Open Letter #2 to Sweaty Red-faced Gentleman at Hot Yoga

I took a long (unintentional) break from Hot Yoga this past year, but have just recently started back up.  It's something I truly enjoy (which is rare for me when it comes to any form of exercise) and one of the best things about for me is that it follows a set routine and there are general rules that you follow when you're in the studio (silence, no shoes, staggered mat set up so everyone can see themselves in the mirror, etc).  The studio I've been going to for the past week or so is a newer one, and caters to a younger crowd compared to where I have been going for the past year or so.  Nevertheless, I expect the same rules to apply at every studio, since it's such a strict form of yoga.  Last night, I was proved wrong.

Dear Sweaty Red-faced Gentleman at Hot Yoga,

Did you ever wonder why the students at the hot yoga studio are all lined up in front of each other on their mats?  It's so we can see ourselves in the front mirror and work on our form.  It's also extremely helpful when we're doing the floor exercises.  I spent the last half of class last night looking right up your caboose, and not in a good way.  Do you know how frustrating it is to be trying to improve your technique in this hellishly hot room only to have someone planted in front of you so that all you can do is stare at the sweat dripping down their beet-red scalp, neck, back, etc?  Please look around you next time you come to class and take a moment before you plop yourself down for the night.  I, for one, will greatly appreciate it.

Open Letter to the Gentleman in the Sweaty Wifebeater at Yoga

If you've been reading my blog, you know that I love my hot yoga classes, and at times I feel the need to vent about manners/style (or lack thereof) at yoga classes.  This is one of those times.
Dear 30-something in the Sweaty Wifebeater:
I'm not sure if this was your first time at hot yoga class or not (you didn't look familiar to me but I don't always go to the same classes each week), but I need to let you know that your tank-top undershirt, which I would assume you'd been wearing all day as a first layer under your clothes, isn't appropriate for yoga class.  You may be surprised at my lack of appreciate for your choice in athletic wear, but it's a pretty clear-cut case to me of mistakenly wearing one's underwear to exercise in.
1.  Wifebeaters, when they get sweaty, tend to become see-through, if not almost completely transparent...no one wants to see that unless your are in absolutely fantastic shape...and even then, it's a maybe.
2.  A garment that you've been wearing all day next to your skin tends to take on a certain aroma; combine that with a room heated to 114 degrees filled with other sweaty people, and you become a complete stink bomb.
The fact that the gentleman in question was right behind me for 90 minutes, heavily mouth-breathing and groaning with pain didn't help either.  But, the relaxing benefits of my yoga class are still with me, so I shall just say, Namaste.

Just Breathe it in....and Sweat it Out...and Stink it Up...Part Deux

Ok, I went to yoga on Friday, and I'll admit, it was me who stunk...no denying it!  Now there were other people there who were definitely stinky and sweaty, as well as this one guy who was so bendy it made me a little nauseous to watch him. But, just thought I ought to step up and admit, that yes, I was a little rank at yoga the other night.  (but still not as much as some of those other people, yikes!)

Just Breathe it in....and Sweat it Out...and Stink it Up

I love my hot yoga classes. I've been practicing hot yoga (or Bikram yoga) now for about 5 months. I love how the 26 different poses make me feel, how it moves/stretches/exercises every bone and muscle in my body. But there are a lot of things that I don't love about hot yoga too, mainly that it smells, or better put, there are a lot of people in the class who smell. Now, of course, when you have a room heated to 114 degrees with 25 people in it, there will be a bit of an aroma. I'm cool with that. But some people come to class and it's like they've already run a marathon and then not showered for 3 days, and they are typically the person who lays their mat right next to me...when there's plenty of room on the other side of the studio! I probably don't smell like a bed of roses, but I do bathe regularly and usually have clean yoga outfits on. I also make sure my towel is full size and clean so that I'm not contributing any more than necessary to the overall funk. None of these nags are enough to make me stay away from yoga, but if someone had told me how gross it can be, I may never have started.