The Astanga Yoga Research Institute is located at the Lakshipuram of Mysore, Karnataka. The international tourists can go there from Bangalore airport. The Mysore city is well connected to Bangalore and other cities through rail and road. Many Government and private buses run in between Bangalore and Mysore. The frequency of bus service is very high, one in every fifteen minutes.
The Astanga Yoga Research Institute teaches Yoga education, which is earning popularity now a day, especially among foreigners. This type of Yoga requires a lot of concentration and dedication and extreme physical exercises. Tourists from all the corner of the globe practice this special form of yoga. The Mysore based Ashtanga Yoga Research Institute was established by K.Pattabhi Jois, who is a master of Hatha Yoga. Presently he runs the institute jointly with his grandson Sharat. This institute is a paradise for the people who are suffering badly from the stress. The institute does not offer any lodging and boarding facility. But there are lots of lodges nearby who offer staying to the foreign guests who come to visit Astanga Yoga Research Institute.
At the Astanga Yoga Research Institute, students from all ages and abilities practice together; but the ladies and gents practice separately. Some students` say that presence of Pattabhi Jois creates a state of powerful knowledge based awareness. The basic course is designed in such a way that a minimum of one-month stay is required. It is better to inform Pattabhi Jois or Sharat before visiting the place because many visitors are turned away after fulfillment of all the seats. This especially happen during the tourist seasons as that is the busiest time of the year.
There is a tiny concrete studio, which has the capacity to accommodate twelve persons at a time. The ashram wakes up at 4 am in the morning. The students are divided into batches and the classes are conducted in shifts. There are classes on all days except Sundays, new moon days and full moon days.
The Astanga Yoga Research Institute charges higher as compared to other Yoga institutes. The fees is rupees twelve thousand per month or US dollar two hundred and fifty. The initial signing fee is US dollar two hundred and fifty or rupees four thousand five hundred per person. The fees are taken only for the Yoga lesson. Most of the visitors are foreigners and they don`t look at the fees as the physical gain is much more compared to the fees.
