I aim to keep people as close to staying on track through a yoga class as possible, but when it comes to classes at the correctional facilities or veteran’s home, getting off course a bit isn’t a bad thing. Usually, this has to do with questions about modifications or body pain, and often, at the women’s facilities, it’s about changing things up because of extra body fat in the way. These women are locked up, depressed, don’t have active lifestyles, and are fed a diet that is basically just a bunch of starchy preservatives. It’s no wonder they’re overweight. The ones who come to my class are usually in the mood to change that lifestyle, and because of that, in pretty good spirits…ya know, considering.

Last night, a new student in the class who was rather talkative, quite likeable, and a bit of a smartass, was having some issues getting into bow pose because of her extra weight. In bow, you grab your ankles, keep your knees tight, and push your shins back to lift your chest and strengthen your upper back. There was no getting a grip on both ankles at once for this student, and she was wearing shorts, so she couldn’t grab for her pants’ leg. Obviously, straps aren’t allowed in a correctional facility, and every time I gave her an assist, she slipped out of it…and kicked me…which was pretty damn funny. I let her know the modifications available, but she was set on getting both legs in her hands.

It’s hard to put into words how it went down – she laughed earnestly at herself and tried some ridiculous moves to get ahold of her ankles…even balancing on her knees at one point to reach back, which I quickly stopped so she didn’t plop hard onto the ground.

“Have you tried sneaking up on it?” offered another student in class when she would get a grip on one leg and reach for the other. The whole class was losing it at that point – definitely not laughing at her – they all had felt similarly, so the laughter came free and easy, and it was a nice moment of connectedness. We’ve all felt silly and out of place (especially in yoga), and isn’t the absolute best thing to laugh at that feeling?

She gave me a fist bump at the end of class and said she’d be back next week. I said I certainly hoped so.