Before yoga class started tonight, I decided to rest in Child’s Pose. But when I let myself melt into the floor, third eye resting blissfully upon my mat for a few moments of silence, something unpleasant happened. I took a deep breath in, ready to take in the moment, when I suddenly realized… My mat smelled like old, sweaty gym socks. I sat up. I looked to my left… and to my right. Can they smell it, too? I made eye contact with an older gentleman. He smiled politely.
A yoga studio may be a place where people gather to find balance and bliss, but, let’s face it, there are opportunities for embarrassment everywhere you look. Have you ever slipped on a puddle of sweat in Tree Pose? I have. Here are a few other ways I’ve embarrassed myself in a yoga class.
1. Stinky, Sweaty, Disgusting Yoga Mat. By the time I noticed my mat spelled like stinky gym socks, it was too late. I just had to play it off like it wasn’t a problem.
2. Getting Kicked in the Head. You know those studios where they cram the mats so close to each other you stick your feet in each other’s faces in Supta Padangusthasana (Reclining Big Toe Pose)? Well, it’s particularly dangerous during jump backs. Once, I got kicked right smack between the eyes. It hurt… but I think the girl who kicked me was more embarrassed than I was.
3. No Partner for Partner Poses. In yoga class, we’re usually all adults, so when your teacher suggests you “grab a partner” it shouldn’t feel like you were the last poor kid picked for the kick ball team… and yet, it always stings a little.
4. Body, Um, Noises. It happens to everyone. In yoga, you use your body in new ways. You create tension in your muscles so you can let it go… but sometimes you might let more than tension go.
5. Holey Pants. I once noticed there was a hole in my yoga pants during Happy Baby Pose. I quickly aborted the mission and chose a more conservative modification.
OK… now it’s your turn. What’s the most embarrassing thing that’s ever happened to you during a yoga class?
I made salsa the day before a yoga class and handled (without any kind of hand protection) quite a lot of chopped serrano peppers while doing so. The next day, about 20 minutes into a Bikram class I smelled the unmistakable aroma of peppers wafting up from my once again stinging hands. I now wear hand protection whenever chopping serrano peppers.
I think it was doing some floor twist which placed my foot right under the next person's nose.
I had to wait until later in a low lunge to check out what I subjected her to, thankfully no serious damage. But since that time I have a Gold Bond powder in the car in case I have to come direct from work
The other day I decided to try out a class that is right after my warm vinyasa class… I have a hand towel to keep me from slipping but I wasn't prepared for the sweatiness that results from two classes in a row. Definitely stepped back into warrior I and almost did a split thanks to my sweat drenched mat. I'm ordering a mat sized towel as I type this…. My groin will thank me in the future when I decided to do two back to back classes.
That I can recall – every single class embarrassment for me has involved falling down. (inversions mostly and from a semi-backbend once) I've never actually hit anyone, but once I was in a crowded class and the girl next to me didn't have faith that I wasn't going to hit her – and she screamed and fell down herself. I felt like a total jackass.
Using sunless tanner the day before class, then when I start sweating during yoga I smell really strange. I remember the first time it happened the smell was so strong that I was sure my instructor noticed so I mentioned it. Now I only use the stuff if I know I have a full day afterward without a class.
PS Hate partner yoga! I will never do this to my students! The only time I think it should be done is when the class was advertised as such.
I have to admit when I stumble or tumble I have a hard time composing myself and have to stifle my giggles for the rest of class. I'm sure I either look like a lunatic or that I have gas.
I went to a special, romantic Acro Yoga class with my husband on Valentines Day and I realized, to my horror, that I had completely forgotten to wear a bra. He just laughed and I had to convince myself that pretty much nobody but him was paying any attention to me. And remember to keep my top tucked in before flipping and flying!
after being adjusted in prasarita padotanasana c where my head was brought to the floor by the teacher, i became greedy and wanted to get the head to the floor in the next one by myself. i lost the balance, flipped and planted both feet fully on the buttocks of the girl next to me while she was doing hers, making her lose her balance and lurch forward
Ooohh.. These are good ones! Ever accidentally bump someone's bum with your head coming out of Prasarita Padottanasana?
Winter time phlegm-voice. The worst is when I'm teaching with a cold and give some cue to relax in savasana and it comes out as a croak. And then, to me, it seems like that croaking noise just hangs in the air while everyone is trying to clear their minds and settle…