The Unexpected Yoga Visitor

Last week I was taking a yoga class at my gym. This was the second time I had this instructor and I was already wondering why I had myself there again. Her style of teaching is as follows: stay glued to my mat, occasionally look up at my students, and talk in a, what I assume she perceives as, a soothing monotone voice. I kept telling myself, you're here for yoga, for the stretch, try and 'zen out' her voice and the fact that 90% of her students form is atrocious and she only looks up and says 'oh yes, you look great.' During her guided meditation in her first class she talked about rainbows and imagining whatever was bothering you was floating away on a cloud. So, I took her (in my mind) and sent her off on a cloud...

About ten minutes into this last class this gal walks in with headphones and very loudly grabs a mat walks to the front left corner of the class and plops down. At first I'm thinking, ok she is going to join us, but no. She bobs her head to her music (that you can hear) and at times sings along lowly as she stretches. The whole time this is happening I'm checking over at her thinking; maybe she is going to join in? and when I realized she wasn't I couldn't stop thinking 'What the fuck is wrong with you? Are you so dense that you didn't notice PEOPLE in here are obviously taking a class?' I went back and forth between that and thinking 'oh this is an interesting social experiment' and I considered how possibly in some obscure place in the world it would be OK for "YOU TO COME IN AN INTERRUPT MY YOGA CLASS!!!"

I, several times, wanted to walk over to her and say 'excuse me, we are having a class, could you please go outside?' but I did not do this for two specific reasons:

1. This responsibility I saw as the instructors, no? It is her job right?

2. She rather scared me, I saw her in the locker room the other day and secretly glared at her, but she looks like someone you wouldn't want to piss off-jock is the word that comes to mind, all brass no brains.

I kept thinking "Lord, who knows HOW long this loud lady will be in here?" Well, the instructor did nothing. I started envisioning my entire yoga class accompanied by noisy-headbanging-headphones-jock-girl.

Thankfully, that did not happen (she left after about five mins) - I couldn't handle irritation with my instructor and this rude individual all at the same time...that's just way beyond my current "zen level."

As the gal walked out, I heard her say to someone out in the main part of the gym "I don't know if I was supposed to go in there. Hahahahaha"

And then the instructor said sorry for that and thanks us for "being patient."

After all this I tried to come up with some sort of deep, elaborate lesson but I really just couldn't. I have to say though, by the end of the class I did feel nicely stretched and I felt this cool/warm feeling throughout my body as I rested in shavasana. So I suppose if there were a lesson to be learned it would be; keep doing yoga, it will always be there for you, but also be discerning in whom you let teach you. (I am ever grateful for the incredible technique that I have learned from Yoga Oasis that I can take with me when I take classes from instructors that aren't as good). I have to decide whether or not the stretch I get from yoga is worth the style of teaching of this instructor. I'll let ya know what I figure out ;)