Thank you, Poh, for sharing this!

If you’ve ever been to a yoga class, you should get a laugh out of this one.  I’ve seen this list passed around the blogsphere a bit, but I found it at Yogiclarebear‘s blog and she credits Julia Lee.  I’m just spreading the yoga love.

As a new teacher I’ve definitely found those “quirky” students my guru warned me about.  Luckily, she also taught me to remain calm and present while teaching, no matter what kind of distractions occur.  I have to laugh sometimes, but it’s all part of the awesome journey.

See if you recognize any of these…

10 characters you may encounter in yoga class:

1. “The Warrior” – The fellow to the left of you begins to take ujjayi breathing to the next level. You know how teachers will say, “Make your breath sound like the ocean at the back of your throat”? Well, now you feel like you’re at the beach…in the middle of a typhoon.

2. “The Invader” – The person to the right of you places their mat directly beside yours, with not even an inch of room. Your hands are constantly brushing against one another awkwardly as you move through Sun Salutations. You take a step forward, hoping to stagger yourself against them. They take a step forward. You take a step back. They take a step back. You give up and resign yourself to whispering “sorry” throughout class as various body parts continue to make contact.

3. “The Grunter” – The fellow behind you with very tight hips and hamstrings will grunt and moan loudly as he moves from one position to another. “Unhhhhh,” he cries. “Ahhhh,” he moans. You feel uncomfortable as you splay into a wide-legged forward bend.

4. “The Show-Off” – The girl in front of you, a former gymnast and ballerina, springs deftly into full splits with ease and grace. She gazes around the room, smiling sympathetically at those who can barely spread their legs at all (also ensuring that everyone has noticed her and her perky bun). You stare at her coldly as your sweaty hands fumble to support yourself with blocks.

5. “The Freestyler” – The woman in the corner pays no mind to the teacher’s instruction. She hangs passively in a forward bend as the rest of you suckers struggle through a core series. She deftly moves into headstand as everyone else swivels into Trikonasana. You can’t help but stare.  (more…)