stabilises movement.
  • Drishti
    A focal point for the eyes that helps calm the mind and build concentration.

 

Tristana creates a container bought together with a vinyasa count where the physical postures become a tool for self-study. The Mysore room gives students the time and space to understand these elements deeply, with guidance from a teacher who knows their practice well.

Weekly Schedule

Monday to Friday
6:15 – 9:30 am Mysore self practice
Pranayama on Fridays 9:00 – 9:30 am

 

Sunday
8:30 – 10:30 am Mysore self practice
10:30 – 12:30 pm Led Primary Series

 

Monthly
Conference held once a month for group study, discussion and questions.

 

Support for new students

If you are new to Ashtanga or to Mysore-style learning, we offer dedicated entry points. First timers are encouraged to join on Mondays and Wednesdays at 8:00 am when the room is quieter and Corrie can offer extra time and direction as you settle in.

A Growing Mysore Community

Mission is home to one of the biggest Mysore communities in the country. Students come from a wide range of backgrounds and levels of experience. Some are learning their first sun salutations; others are working on deeper elements of the Intermediate Series. Everyone shares the same room, breath and rhythm. This is what makes Mysore unique: the feeling of practising alone and together at the same time.

 

If you are looking for Mysore-style Ashtanga in London, a consistent and inclusive place to learn, or a teacher with deep lineage and experience, Mission offers a home for long-term practice.

Corrie Ananda

Corrie received level II authorisation to teach the Ashtanga Yoga method by Sharath Jois in Mysore India in 2014. Corrie is dedicated to sharing Ashtanga Yoga in the tradition of the Jois family lineage, in an intelligent and thoughtful manner, that promotes equity and centres the individual. Corrie’s approach is inclusive, and collaborative.

 

Corrie works with the connections between the physical, psychological and emotional body and how to affect our organism as a whole. Her personal study revolves around psychotherapy, ancient yogic texts, race, identity and diversity, and different movement systems.

 

Corrie is running an 20-hour Ashtanga Immersion for teachers and practitioners looking for a broad perspective that includes, but is not limited to the traditional one. Also for practioners wishing to deepen their practice with a view to sharing the practice with others.

Moon Days

2026

January – Full Moon: 3rd & New Moon: 18th

 

February – Full Moon: 1st & New Moon: 17th

 

March – Full Moon: 3rd & New Moon: 19th

 

April – Full Moon: 2nd & New Moon: 17th

 

May – Full Moon: 1st & New Moon: 16th & Blue Moon: 31st

 

June – Full Moon: 29th & New Moon: 15th

 

July – Full Moon: 29th & New Moon: 14th

 

August – Full Moon: 28th & New Moon: 12th

 

September – Full Moon: 26th & New Moon: 11th

 

October – Full Moon: 26th & New Moon: 10th

 

November – Full Moon: 24th & New Moon: 9th

 

December – Full Moon: 24th & New Moon: 9th

Ashtanga Workshops

Mission is internationally recognised for its commitment to traditional Ashtanga yoga and for hosting workshops with some of the world’s most respected senior teachers. Alongside our core Mysore programme, we regularly welcome leading international Ashtanga teachers to guest teach at Mission, offering students rare access to deep lineage knowledge and decades of lived practice.

 

These include the senior-most lineage holder Saraswati Jois, whose teaching represents a direct continuation of the Mysore tradition, as well as authorised and certified teachers Kino MacGregor and Tim Feldmann, both internationally recognised for their depth of practice, clarity of instruction, and long-standing dedication to the Ashtanga system.

 

These workshops are designed for practitioners who value precision, consistency and respect for the traditional method. They offer an opportunity to study Ashtanga yoga in depth—whether refining primary or intermediate series, exploring breath and bandha, or deepening understanding of philosophy, sequencing and self-practice.

 

By hosting teachers at the very top of the Ashtanga lineage, Mission provides a learning environment that honours tradition while remaining relevant to modern practitioners. For students seeking authentic Ashtanga yoga in London, these workshops offer an unmatched opportunity to learn directly from teachers who continue to shape the practice worldwide.