Look who got herself a yoga mat!
Every where I look these days, it seems that people are jumping on the yoga train. Actually, to be more realistic with this metaphor, I've gotten to the yoga train station so late that the train has actually looped back around to pick up the stragglers.
My first experience in a yoga class was as a child, watching my mum teach a class because she couldn't get a babysitter. My mother taught yoga years ago, when studios were hard to come by and 'styles' were widely unheard of. There were no studios near where we lived, and so my mum held classes in a community hall.
It was agony for me.
My first experience in a yoga class was as a child, watching my mum teach a class because she couldn't get a babysitter. My mother taught yoga years ago, when studios were hard to come by and 'styles' were widely unheard of. There were no studios near where we lived, and so my mum held classes in a community hall.
It was agony for me.
The room was bare with florescent lights, and weird music played from a CD player by the wall. Old people were posing in strange ways, breathing deeply, and never leaving the little purple mat they were standing on, despite the room being huge. My mum sat on the same purple mat that she's always had, and I sat on a chair, watching, for an hour. That was not how I wanted to spend my weekend. Yoga was taking away precious park-playing time! So I decided that I didn't like yoga. And that opinion remained for quite some time. | My mum sat on the same purple mat that she's always had, and I sat on a chair, watching. |
Years later, I decided to actually try a class. By this time, yoga's popularity skyrocketed, and I signed up for a class at a local studio. When I walked in, it was like yoga had undergone a facelift. I was hit with the refreshing scent of lemongrass, and greeted by a woman smiling at me with a look on her face as though she was in on some big secret. The studio walls were plastered with words like, "be the change you wish to see in the world" and "namaste". I looked at the class list and noticed that there were many different styles to choose from: bikram, flow, yin, hatha, vinyasa... The next available class was bikram. It sounded interesting, so I dropped my stuff off in the change room, grabbed a mat, and headed into the class.
I walked into a wall of heat.
And then it dawned on me. Bikram = hot. And these people actually enjoyed it. It felt like the room was heated by the fires of hell, and I had to spend the next hour EXERCISING in it. It was official: I did. not. like. yoga.
So I continued to steer clear of yoga. As my friends started to join the yoga movement, they would tell me that it wasn't just a workout, but a lifestyle, and that I'd probably really like it if I gave it an honest try. But I hesitated to try again, because I saw that as it gained popularity, it grew as a business more than as a lifestyle. I also couldn't understand how if yoga teaches us that it is our minds and bodies - and not our wallets and social standing - that bring us strength and power, then why do studios charge $80/month for memberships? Why does there seem to be an unspoken dress code? And why is this video* so relevant?
*Contains course language
I walked into a wall of heat.
And then it dawned on me. Bikram = hot. And these people actually enjoyed it. It felt like the room was heated by the fires of hell, and I had to spend the next hour EXERCISING in it. It was official: I did. not. like. yoga.
So I continued to steer clear of yoga. As my friends started to join the yoga movement, they would tell me that it wasn't just a workout, but a lifestyle, and that I'd probably really like it if I gave it an honest try. But I hesitated to try again, because I saw that as it gained popularity, it grew as a business more than as a lifestyle. I also couldn't understand how if yoga teaches us that it is our minds and bodies - and not our wallets and social standing - that bring us strength and power, then why do studios charge $80/month for memberships? Why does there seem to be an unspoken dress code? And why is this video* so relevant?
*Contains course language
Eventually, I found opportunities to try yoga without the flair that so often accompanied it. When I moved back home after undergrad, I took a morning class at my community centre, surrounded by retired adults, stay-at-home parents, and young workers with mornings off. No one wore Lululemon. No class had additional fees. No class felt like I was experiencing an early menopausal heat flash. When I moved to BC, I participated in the free yoga class offered in my residence. I followed videos at home. I went to events held at school or in the community.
I always borrowed a mat.
Occasionally I'd have to rent one, but it was rare. Now, though, I feel like I need one to continue. I'd like to do yoga at home some more, and doing it on hard floors isn't so fun. And when I attend drop ins, it's no longer common for mats to be free-to-use.
I always borrowed a mat.
Occasionally I'd have to rent one, but it was rare. Now, though, I feel like I need one to continue. I'd like to do yoga at home some more, and doing it on hard floors isn't so fun. And when I attend drop ins, it's no longer common for mats to be free-to-use.
Buying a mat was frustrating, though, since I wanted one that was eco-friendly. And today, nearly all things are "Eco-certified" or "biodegradable" in some way. I bought what seems like a good mat. At the very least, it's purple -- just like my mum's. :)
Got mat suggestions? Let me know/post below! That way, anyone who buys one in the future can make a more informed purchase than I.