A Pseudo Game of Twister

Yoga Journal posted an online article titled “Five Ways to Break the Ice Before Class”, and it was quite helpful to new students (http://blogs.yogajournal.com). The blogger, Erica Rodefer, had me reflecting on my most recent awkward yoga moment that made me giggle in the same fashion I did that particular day.

Recently, a Hatha III class was added to the schedule of this particular studio and the time slot fit into my schedule perfectly...sign me up! This specific scenario- new class, unusual time slot, new level- places a lot of yogis into that ‘gotta break the ice’ situation. Since I had matted up to this particular yogi a couple times over the last several weeks, I figured the third time had to be the charm. Unfortunately, nothing. Nada. Prior to Sukhasana, it was another awkward moment between minds and mats.

Then, something more awkward yet humorous occurred: somewhere during a sequence when we were flipping our Dogs to Wild Thing. The fellow yogi’s foot landed on my hand and remained there for a good 10 seconds. I started to giggle, and the foot was then quickly removed. Two things went through my mind during those 10 seconds. First, I flashed back to a memory of my grade school friends and I during a game of Twister; Second, I was thankful for the distraction because of the deep muscle pain rumbling in my left Levator Scapula. I wished for that foot to return- to squash my hand and help me forget about my back muscle. Alas, I had no such luck.

Namaste. The mats started rolling up and I had sukham, my comfortable shot of connecting with this spirit. Seriously, that yogi probably felt pretty embarrassed about the hand smash and couldn’t look me in the eyes to initiate a conversation. It was up to me to make this happen. In my usual fashion, I made a joke out of it, telling the yogi, “You know, I was really hoping that foot would return so I would stop focusing on my sore back!” Eye contact, a large drop of the shoulders, and a relieved, sigh-filled laugh from my fellow yogi filled the air...resulting in a more formal introduction.