Gaileen Sutton

Yoga is a form of exercise, a discipline, and a lifestyle. It has its roots in Vedic India and is actually a school of seven different disciplines for training one’s mind and body to be as pure as possible. In India there are still practitioners of all forms of yoga, but in the West the most popular style of yoga is based on physical poses, or flowing yoga. This yoga is used primarily for fitness purposes, but until like other forms of exercise it also concentrates on mental relaxation and is a low-impact exercise that is good for people of all ages and physical levels. On that note, yoga is also a very personal form of exercise even though it most often done in group classes. Because of this, many efforts have been made to make yoga classes feel as comfortable as possible. For instance, classes might be geared toward people of a similar community such as yoga for women, prenatal yoga, or even gay yoga classes.

From the moment that you walk into a yoga class, you should feel comfortable. Instead of worrying what the other students or the instructor are thinking about you and your fitness level, you should be clearing your mind in preparation for the task ahead. The atmosphere of the studio is important for this.

Generally yoga studios have low lighting and most instructors choose to play soft music before the class begins as well as during the final meditation period.

They should have both a firm but comforting tone that challenges you to work your hardest but doesn’t make you feel bad if you aren’t as advanced as the other students. Of course, being with students who share your physical level or interests is also important.

Even the yoga class itself is designed to make you feel comfortable. It starts out with basic breathing and warm up exercises that will help your mind clear out all the cobwebs of the day. Then you move into more challenging exercises and poses.

Once you are warmed up and ready to go you will start to do poses that gradually get more challenging as the class goes on. It would be toward the middle or end of class that strength training and Pilates exercises would be held.

Then, by the end of the class you should really be pushing yourself to take it to the next level. Finally there will be a period of cool down and relaxation that includes more breathing and relaxation exercises. By the end of a yoga class you should have an energetic body but a relaxed mind.

Since the whole point of yoga is to calm your mind and reduce stress through physical work, the entire yoga experience should be comfortable for you. This is why the atmosphere of the class is almost just as important as the exercises themselves. If you don’t feel safe enough to try new things you won’t get the full benefit of the yoga experience. Therefore, the rise of specialized yoga classes, such as gay yoga, should not be surprising. For those that want to learn more there is gay tantra yoga.

Commentary originated by Howie Holben. Spirit Journeys arranges gay weekend breaks and has gay tantra retreats.