Yoga

Etiquette in Yoga Class, is there such a thing? I think most certainly there is and have found out the hard way one or two times, slightly to my dismay. Etiquette may not be the exact word to use but compassion and caring for other students in the class could be more appropriate.

When attending a yoga class it is good to remember that you are not the only one there. Other students are also attending and will be affected by yourself and the way you behave in this class.

Cleanliness is the first thing to remember. In fact, cleanliness is the first of the Niyamas, Shaucha. This is very apparent in a yoga class but also in life. Attending a yoga class after a shower and smelling sweet and fresh will be a blessing to your other practitioners but also yourself. The feeling of one's body after a shower is refreshing and stimulating. Perfect for purifying the body by working on the breath and creating internal heat.

I have been present in many classes with the person next to me smelling of body odour and this is not at all pleasant. No one wants to maintain their ujaiy breath and concentrate on big and whole inhalations when the next door person is abit smelly. Remember the other students.

I was recently lucky enough to attend a workshop with Sharath Rangaswamy in Byron Bay, what a blessing!! As a mother of two young children I am always running late to class. Always a little something to take care of before I leave the house at that hour of the morning. So that I wouldn't be at the back of the room I asked my early bird friends to find me a place closer to the front of the room so I could run in late and get on the mat. They put me front and centre of the class!!! Goodness. Not exactly where I was thinking but arriving late I found my mat and the class began.

At this time my husband and I were having renovations done to our house and much landscaping was occurring. The day before the workshop started I was in the garden all day working on our new garden beds. Jumping up out of bed that morning, having a quick shower and getting the kids ready before I left for class, I did not notice that my toes and toe nails were still dirty from the gardening the day before. Our class was a very full one with all mats very close together and behind also close. Sharath was a very popular teacher and with good reason.

As the class wore on I realised that my dirty toes and nails were right in the face of the lady behind me. Not nice for her and I vowed to clean and scrub my feet properly the next morning and have some awareness for the people around me. A good lesson for myself, I hope the lady behind me got over it!!

Yoga mats and Mysore rugs are another two things to be aware of. The process of yoga involving the heating of the body and the subsequent sweating to release the toxins and purify our bodies can lead to these two things getting abit sweaty.

When I am practicing Ashtanga Yoga six times a week during the summer I normally sweat profusely. It is a very hot time of the year here in Byron Bay and my body heats up during practice. I find that I need to wash my Mysore rug each weekend before I start the next week of practice. It is not at all sweet, firstly for myself to practice again and again on the toxins removed the during the previous days but also for my neighbours.

Once the student is flowing with the breath and the practice the whole package heats up, mat and rug included. This can release odours that are not always going to be to the liking of your friends around you. Washing the rugs each week is a good way to be kind to yourself but also the rest of the class.

My yoga mat also needs a wash regularly I feel. The same can be true of the mat that is of the rugs in practice. Jumping, standing, moving and releasing are all part of the yoga practice and everything needs cleaning, not just our bodies.

I hang my mat over our pool fence and wash it down with earth friendly detergent and warm water. I wash both sides and leave it to dry in the sun, turning when necessary to get both sides dry.

Starting class again with a fresh washed mat, rug and body is a joyous feeling and one I personally look forward to. Om shanti !