Sangha

I’ve uncovered the key ingredient missing from my life since switching my yoga practice from the main shala to tiny Mystic School: sangha, which is to say, fellowship, community.

When I was practicing at the main shala, among 100 or so other yogis, every day I had numerous interactions with others, even if it was just a smile exchanged with the person practicing behind me as I peered through my legs in downward dog. After practice, gathered around the coconut stand, I’d banter with the other yogis, go home, eat and write.

But now that I’m in a shala with only 4 or 5 other yogis, I feel the need to go out more and socialize. I find I’m lonely and antsy because of the lack of interaction with others. I find I’m writing much less and going out just for the sake of going out much more.

I left the main shala for financial reasons: Mystic School is far less expensive and the personal attention is far greater. In discovering what has been missing since switching shalas I’ve also come to realize that a yoga shala is more than its teachers and the adjustments they give. It’s also about the energy and community created which, in the main shala, is priceless.

I’ll be leaving Mysore next week, returning again in October when the weather will be pleasant (right now it’s hot as hell). When I return to Mysore I will also return to the main shala. Community is far more important than saving a few thousand rupees.