Email to My Yoga Teacher

Tammy,

I’ve been practicing yoga for a little over a year and I somehow comprehend a few things about it.  But what does the person who has never been to a class think of yoga?

Recently I saw an older woman in a yoga class who must have heard that yoga is relaxing and calming.  Why do I say that?  Well, she came to class in a pair of long, black, cotton pants.  She had on one of those white/opaque, long sleeve blouses covering a white bra/camisole thing.  To her, relaxing seemed to mean hanging out on a comfy couch with a glass of wine, maybe talking to a suitor.  Yes, she was able to participate in the class, and despite the limiting clothing, she was fairly flexible.

I know one of my friends (a guy) thinks yoga’s a bunch of leotarded women doing a mild form of ballet while listening to new age music.  Let’s not forget the incense and the teachings of veganism and togetherism.  I know he’s afraid to be in the same locker room with me.

Another friend asks if yoga is therapy.  He wonders why I talk about focusing on what’s in front of me and why I talk about being in the moment.  He asks, “Why don’t you pay attention to anything anybody else does?” I tell him that in yoga you don’t compare yourself to other people; I bring that practice straight to real life.  That’s a good thing, right?

Gary Kahn