To complain about my yoga studio nemesis

[Goodmorningvinyasa]

I’ve been practicing yoga for years and have joined a new studio that recently opened in my area. It’s lovely and I’m grateful to have it. It seems to have attracted a few people trying yoga for the first time, which is great. However, my heart sinks when I see one man in particular walking into the class and I’m starting to wonder if I should ask the staff to have a quiet word with him about spatial awareness and studio etiquette.

The first time he was in the same class as me a couple of weeks ago, he came in late (only studio I’ve ever been to that allows that), got a mat, and plonked it immediately in front of mine with only a few centimetres of space between our mats. He was at the front of the room with lots of space in front of him. As the class had already started, it was ages before I had a chance to ask him to move forward, meaning I spent most of the hour paying attention to where he was and making sure I didn’t get kicked in the face rather than concentrating on what I was doing.

At the same class last night, he got up to leave the room for a break halfway through. Rather than walking to the front and down the side of the room, he walked between my mat and the person behind me at the exact moment we were doing one legged dog (downward dog with one leg kicking into the air for non-yoga people) so I kicked him as I lifted my leg. For context, I am 5ft tall and have never been known for having long and elegant legs, so he must have been very close to my mat or even walking on it for it to be possible for me to kick him. Entirely his own fault.

I want to ask the staff to quietly speak to him about being careful of where you are and what other people are doing. He’s over 6ft and could easily hurt someone unintentionally. He also has a habit of trying to force his body into poses he isn’t ready for and then making noises I’ve never heard before in a yoga class. Yesterday I came out of a pose because I thought someone was having a panic attack from the noises he was making. But if I say anything I will focus on the safety aspects. AIBU to mention it to the staff?

Did you warm up before you stretched that far?

???

You should talk to the instructor. She can check their late policy and ehen the dude comes in she can ask him to bring his mat forward etc. It doesn't have to be a complaint, it can be just pointing out something.

My fully-legged dog does do the ‘Downward-Dog’ pose occasionally though
The yoga pose was named for dogs stretching like this And Upward Dog for the one where they put their front legs on the floor and stretch their back legs/bum up in the air. A lot of yoga poses are named for animals and things in the natural world.

Yep! Cobra, Cat and Cow, Eagle.....

Every morning when our dogs wake up they do their yoga stretches and I always find it so amazing that it just comes naturally to them and they don't need to pay a tenner a class to do them 😆

Fish, Scorpion, Tree, Locust, Pigeon, Cow Face, Peacock…
There's more and more now I think of it!

Haha what a good dog! I just had the one legged dog visual when I read your post and realised how silly it sounded 😂

I hear you! There is a woman who comes to a weight class. Medium sized studio. Capacity class of 16 people with bars and free weights and a mat and step. We all position ourselves in rows slightly staggered like brick work. That way everyone can see the mirrors/instructor.

The woman comes in- never adheres to the staggered rows and pretty much slaps herself right in the centre. So you have people squished at the back and sides. It’s very very annoying.

if I am close I say- “might be easier if you go forward and across a bit” and she does. But it is eveytime. The entitlement is bonkers

There was a guy doing something similar in the lane swimming session.

Using swim gloves and some other bit of kit, jumps in with no regard for anyone, exaggerated stroke, splashing everywhere, just a really shit attitude.

Like no-one else is entitled to quiet enjoyment of their swim.

Sigh….ok I know MN has a reputation for us hating all men (I categorically don’t for the record) but it is always men isn’t it who have to huff and puff and make a big performance in a yoga/pilates class and disturb everyone else, or sit hogging machines for ages in the gym farting around on their phones whilst the rest of us get on with it.

Just say something about the spacing OP.
Although somehow it doesnt surprise me that a bloke try manspreading during yoga...
I wonder if he is also the type who likes to 'dominate' train seats and indulge in performative sneezing!LOL😆

I’m a Pilates instructor and I’d want to know if you weren’t enjoying my class for whatever reason.

I’d speak to the instructor to double check the late policy. Then mention the safety aspects of him being too close to you. I think people listen when it comes from the instructor and she can word it politely ‘look inconsiderate man, there’s plenty of room towards the front here so everyone has space round the mat’.

She can also announce her late policy an that if anyone does arrive late they go to her and she places their mat somewhere (only if room) if no room they leave

@Goodmorningvinyasa is it Bikram Yoga? I can understand why it's problematic to catch your breath and then tell somebody to move in the moment.

That is exactly why they shouldn't be letting people in late. I know someone who goes to those classes - it's pretty full on isn't it? You've got 90 seconds with poses or something like that?

I know exactly what you mean! At a spin class I go to an older gentleman makes what I can only describe as constant groaning - inbetween calling out ‘yeah’. It’s honestly so inappropriate. I notice no one wants to ride on a bike next to him!

What is it with men?! One or two attend a class I go to. No issues with women, just the idiot loud men who think we care about their puffing and panting. We don’t 🤣

TBF I once went to a yoga class and put my mat near a woman who was sitting there already (not too near!) and she gave me a snotty look and said, ‘My friend usually goes there.’
I'm older now and give fewer shits, so would probably just suggest she get a life, but I'm sorry to say that at the time I muttered an apology and got up and went elsewhere in the room.

Men in fitness classes are a curse. I was at a yoga class sitting on my mat (and we brought our own mats in) and some man decided to walk past and stood ON my mat rather than going around, and left a big dirty trainer print on it.

Also fuck-all spacial awareness compared to the women. Not saying no woman in a class has every irritated me as I'm a grumpy bitch, but with men it's almost invariable.

It’s vinyasa flow so lots of movement between poses and not many natural breaks in the class, making it difficult to ask someone else to move.

My DH sometimes does a work out at home and makes all sorts of huffing, groaning and sighing noises. Im.sure he equates making a lot of noise with a making a lot of effort.
We went to a boot camp together, id been going for a while and he joined the class one week. It was mainly women and he was the only one making loads of noise during some abs exercises. I could tell the instructor was trying not to laugh. I was secretly quite relieved when he didnt want to go anymore! 🤣

He also has a habit of trying to force his body into poses he isn’t ready for and then making noises I’ve never heard before in a yoga class

Sadly the gym bros discovered my hot yoga class and it's now really competitive with lots of huffing and grunting.

Typical man in a yoga class behaviour 🙄 every man that’s ever been in a yoga class I’ve been in has been similar - unnecessarily loud breathing/grunting, no awareness of personal space etc. They just seem to be so much louder and deliberately take up so much more space than they need to! It comes from growing up being conditioned to be entitled I suspect, by virtue of growing up male. I’d find it annoying but I probably couldn’t be bothered saying anything

I once saw a man at the gym bark at himself in the mirror while flexing

Why are the gurglebogging oafs like this. So entitled to space ao noisy, I swim and they splash about and phlegm down the drain and wash their balls poolside. I'm comfortable not sharing my life house or bed with one and now I resent them in public space ls too, tbh, rank.

🤢 that is horrible. (Your post did make me lol though - sorry). I’ve had farts in my direction. I do yoga at home now for reasons like this.Just got sick of selfish behaviour and people demanding an unfair amount of attention.