Gym Yoga

My first yoga experience was with my husband about 12 years ago. We were checking out yoga as a couple's activity. The instructor, who now runs a studio in town but didn't them, took us in for a private consult. Within minutes of our meeting, he commented, "Hm...this is a yoga teacher's nightmare. You are like a pretzel and you (pointing to my husband) can't bend at all!" That was it for our couples yoga! My second yoga experience was with a yoga teacher who came to my workplace at the end of the day. Unfortunately, that didn't last long but how important was that at work! My third experience with yoga was when I took up yoga teacher training. I am sure my yoga teacher/mentor was truly some sort of guru. She was warm, genuine, deeply spiritual, intelligent, kind and I really connected with her as did most of her students. Yesterday, after not having taken a yoga class in about 9 months, I was tentative but really excited to take yoga at my gym. Within seconds, I was wishing I had plugs to put in my ears to block out this yoga teacher's high pitched voice as it grated on and on. I wondered, "Where the guts of yoga?" There is so much more than, "OK, bend from your core." Where was yoga philosophy I thought as the buff instructor showed us how to power up out of Down Dog. When I left yoga yesterday my muscles were indeed stretched and more limber but I was neither more peaceful nor more connected to all living things. Goofy as that sounds, I see now why I enjoyed my yoga training because it was about stretching my body, opening my mind, and finding peace in my soul. As any good yogi would say, gym yoga is what it is :)