Yoga Rant

I just got back from a yoga class. Not just any yoga class, the WORST yoga class I have ever attended. I go to a donation-based studio which means that there is an abundance of bodies everywhere. And you can bet, if they can squeeze you in, they will. Don't get me wrong, I love the studio and I think it is great that they give everyone an opportunity to practice yoga, but sometimes it can get a bit...squishy.

I was already in a bad mood walking to class. I have not been feeling well the past few days and I just wanted to bum around at home, but my boyfriend reminded me how much better I feel after yoga. At the studio, a girl came up to me and hounded me about which spot I was saving, and then sat down next to me and started yammering away to her friends. We were asked to move multiple times to allow more and more people into each row and I could feel my impatience growing. The teacher dimmed the lights and instructed everyone to move into child's pose. Usually, at this point, I allow my body to relax and focus on the next hour of yoga. However, there were still people in line for the bathroom making lots of noise. Someone was dropping something metallic on the floor repeatedly, cell phones were ringing and beeping and a guy in the back farted. Loudly. All these noises kept me rooted in the present and my frustrations.

I tried to stay positive, thinking that once the sweat got going I would focus more on the pain and less on the people around me. I did not click with this teacher and I never really found my flow with this lesson. Furthermore, my lower back, neck and shoulders were feeling crunched and sore (which has been a constant obstacle for me with any exercise I do). I returned to child's pose often because I felt that continuing would be worse for my body than taking a break.

At the end, all of those people who were squished together, tried to squish through the one narrow door, gathering shoes and jackets, giving donations and catching up with friends, all at the same time. I did not feel like my body had been challenged to the usual degree. But do I regret going? Not at all. All of this is part of the practice. Sometimes my hour will not be as rewarding as others. But I still got myself over to the studio and committed to allowing my body and brain to move and stretch for an hour even when TV and junk food where calling to me. Every hour counts, and while this one may not have been as enjoyable as others, it was an experience in and of itself.