Musical Chairs & Musical Statues

Shala gates open at 430am (shala time).  Prakash, the gatekeeper, errand guy (and also babysitter to Sharath’s kids) will only open the gates when Sharath comes downstairs (the family live above the shala), going straight to his laptop in his office.  People waiting at the gates get in, pick their spots and start practice.  Others in the 1^st timeslot will drift in until the shala is almost full.  Sharath comes out just before 5am and stands in the centre of the elevated platform in the front of the room.  He calls everyone to attention with a ‘’Samasthithi” (meaning standing firm and still) and we say the Opening Chant together before continuing where we left off.  The next timeslot is 530am but some people start arriving 515ish, hoping to get the last remaining spots so they don’t have to wait.  As people from the 1^st batch leave, they eventually get the “You ... you come early ... tomorrow, 430am” call.

People in the 1^st timeslot have the luxury of picking their spot in the shala, if they care enough to come early.  Some people are creatures of habit, picking the same spot every day (ie. musical statues), others move all over the place (ie. musical chairs).  Where people’s favourite spot in the shala is depends on a couple of factors:

• I get hot easily so I want to be near the door / window to get some cool air.
  
• I hate being near the door because I’ll be under the scrutiny of people waiting in the foyer.
  
• I hate being in the front row, especially in the middle because it’s right in front of the stage which means you have limited space in front of you.
  
• I like being in the front row because there’s nothing to see so I can focus better.
  
• I can’t practice in the 2 front corners because the beam obstructs me when I raise my hands up above my head (NB.  this doesn’t apply to me as I am too short!)
  
• I don’t want to practice on the crease of the carpet.
  (The shala floor is carpeted by made up of 3 rows of large carpets laid next to each other.   This results in a crease where the carpets overlap each other.  If you imagine the lines forming  a tic tac toe grid, that’s where the creases will lie).
  
• I don’t want to be near the mens’ and ladies’ changing room because the door is always being opened and closed and there is a draft because some people always forget to close the door.
  
• I don’t want to be near the main door or changing room doors because people are constantly walking past my mat and it’s distracting.
  
• I want to be on the carpet, plus it’s too cold at the back (there are about 6 spots right in the back which is on the bare marble floor, versus the carpet.  It’s also right next to the windows which are usually open to allow circulation of air).

Being next to a crease is usually okay but there is a danger of ending up on the crease if people in the centre take too much space.  The other day I was on the edge of a crease and it was a bit tricky when I did poses where I had to kneel down because I had a crease under each knee, and also under each hand when I was in downward dog.

Personally, I am a backbencher, but the last row of the carpet.  I don’t like to be on the marble floor because of the draft on a cold day and it’s just nice to have an extra layer of cushioning under your mat.  I try and stay away from the main door because I get nervous if I see eyes looking at me (although they may not necessarily be watching me).  

Just as people gravitate to certain spots in the room, they also get used to (and like) practicing next the same people all the time.  You inevitably find people you like to practice next to and people you avoid.  Some people have great energy, steady deep breaths and are a calming presence to have beside you.  In contrast, some people take short, choppy breaths.  Personally this agitates me and unconsciously causes me to quicken my breath.  I find that I come out of practice feeling flustered and unsettled.

Since space is limited (you have about 15cm on either side of you), people need to be very aware of what they are doing and to stay within the boundaries of their ‘mat space’ ie an unspoken mat etiquette.  This is especially in poses where you’re sticking a leg, knee or arm out.  It sometimes involves making minor adjustments and movements so you don’t inconvenience the people around you.  This is primarily on both sides, but sometimes to the front and back.
I’ve had the unpleasant experience of someone dripping sweat on the back of my mat or doing a backward roll into my face because they land on the front of my mat.  It’s a pain to practice beside an inconsiderate person who is oblivious to what’s going on around him/her.  This is 1 reason why some people like to position themselves on the sides or next to a wall.

If you are in a later timeslot, where you end up practicing is just like Russian roulette – you go where you’re assigned and you make do with the space you’ve been given and the people you have around you.

Who would have thought that the physical spot you practice on would be so complicated.  But this is how the human mind works; sometimes dwelling far too much on things that are unimportant in the bigger scheme of things.  This is precisely what Yoga tries to teach us … to put aside the distractions of the mind and focus on living fully in the present.  With Ashtanga yoga, the breath controls the mind and the mind controls the body. So slow, deep breaths results in a calm, still mind and a strong body.

PS.  Here is a pix of my 1st Christmas stocking (took me almost a month, a couple of hours each day) and a pin cushion I made for my friend using remaining scraps of felt.  Am close to completing the 2nd stocking too.

Xmas Stocking #1

Xmas stocking #2 (almost there ...)

Pin cushion