After six years of pretty much having my yoga studio to myself, my husband has decided that he’s now a Yogi too. Not only does he go to classes with me, he sometimes goes all by himself! What’s a girl to do when her husband has set up his 2x6-foot piece of real estate twelve inches from her own? Don’t get me wrong -- I’m all for “togetherness” in a relationship, but I have to wonder: how much is too much?
Last night we were reading in bed and he quoted a few lines from a book he’s reading by Dr. Wayne Dyer....it was some comment about Bikram YOGA! Apparently the wise Dr. Dyer is now a Yogi too. This just further bolsters the husband’s conviction that the time has arrived for him to become a mellow gumby like his wife. Oh goody!
The truth is that Mike and I do get along really well. After 14 years together, we still actually enjoy and prefer each other’s company to pretty much anyone else’s. Neither of us is into “girl time” or “boys night out.” He doesn’t have a Man Cave and I don’t attend Stitch & Bitch meetings. And that enjoyment of each other has always included our athletic pursuits. We jog together and run road races side by side. We hike and swim and bike and occasionally we even raid the bank account to down-hill ski together. So...what’s the big deal if he hones in on “my” yoga?
I’ve been doing this hot yoga thing for thousands of classes. Twenty-six postures, each done twice, over the course of 90 minutes in a room heated to 105% and controlled for high humidity. That’s why they call it “practice,” because we’re doing the same thing over and over and over again. I’ve worked through COUNTLESS things in this room, letting go of one habit or behavior after another: My need to be perfect. My hatred and loathing of the size and shape of certain body parts. Obsessing over the best pants or top for the heat. Wiping sweat from my face. Guzzling water. After all these years, you’d think I’d be running out of stuff to work on, but the list is just endless. And now, having the husband in the room has added more things to my List of Things To Let Go Of.
I see the little corrections I’d like to make in his postures so they’d flow more easily for him, so he wouldn’t have to work quite so hard. I tune in when he’s holding his breath, breathing too hard, huffing and puffing, etc. Bottom line is....I worry about him. And then there’s all the talk before class and after class. The analysis of every pose, the heat, the humidity. Before Mike started coming, it was, “how was class?” and “fine” covered it. Now, it’s, “So, in Standing Bow, did you see how much further I could lift my knee this time?” and “Did it seem unusually hot in there tonight, or was it just me?”
Beyond that, I REALLY worry sometimes. I mean, this Bikram yoga is no joke....it’s freakin’ HOT in there. And, well....Mike....isn’t quite as athletically inclined as I am. So, he was late coming home from a class the other night. I called his phone. No answer. TWICE. This is what it looks like inside my head at a time like this: Mike has had a heart attack IN CLASS. They’ve rushed him via ambulance to the hospital. No one has thought to CALL me!!! Five minutes of pacing later, he walks in the door looking a bit flushed but very mellow and not at all in the aftermath of a major cardiac event. He’s had a great class and wants to tell me ALL about it.
I suppose there are worse things..... But I’ll tell you this: I’m sure gonna make certain that I’m on the next mat over whenever that boy practices for a while. It’s easier to keep track of him that way. Letting go will take a while....
