This past weekend I was lucky enough to teach a Saturday morning yoga class. It's always a big class, but I knew it was going to be insane this weekend. I had nine of my friends telling me they were going to come to their first hot yoga class EVER. Well, seven hot yoga virgins, one had been two ONE hot yoga class, and one hot yoga instructor.
I have always wanted my friends to come to class with me, or even a class that I am teaching. But one or two at a time! So I can interact with them, give them some special attention, and if I'm teaching, I'll totally style the class around their needs. But when there are NINE of them. You're just screwed. I'll be honest, I didn't expect them all to show up. I figured a few would forget, a few would be hungover, and/or a few would just chicken out. They ALL showed. But so did 25 other students.
My biggest class has been 21 before Saturday. Usually 16-18. The studio itself has never been able to hold more than 31. We end up having to turn people away. But with the chaos of having only a half an hour turn around from the prior class to mine, we somehow crammed in THIRTY FOUR people into my class.
I was pretty nervous going in, knowing that many people that I personally know were going to be there. If its strangers, you can just get by knowing that they don't know you and if they don't like how you teach, they never have to go to a class you are scheduled to teach again. But when you know them, its so different, you want to please them! You NEED to please them. And with the varied level of bodies coming in, boy howdy I was in for it.
But with 34 people, I was literally brushing sides with my mat neighbors. Who thank GOD were Tim to my left and Nate to my right. The two people I want most next to me through that insanity. It got so hot and humid I thought I would black out. But thats when being the teacher feels the absolute best. Feel like passing out? Oh thats right childs pose for a few breaths, drink break, or lets just let the cool breeze in.
With the amount of people, I didn't get to talk to everyone in person afterwards, but I got immense praise from a few immediately after, including the people I most wanted to impress, and Facebook went wild later that day with how much everyone loved it. In fact, I think only one actually didn't like it. He thinks I tried to kill him with the heat. I think he just needs to buck it up. But he never down talked it to me, so Ill let it slide, at least he tried.
All in all, it went swimmingly, but lets just try to span out the friends and newbies from now on. Give my heart a few extra years to live.
But thank you to Tim, Nate, Chris, John, Creed, Jeff, Kayla, Sarah, and Matt for surviving that heat, you all did amazingly well!
