“Do you come here often?”
“Oh no not another one.” thought Bob. He sneaks a peek at his flirt-o-meter and finds that the needle has moved well into the flirting section of the scale.
This is getting to be so tiring. Every time he comes to yoga class there is always one of the women trying to pick him up. Some of them are really getting quite bold. Don’t they realize that he comes to yoga for the mind-body-spirit benefits and not to find a soul mate.
All this flirting is really getting in the way of Bob’s enjoyment of his yoga practise.
Flirting during yoga class is a bad idea
Most of the time you are coming to yoga class to connect with your mind and body and not with someone else’s mind and body.
You are in the class for up to 90 minutes with no easy way to escape the unwanted attentions from one of your classmates. You may feel trapped and uncomfortable as a result of their flirting.
While you are in yoga class you feel predisposed to be polite and kind to the people around you. This could be misintrepputed as you being interested in their advances when all you are doing is being nice.
Even if you are interested in the other person and their advances, the people around are quite likely bothered by the flirting that is going on right beside them. A yoga class is not a very private place.
There is a fine line between being friendly and flirting. Let’s have a look at the various social interactions that can happen and find out where they fall on the flirt-o-meter scale.
Friend or Flirt
There are all kinds of social interaction that go on in a yoga class. Each of these interactions can range from friendly to flirting depending on how the interaction takes place.
Eye contact
It is fine to make eye contact with the people around you. There is the brief, friendly eye contact and then there is the longer version that pushes the flirt-o-meter needle to the flirting end of the scale. Nobody likes to be stared at! Watch the duration of the eye contact and stay in the friendly zone.
Smiling
You can never go wrong with a smile. It’s good for meeting people and it’s good for you! But be careful. Smiling too long can push your from the friendly side to the flirting side of the flirt-o-meter.
Smiling and waving bye as you leave the practice space is another one of those friendly things to do. However going out of your way to make that contact on the way out will push you over into the flirting zone. If it can not happen spontaneously then let it go until next time.
Talking
Saying hi to your neighbours is just fine. If your hello acknowledged a brief conversation is fine. This definitely is on the friend side of the meter.
Asking a million questions is definitely out of the question. No one likes to be bombarded before class, especially if they do not know you that well.
Complements
You can’t go wrong with a brief word of praise. It should be offered quietly and only rarely. This is definitely in the friend zone. However praising every pose and being exurbent in the praise has moved you into the flirting area.
Relating
Trying to establish a relationship during class is definitely out of the question. The person you are trying to connect with and the everyone else have come to practice yoga and focus on their practice. Your conversation during the class will be distrubing to everyone around you. This is definitely on the flirting side of the scale and should be avoided.
Even if you think you’ve hit it off with your mat mate, don’t try to make plans for a date. If they are not interested, it will be an awkward moment for them, you and the people around you. The two of you are going to be stuck there beside each other for 90 minutes. Save the asking until after the class is over and you have left the practice space. Asking for a date is definitely on the flirting side of the scale.
Remember you came to practise yoga, so when class starts stay focused on the class and your practice.
Danger Wardrobe Malfunction
Jill has been flirting with Bob for the past several weeks. Bob has been putting up with Jill’s flirting because he really enjoys the classes. But tonight it has gone too far. Jill has come to class with a very skimpy outfit that is revealing a lot more than is appropriate.
Bob is really concerned that there might be a wardrobe malfunction of Super Bowl proportions during the practise. After all with all the twists, and folds and back bends that happen in a typical yoga class there is a very real possibility that something could come out of place. And then everyone will be embarrassed. Several of the people around Bob are uncomfortable and some are even getting disgusted.
Jill is definitely falling into the extreme flirting side of the flirt-o-meter scale.
Summary
There is a big difference between being friendly and flirting during a yoga class. Flirting during class can be a real turn off for the person that is the target of the flirting and the people around them. Save the flirting until after you leave the yoga studio.
Next Steps
Have a look at the points above and make sure you are on the friendly side of the flirt-o-meter scale.
“Do you come here often”Oh no not another one thought Bob. He sneaks a peek at his flirt-o-meter and finds that the needle has moved well into the flirting section of the scale.This is getting to be so tiring. Every time he comes to yoga class there is always one of the women trying to pick him up. Some of them are really getting quite bold. Don’t they realize that he comes to yoga for the mind-body-spirit benefits and not to find a soul mate.
All this flirting is really getting in the way of Bob’s enjoyment of his yoga practise.
Flirting during yoga class is a bad idea
Most of the time you are coming to yoga class to connect with your mind and body and not with someone else’s mind and body.
You are in the class for up to 90 minutes with no easy way to escape the unwanted attentions from one of your classmates. You may feel trapped and uncomfortable as a result of their flirting.
While you are in yoga class you feel predisposed to be polite and kind to the people around you. This could be misintrepputed as you being interested in their advances when all you are doing is being nice.
Even if you are interested in the other person and their advances, the people around are quite likely bothered by the flirting that is going on right beside them. A yoga class is not a very private place.
There is a fine line between being friendly and flirting. Let’s have a look at the various social interactions that can happen and find out where they fall on the flirt-o-meter scale.
Friend or Flirt
There are all kinds of social interaction that go on in a yoga class. Each of these interactions can range from friendly to flirting depending on how the interaction takes place.
— Eye contact
It is fine to make eye contact with the people around you. There is the brief, friendly eye contact and then there is the longer version that pushes the flirt-o-meter needle to the flirting end of the scale. Nobody likes to be stared at! Watch the duration of the eye contact and stay in the friendly zone.
— Smiling
You can never go wrong with a smile. It’s good for meeting people and it’s good for you! But be careful. Smiling too long can push your from the friendly side to the flirting side of the flirt-o-meter.
Smiling and waving bye as you leave the practice space is another one of those friendly things to do. However going out of your way to make that contact on the way out will push you over into the flirting zone. If it can not happen spontaneously then let it go until next time.
— Talking
Saying hi to your neighbours is just fine. If your hello acknowledged a brief conversation is fine. This definitely is on the friend side of the meter.
Asking a million questions is definitely out of the question. No one likes to be bombarded before class, especially if they do not know you that well.
— Complements
You can’t go wrong with a brief word of praise. It should be offered quietly and only rarely. This is definitely in the friend zone. However praising every pose and being exurbent in the praise has moved you into the flirting area.
— Relating
Trying to establish a relationship during class is definitely out of the question. The person you are trying to connect with and the everyone else have come to practice yoga and focus on their practice. Your conversation during the class will be distrubing to everyone around you. This is definitely on the flirting side of the scale and should be avoided.
Even if you think you’ve hit it off with your mat mate, don’t try to make plans for a date. If they are not interested, it will be an awkward moment for them, you and the people around you. The two of you are going to be stuck there beside each other for 90 minutes. Save the asking until after the class is over and you have left the practice space. Asking for a date is definitely on the flirting side of the scale.
Remember you came to practise yoga, so when class starts stay focused on the class and your practice.
Danger Wardrobe Malfunction
Jill has been flirting with Bob for the past several weeks. Bob has been putting up with Jill’s flirting because he really enjoys the classes. But tonight it has gone too far. Jill has come to class with a very skimpy outfit that is revealing a lot more than is appropriate.
Bob is really concerned that there might be a wardrobe malfunction of Super Bowl proportions during the practise. After all with all the twists, and folds and back bends that happen in a typical yoga class there is a very real possibility that something could come out of place. And then everyone will be embarrassed. Several of the people around Bob are uncomfortable and some are even getting disgusted.
Jill is definitely falling into the extreme flirting side of the flirt-o-meter scale.
Summary
There is a big difference between being friendly and flirting during a yoga class. Flirting during class can be a real turn off for the person that is the target of the flirting and the people around them. Save the flirting until after you leave the yoga studio.
Next Steps
Have a look at the points above and make sure you are on the friendly side of the flirt-o-meter scale.
