Are you a punctual person, or are you always the last one to arrive? I cannot say I am the most punctual person, but I always try to get to my yoga class on time (especially when I am teaching🤣 ). And I think we all know the one who is always late!
As a teacher, I don't mind very much if a student comes late, but if it is a busy class, your teacher may have to squeeze you in and other people may have to move. It can be disturbing. Or worse, you may not be allowed in! More than anything else, you miss out on a lot. It’s not only that you miss the warm-ups or sun salutations, but you may also miss some of the information the teacher gives at the beginning. He/she may be talking about the plan for the lesson or future schedule changes.
Also, you will not have a chance to talk to your teacher if you have any concerns or questions. It is important to tell any relevant medical information, and your teacher may be able to give you some personal advice.
If you arrive early enough, you may wish to centre yourself before the class starts by sitting quietly and focusing, or you may do your usual warm-ups. In other words, get yourself ready!
Perhaps equally importantly, if you are always late (and rushing out quickly), you will miss the little interactions with your fellow students. Often, information about workshops, retreats, and other teachers and yoga studios are shared in these little chats. In our classes recently, there were lots of conversations about the best sites to buy leggings and the discount codes. As a consequence, many of us are now in funky new leggings!
You don’t need to join the gossip. If you are not gossipy, gossipers naturally avoid you anyway. I am ALWAYS the last person to know the latest juicy talk. Just be there, smile, and generally be friendly.
Cultivate the love and appreciation of your fellow yoga students. If it's an online class, you can still join/form Facebook/WhatsApp group to share ideas, books you read, ask questions and share funny memes (I love these yoga related memes!)
It is called Sangha, the group of like-minded people (the literal meaning is the group of spiritual aspirants in Buddhism). Your yoga buddies are special friends. You want to cultivate and cherish the friendship. Many of my best friends are those who I have practised with over the years. Not only do we share the same interest in yoga, but we read similar books, follow similar teachers and speakers (yoga, climate issues, social justice, spiritual matters etc), and generally share the same values and worldview. To me, this is one of the biggest rewards of yoga.
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