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?

One yoga studio I went to would actually lock the door to stop latecomers, which also stopped the next class from stampeding in as you were just getting up, another pet peeve!

The other studios I’ve been to have all done that, I thought that was usual up until now!

Oh god, the snorers at a sound bath. 😡

At one, someone brought their stupid husband who lay down and immediately fell asleep / into deep sleep apnea, and snored at 90dB for the entire two hour session. He needed a sleep study, not a sound bath.

I was lying there the whole time burning with rage. I want to be able to hear the leader playing their gongs, drums, seashells and rainstick, not listening to a man doing a warthog impression. His wife / partner didn't even poke him to make him turn on his side. Selfish and thoughtless.

I know, and some women bring their men to my aquafit where they are invariably utterly lacking in spatial awareness and tend to position themselves about 2 inches behind my right shoulder where they start splashing away all out of time with the music, and can never seem to follow instructions but always go off in the wrong direction. At the weekend I was lucky enough to be in a hotel with a spa so had a dip in one of those lovely little warm pools designed more for relaxation than athletics. A woman got in, put on her goggles, and proceeded to do several "lengths" of performative front crawl. The other woman enjoying a quiet dip winced as she was thoroughly splashed. Really I grow less tolerant of other people's behaviour in public by the day, it's the lack of any consideration that is so discourteous

I was in a soundbath and lady next to me took out her hearing aid and it emitted a high pitch buzz it was beyond annoying. She couldn't hear it obviously. I told her after the sound bath had finished but i was seething.

Intolerable

I have noticed that men often do make a lot of noise during a yoga class. No idea why but women just don’t make the same noise.

What bothers me about your account, OP, is that the instructor should’ve noticed this and dealt with those issues as they happened. It absolutely is not permissible to come in late, although I did know one community based Yoga centre that made a point of not minding if people did that. They wanted to be all welcoming, but it’s poor practice and not good yoga etiquette.

I was taught that the area around someone’s yoga mat and the mat itself must be respected and never encroached upon, but I have also noticed that not everyone seems to be aware of this.

Eugh Men and the weird breathing in yoga - so embarrassing. It’s always men. There should be separate male yoga classes where they can all grunt together

I have noticed that men often do make a lot of noise during a yoga class. No idea why but women just don’t make the same noise.

Simple
No male has ever had to hide the exertion of labour while giving birth
a time when females of all mammalian species are uniquely vulnerable.

Women strain in silence because in the past it saved our lives.
Men have never had that conditioning

I had to stop a class because of a man who cleared his throat SO LOUDLY every 30 seconds. It was horrific. He also had a metal water bottle that he kicked over at least twice a session
I just can’t stand it. And I realise I will never be a true yogi, far too intolerant of people

bollocks

no woman has to hide it either.

bit of a leap

No one, male or female, should be putting themselves into poses that are painful, especially to the extent of howling, panting, and yelping. It’s yoga, it’s not supposed to hurt you. Perhaps the noises coming from men indicate that they push themselves too far (as is definitely the case with the man in my classes) in a bid to prove themselves.

I once heard a yoga teacher say one way they can easily tell who is experienced and who isn’t is that the inexperienced person will go straight for the most difficult version of a pose to prove they can do it, and often then end up doing it incorrectly. The more experienced person will often go for the less complex version of a pose because they know what they can and can’t do and what their body is ready for on that specific day. I don’t think it’s about giving birth.

NAM but always men!

I’ve lost count of the number of classes of quietly backed out over the decades because of performative, panting men.

if you cannot do a yoga pose without grunting, you’re not ready for it.

if you know you snore and think it’s likely that you’ll fall asleep in a sound bath mention it to the instructor and ask to be woken.

if you have a cough, cold or anything else that means you will need to repeatedly sneeze, clear your throat, or sniff then meditation is not for your this week.

Over decades of yoga i can count on one hand the number of women I’ve experienced who behaved like this. Number of men? Literally hundreds.

Don't be so bloody ridiculous. If you sweat so profusely you can't help but fling it everywhere then stay out of exercise classes. Disgusting

So sorry but couldn't help let out a giggle at the umage of a giant Mr. Bean bring so clueless and lacking in common sense lol 😆 Yes definitely ask the instructor who can direct him to the more suitable place and hopefully he will learn! Xx