Being on time for yoga class ...!!! OK, I have to rant. I notice more and more that people are coming late to yoga class.
Coming late to class is distracting to the other yoga students in the class and honestly, it's very annoying for the teacher. The teacher is working hard to set a healing vibration early in the class and students who come in late, snaping out their mats, walking around, etc ... have just undone all the teacher's best efforts. They also just destroyed the other 15 students effort to center themselves.
There is a yogic law of Asteya. It means non- stealing or do not take what does not belong to you. A cow's life does not belong to you, so you have no right to kill it for it's meat. And there is the concept of stealing TIME -- if you come late to appointments, you are demonstrating that other people's time is not important.... you feel entitled to steal their time. If you come late to yoga class, you are stealing the other students' peace, you are stealing away the very benefits for which they came to yoga class. They paid for this yoga class and so indirectly, you are stealing their money too.
If you come late to yoga class, you are distracting the teacher. You are redirecting the attention of the teacher to YOU -- so you are monopolizing and stealing the attention that the teacher should have been focusing on the other 10-20 students. So consider the concept of not taking what does not belong to you.
There are basic etiquette rules when you come to a yoga class:
-Come to class 15 minutes early. It allows you to roll out your mat, get yourself organized and have a few minutes of quiet time for yourself before the class starts. If the class starts at 6PM, do try to be there by 5.45PM. If you come early, I think you'll find you'll get more out of your class.
-Be Considerate and respectful of your fellow yogis : If you are new to yoga, look around the class. BE AWARE of what the other students are doing. You are NOT in this class by yourself and part of yoga is to be aware of yourself in space and in relation to others. Observe how the other students are not talking to each other, they are not reorganizing their shopping bags, they are not causing distraction. Do observe how the other students enter the room silently, are quiet, tranquil and not moving around much . Also, observe yourself -- are YOU are the last student coming into class... rushing in, stomping around, throwing your mat out, making the other students move their mats to accommodate you , rearranging your clothes, fidgeting with your hair ... ?
-Please turn off your cell phones. I am so serious about this. If I had my own studio, and someone's cell phone went off during class, I would ask them to leave my class --- FOREVER.
-Please do not wear jewelry to class. All those pretty bracelets, beads and bangles make a lot of jangling noise which is annoying to the other students and the teacher. Yoga is about finding the silence -- your bracelets are not helping us -- and yes, we can all hear you jangling!! Also, yoga is about energy flow. Jewelry holds energy. Please avoid wearing a lot of rings because you will find during asanas where your weight is on your hands (as in down dog) the rings will cause you discomfort. If you are concentrating on your rings, you cant be concentrating on perfecting your yoga.
-Please wear appropriate clothing for yoga. I am not saying you have to wear expensive yoga gear (I get mine on sale at Old Navy) -- you can come in your pyjamas as long as you can be comfortable. But I cant tell you how often students come to class wearing sweaters and sweats. Yoga makes you move, your body temperature is going to go up. Part of yoga is to sweat because it is a cleansing. If you wear sweaters etc. to yoga, you are going to be miserable.
-Please do not eat for 2 hours before class. If you are starving before class, have something light such as a yoghurt, some fruit, a handful of nuts, a small bowl of cereal or soup.
-Please be considerate of your fellow student on the next mat and do not wear perfumes. Just because you love Jungle Gardenia does not mean the person next to you does.
-And finally, be respectful. Respect your fellow classmates and the teacher. Be respectful of the ancient practice and wisdom of yoga. If you cant do that, then maybe you'll be more comfortable in a different kind of exercise class for now. You'll be back when you're ready.
Namaste.
