Ladies, yoga is not a competition.
I find it fascinating that in a yoga class filled with middle aged upper west side hausfraus this simple point needed to be driven home. "Ladies," the instructor said, "yoga is not a competition. It's not a competition with yourself or with anyone else in the room." And it needed saying too! There were a few of these biddies who were going to hurt themselves or others if they didn't stop pushing too hard; pushing to be the most flexible, the most knowledgeable, the loudest at the chanting, etc. Watching them not only measuring themselves against others but also chastising themselves if they, god forbid, lost their balance in a balancing pose, tickled and saddened me simultaneously.
The teacher was lovely. She was everyting I could've wanted in a yoga instructor. She wasn't some young blonde pretzel impersonator. She was a chubby, middle-aged, earth-mother-goddess named Barbara. She had a softness to her manner that I loved, and her chanting was clear and naked and honest, neither trying to draw attention nor escape it.
It's been years since I participated in a yoga class. Since then, I've mostly used videos to assist my work with the occasional book thrown in. I've been self-conscious about attending a class, particularly in Manhattan, because of a fear of competitiveness. I don't want to feel like I have to prove my worth as a woman of size. I know that I'm flexible and coordinated. I don't want to feel pressure to prove it. I also know that there are certain poses that I can't do for this reason or that or that I have to adapt to suit my body and it's idiosyncracies. I've been fearful of instructors who would be insensitive to those needs.
Basically, I enjoyed my experience and although I don't think I'll be going all the time, I'll definitely be going back from time to time to enhance my at-home practices.
The teacher was lovely. She was everyting I could've wanted in a yoga instructor. She wasn't some young blonde pretzel impersonator. She was a chubby, middle-aged, earth-mother-goddess named Barbara. She had a softness to her manner that I loved, and her chanting was clear and naked and honest, neither trying to draw attention nor escape it.
It's been years since I participated in a yoga class. Since then, I've mostly used videos to assist my work with the occasional book thrown in. I've been self-conscious about attending a class, particularly in Manhattan, because of a fear of competitiveness. I don't want to feel like I have to prove my worth as a woman of size. I know that I'm flexible and coordinated. I don't want to feel pressure to prove it. I also know that there are certain poses that I can't do for this reason or that or that I have to adapt to suit my body and it's idiosyncracies. I've been fearful of instructors who would be insensitive to those needs.
Basically, I enjoyed my experience and although I don't think I'll be going all the time, I'll definitely be going back from time to time to enhance my at-home practices.