The stormy weather is a welcome relief. It will end the drought.
The storm has been approaching all day. The wind is picking up and the dust, leaves and papers are blowing all around. Finally with a rumble of thunder the rain starts to fall. It is about time. This rain will turn the grass green again.
You are happy for the stormy weather after the long drought.
In yoga class you want the stormy weather to stay away for ever.
What is the stormy weather in yoga class
Your body is well warmed up. You have a bit of a glow on and then the stormy weather hits.
Sam has arrived at yoga class and he is setting up his yoga mat. He stands there holding on to one end of his yoga mat and he flings the rest of it away from his body.
The mat unrolls as it flies through the air. The far end hits the floor with a loud crack. There is a great gust of wind that spreads throughout the practice room as Sam’s yoga mat settles to the floor.
Sam brought the Strom weather with him and it has a major impact on the yoga class.
What is wrong with having stormy weather
There are three problems with the way that Sam has laid out his yoga mat:
- noise
- wind
- chill
The most distracting of these is the noise that his mat makes when it hits the floor.
Noise
The first impact on the class is the loud noise. The crack of the mat hitting the floor disrupts the focus of the other people in the room.
Trying to focus on your breath and listen to the feedback from your body is impossible when there is a loud crack right next to you.
The Noise, Wind, and Chill caused by Sam’s mat disrupts the yoga class.
Wind
The wind created by the mat hitting the floor blows across the room and sweeps dust onto your yoga mat, your skin and possibly into your eyes.
The wind with its accompanying detritus blowing around the room distracts you from your yoga practice. You need to reestablish your focus and start on your pose again.
The wind has another effect it creates a chill
Chill
When you are well into your yoga practice you body has heated up and there is a light or heavy coating of sweat on your skin.
The wind created by the mat landing on the floor causes your skin to cool down rapidly. You loose some of the heat that you have built up in your body.
The stormy weather of the yoga mat landing has caused you a few problems.
Sam can avoid creating these problems by adopting a different method of getting his mat in place.
How to avoid stormy weather in yoga class
To avoid the stormy weather Sam places his rolled up mat on the floor at his feet.
Next he gently unrolls his mat away from him on the floor.
The time it takes to squat down and roll your mat out on the floor is greatly appreciated by the other yoga students.
Summary
The thunder storm with its wind and rain brought welcome relief from the drought. The stormy weather caused when Sma flings his yoga mat out while standing up:
- disrupts your yoga class,
- causes dust and other detritus to blow around
- chills your body and
- causes you to loose your focus.
These problems can be avoid when you take the extra time to squat down and roll your mat out on the floor.
Next Step
The next time you go to yoga class leave the Stormy weather outside and roll your mat on the floor rather than through the air. Everyone will be glad that you did.
Additional Reading
Moving someone else’s yoga mat is a problem. You can learn more in How to avoid the war of the mats.
Sometimes where you put your mat can be a problem. Read Your in my spot! to find what you should do when someone asks you to move your mat.
If you are new to yoga Goldilocks has a suggestion about where you should put your yoga mat. The article New to Yoga? Follow Goldilocks and sit in the middle of the yoga class tells you why sitting in the middle of the class is the best plan.
