Claudia
I don’t like yoga. I’m the editor of a sports and
fitness website and probably shouldn’t admit
this, but I have to make myself do yoga. There
are things we do because we like them—I love
paddling, running, and skiing—and then there
are things we have to do to improve our well-
ness and flexibility. For me, yoga is in that sec-
ond category.
Why don’t I like it? To begin with, I don’t get why
we have to listen to New Age music in class. It’s
clichéd. I don’t find it relaxing. I find it irritating.
Another thing that drives me crazy is that the
teachers don’t demonstrate. They’ll say, “Put
your left leg by your right toe and lift your left
knee,” and I’m like, “What?” I spend half the time
peeking under my arm at the person next to me
to see what I’m supposed to be doing.
In fact, yoga overall isn’t a Zen experience
for me. You go into a studio and they pack you
in. People always come late—I don’t know why
that’s OK; it’s a weird code of yoga behavior—
so even when you’ve sort of found your spot,
you have to keep moving to accommodate
more students. I have never done a Sun Salu-
tation where I have been able to fully extend
my arms without knocking into someone, and
when we’re doing Fallen Triangle, my neighbor’s
foot always ends up on my mat. In yoga, you’re
supposed to think it’s OK for other people to
invade your space, and if you’re bothered by
that, it’s somehow your issue. But I would like
a little space. I’m not opening my heart if your
foot is on my mat.
Once, I just lost it. I said loudly, “It is too
crowded in here, and I can’t believe I’m the only
one who feels that way!” People were looking at
me. I got up, went out to the front desk, and said,
“The class is packed.” They told me, “It’s not even
full.” My reaction was, “That’s not full?”
Don’t get me wrong—I have nothing but
respect and admiration for people who do yoga
and love it. Yoga bodies are beautiful. I’m even a
little jealous of those who excel at it. Me, I find
my Zen in other ways.HAPPY BABY POSE