Just Picture It: The Crowded Classes Conundrum

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Last night, while practicing in a somewhat crowded yoga class, I experienced this funny moment of awareness. We were working into koundinyasana (an arm balancing pose where your legs go in two opposite directions and take up a lot of space), and we were all over our mats. As I came down from the pose and came back into my lunge, the student next to me was still in it, and her foot was literally about 1 inch from where my face ended up. But here's the funny part--the moment of awareness--I thought NOTHING of it. I just stayed there in my lunge, breathing deeply, and gazing right past her foot (a foot that if I wanted to, I could probably touch with my nose--or tongue, haha!). It wasn't until she removed her foot and we moved on that I realized how funny it was, how weird it might be to those who don't practice yoga, and just how immune I am to crowded yoga classes.

As a teacher and Studio Director, I hear complaints about crowded classes all the time. I know some people avoid crowded classes at all costs, and there's nothing that they hate more than practicing with someone on every side of their mat. I completely understand  how full classes can be difficult for people--especially really tall people, or those who are new to the practice--but I also think that practicing on a mat 5 inches away from someone else can be a really great experience. If you're open to it, crowded classes can be really energizing. There's a great community feeling, a "we're all in it together" sort of feeling, and it can be super-powerful to watch 40 or 50 people rise up into warrior 1 at the exact same time. It can also be a really great challenge to work to stay in your own body while sharing close quarters with another, and it can be a challenge to not get distracted or frustrated by someone else's foot in your face. But I've found that it's even more amazing when you can transcend all of the distractions and still have an amazing practice, no matter who or what is around you. 

Without getting on a crazy soapbox here, I think that as Americans, we're somewhat spoiled by all the space that we're surrounded by in our daily lives. We're used to protecting ourselves--to spending our days in little boxes--in our cars, our cubicles or offices, our spacious apartments or homes. But to those in other countries (or in NYC--as in the picture above!), there just isn't as much space, and being smushed up against someone while you ride on the subway or take the elevator to your TINY apartment (that you may share with 6 people!) is totally normal. 

So what I want to say today is this--challenge yourself the next time you're in a crowded class. See if you can tune into the positive energy of the class and stay inside your body, instead of worrying about the person next to you. And then maybe, just maybe, you'll find yourself resting your head on your neighbor's foot while they do an arm balance one day, and you won't even realize it :)

Namaste!
Mary Catherine