the things you do for yoga

Thursday April 5, 2012.

We carry 12 nice clean yoga mats from the classroom closet to the rec yard. The mats they've been keeping in the pod are kept in the janitor's closet and are filthy and had also gotten wet somehow.

A beautiful spring day, mid 70's. People gather for class while 8 or 10 guys work on "fitness" around and beside us. My students: two Native American transsexuals, a black man in his 20's, a slender white guy who is a yoga adept, a Native American bull-rider, a guy whose entire torso is covered in tatoos, a hand full of Hispanic guys. The guys milling about doing fitness: mostly bigger guys, who are walking, using a sheet tied to the door to do pull ups, lifting plastic chairs as weights, doing squats.


How to get this group focused?

We start doing simple standing breathing- raise arms all the way up on the inhale, lower to sides on exhale. 10 times. Gradually we work our way into a series of sun salutations.

Now we're in the zone. The tatooed guy goes: "This is for really bendy people, I'm not that bendy." The new trannie is moaning in extacy. Everyone else just settles in.

When we get to the floor postures a couple of the fitness guys walking up and down get into aloud discussion. Not arguing, just animated loud talk. I get their eyes and put my fingers to my lips. They nod, take the volume down.

The sun is deliciously warm after a snow storm earlier this week.

Savassana time for 5 or 6 minutes. Everyone lying on their backs, mostly shirts off.
The fitness guys flow away from us and quiet down.

After class the tatooed guy says" I'm sorry I couldn't do everything, miss." I say "Its ok, just do what you can." He goes " I'm kicking heroin." I go "Well, this will help speed up your detox." He looks brave, resolved to feel like hell for a few more days.

One young guy who has been doing yoga for a while volunteers to lead yoga three times a week.Great. He asks if he can keep the good mats. I hesitate cause if I leave them in there, they won't stay "good" for long, and getting new mats into the facility is a months long hassle. I look at his hopeful face and at the pile of disgusting mats they have and agree. Now I've got to search the psych unit for mats we may have left in a closet over there a couple years ago. Ahh the things you do for yoga.