i went to a yoga class at intercultera, my spanish school, a few weeks ago. i wasn't sure what to expect. when i arrived i had to confirm that i was in the right place. there didn't seem to be anywhere to practice. it was an open air patio, fairly large, full of young (teenage) germans (mostly) lounging around in hammocks and on benches reading or on smart phones. when i asked though, 'yes' they told me, 'this is where the yoga class is'.
i almost left. i'd had the crappiest day. that morning i taught my first really bad yoga class. or at least in my mind it was really bad. i'd been beating myself up all day about what a failure i was as a teacher and how certainly everyone had noticed that i hadn't really had a plan and winging it had sort of failed. the last thing i wanted to do was cram into this incredibly public, humid patio with a bunch of aloof germans unabashedly watching and sweat it out for an hour. but i'd promised my friend shinez that i would meet her there and bring her shorts to borrow, so i had to stay.
the teacher showed up, an american, sweet and sort of spacey and friendly in that yoga teachery way. i liked her; i stayed. a surprisingly large amount of the youth rolled out mats in an incredibly small space at the center of the patio. it started pouring rain. there we were; flanked on one side by picnic tables full of mostly dudes, on one side by hammocks with frowning teenage girls, and on one side by a sheet of water spraying off the roof into the end of my mat. just me and shinez and several rows of german chicks wearing civilian clothing.
i almost left. i'd had the crappiest day. that morning i taught my first really bad yoga class. or at least in my mind it was really bad. i'd been beating myself up all day about what a failure i was as a teacher and how certainly everyone had noticed that i hadn't really had a plan and winging it had sort of failed. the last thing i wanted to do was cram into this incredibly public, humid patio with a bunch of aloof germans unabashedly watching and sweat it out for an hour. but i'd promised my friend shinez that i would meet her there and bring her shorts to borrow, so i had to stay.
the teacher showed up, an american, sweet and sort of spacey and friendly in that yoga teachery way. i liked her; i stayed. a surprisingly large amount of the youth rolled out mats in an incredibly small space at the center of the patio. it started pouring rain. there we were; flanked on one side by picnic tables full of mostly dudes, on one side by hammocks with frowning teenage girls, and on one side by a sheet of water spraying off the roof into the end of my mat. just me and shinez and several rows of german chicks wearing civilian clothing.
