There is more than one way for your cell phone to interrupt your yoga class.
The cell phone had been ringing for a while now and no one was moving to answer it!
Last week I was at a week long teacher’s training workshop with Manju Jois in Halifax. Manju Jois comes to Halifax once a year to teach us about Ashtanga Yoga and how to adjust students in poses safely. Safely for both the student and the teacher.
It was on the second day of the four day workshop that it happened. Somewhere in the back of the room a cell phone started ringing. Everyone ignored it.
I absolutely knew that it was not my phone. I checked the mute switch on the side of my phone when I put my pants in the storage room. The switch was off. My phone was not going to make a sound and interrupt the teacher. I had written a couple of articles about cell phones and yoga class and I was not going to get caught interrupting class.
Previous articles about cell phones
Why Cell phones are banned from your yoga practice space explains why cell phones are bad in a yoga class and what to do about. Turn it off; Put it in silent mode or leave it outside the room. If your phone should start to ring, don’t ignore it. Either turn it off or answer the call outside of the room.
I put my phone in silent mode for the teacher training workshop just like the article said.
How to be on call and go to yoga class: Follow the Good Vibrations process shows you how to be on call and not disrupt the class when you have to leave.
I was not on call, so I left my cell phone in my pants in the closet at the back of the room.
The ringing cell phone
Control your cell phone
– Airplane mode
– Leave it outside
– Power it off
Here we are five minutes into this cell phone ringing and ringing. It did not stop and go to voice mail like a normal phone call would. Something else was going on.
Finally one of the participants asked the organizer if there was cell phone ringing in the office area. She assured us that no phones were ringing in her area. And still the phone was ringing and ringing. Another person got up and followed the sound. She went into the closet in the back of the room and brought out my pants.
But this can not be! I know that my phone is set to silent. I checked before I put my clothes in the closet. But it was definitely my pants and my phone that was ringing. That was when I discovered that there is more than one way for a cell phone to interrupt class.
The other way a cell phone can interrupt class
It was this day that I discovered one more way that a cell phone can interrupt a yoga class. I had a timer set for each week on Tuesday at 12:55 pm. It was Tuesday and it was now several minutes after the timer started to ring. Unlike a cell phone call timers do not stop ringing. There is no voice mail for timers.
Obviously setting the phone to silent mode with that switch on the side of my iPhone does nothing for the timer functions.
What to do when a cell phone goes off during class
Don’t ignore it. If no one is going for the phone, don’t ignore it. If you have a cell phone in class, check it to make sure that it is not ringing. Find it and silence it if it is yours. Give it to the owner if it is not yours
How to prepare your cell phone for yoga class
Put it in silent mode. This will work for incoming phone calls and text messages. You can still receive texts and any phone calls will go to voice mail.
- Put it in airplane mode. If you do not have a silent mode put your phone in airplane mode. This disconnects the phone from the cell phone network. No phone calls or text will be coming through.
- Leave it outside of the practice space. This is a good solution except when the phone starts to ring and you can hear it from inside the practice space. Now you have a longer trip to get to your phone and turn it off.
- Power it off. This will ensure that absolutely no sound will be coming from your phone. No calls, no text, and NO Timers.
Summary
What I learned from the Teacher’s Training workshop with Manju Jois in addition to the yoga was that when I cell phone starts to ring is to always check yours. It might just be a timer or some other app that is not affected by silent mode or airplane mode that is ringing and ringing.
Better yet, power down your phone or leave it at home.
Next Steps
The next time you are in yoga class and a cell phone starts to ring, check out your phone right a way. It just might be yours.
Additional Reading
Why Cell phones are banned from your yoga practice space explains why cell phones are bad in a yoga class and what to do about.
How to be on call and go to yoga class: Follow the Good Vibrations process shows you how to be on call and not disrupt the class when you have to leave.
