What-huh-sana

So I started taking yoga classes back in January at this little place a few blocks from me. What I like best about it, other than the fact that it’s a 5-minute walk away, is that it’s really small. As in, I don’t think you could squeeze more than 10 people in there. The biggest class I’ve attended had eight, and it felt a little crowded. Usually, classes are five or six people, which is perfect — small enough that nobody gets lost in the crowd. I like being able to ask whether I’m doing something right or say, “Sorry, I don’t know what that is,” when the instructor rattles off the name of a pose I haven’t done before.

On the other hand, in a really small class, I feel incredibly self-conscious. I know it’s yoga practice, not yoga perfect, but when it’s just me and one or two others, I forget that I’m there to learn. Instead, I start thinking I’m there to perform and be judged, because in such a small class, the instructor is going to notice me a lot more.

So you can imagine that when I showed up for tonight’s class and discovered I was the only student, I felt, well, a little intimidated. I was so tempted to tell the instructor that it was fine, she could go ahead and cancel class and head home an hour early, I wouldn’t mind at all. But after a long day spent hunched over a hot laptop, I really needed to stretch both my muscles and my spirit. So I rolled out my mat and sat down.

And you know what? It was great. It was a private lesson for the price of a normal class. She asked me what I wanted to work on, I told her I was feeling frazzled and stiff, and she put me through a really satisfying hour. She even helped me adapt a particular pose to accommodate my weak girly arms, with a promise that a little practice would make them stronger in no time. I’m glad I stuck with it, even if I still keep getting Warrior I and Warrior II confused.

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