Annie just received and email that she was not accepted in the February class at Pattabhi Jois’s yoga school in Mysore. That was the reason we came to india. She’s dreamed of studying there… she done their yoga every morning for the past 15 or so years. I tried signing her up for October, November, December, and January but they were always filled by the time I applied. Finally I waited to get her application in at the crack of dawn on the day they began to accept applications for the February class. They received the application and we set up out 5 months here with the final full month set for Ashtanga in Mysore. Two weeks into out trip we just got an email that the class is filled and she isn’t in it.
I sent them a letter saying disappointed we are and CC’s it to important Yoga Centers in the US (some reason, some fantasies… all but one name was fantasy (the other emails all came back to me as expected.
Here’s my letter to them:
-as a follow-up, everyone at this ashram who’s “in the know” about what we’re going thru says we should skip Mysore and just reroute to Thailand…. that sounds good to us.
SharonandDavid@Jivamukti.com, StevenAndrews@YogaJournal.com, JulieTaymor@YogaInternational.com, JulieNelson@HimalayanJournal.com
We are very sorry to hear this. Annie has been dreaming of taking yoga at your special center for 15 years. In June we decided we needed to come from New York to India this year and scheduled our trip from October thru the end of March. I tried to register her for November, but you were closed out by the time I tried. I tried for November, December, and January as well.. but the classes were filled by the time I tried each time. Finally I doubled checked your web site and it said the applications for February would begin on November 1st. I was determined to make sure Annie got her application to you in time (I’m her husband). I decided to send her application in first thing on November 1st (to make sure she would get in before the class was full). This meant sending it in the afternoon of October 31st New York time. I did and received notice that you received the application. We assumed this meant she was going to be accepted because we had the papers in on time, before the classes were closed.
This was to our trip of a lifetime – living a dream she’s had for so many years, after doing yoga from the 1970’s, taking classes from other yoga teachers who studied with you, and practicing your Mysore style for the past 15 years every day.
Again, this is very disappointing. We did everything you requested in your requirements. All we can imagine is that we needed to have an “insider” help us get Annie in rather than playing by the rules you have posted.
Allynn Gooen,
husband of a very disappointed Annie Hickman.
