Small versus Big Yoga Classes

Last Saturday I attended an intimate yoga class with four students. The weather called for sleeping in that morning, and I would have done that, had I not known what the theme of the class would be: the progression into spring, and how we can sow the seeds of our practice (or anything in life), to be able to reap its rewards later on.

Our teacher Céline introduced herself as an agronomist, and someone who loves to garden. It takes a lot of patience and love to be able to tend and flourish a garden—let alone a plant—and I felt these qualities in Céline’s manner of teaching and talking. We were a mix of newcomers and regulars that day, and just like the patient gardener that she is, our teacher gave us just the right amount of attention and looking after that we needed to root ourselves, then grow. With just five of us in the room, Céline arranged us in a circle, so that we were all visible to one another. It was a vulnerable set up, and yet it also gave us the chance to look each other in the eye, relate and actually talk to one another at some parts of the practice. At the end of class, we were a bit more familiar and comfortable with ourselves and each other, so that we fostered a warm environment that almost felt like family. Céline also gave us flower seeds for us to grow in our own flower gardens—I liken this process to my yoga practice where I sow, tend, work, wait, care for, and then see the fruits of my labor. It will take time, but the journey is an enlightening one!

The next day I went to a much bigger class organized by yogacommunity.ch. Here, more than a hundred students lay down their yoga mats in a large hall, as a mix of wind instrumentalists and percussionists accompanied our breath and movement. Here, yoga teachers gave instructions through wireless mics in both Swiss German and English. When one couldn’t understand the teacher, one could look at the stage, where yet another teacher demonstrated the sequences. Other volunteer teachers went around and corrected participating yogis and yoginis. It was probably the largest yoga class I have ever attended—where rows and rows of mixed level students displayed different expressions of poses and transitions. The combination of everyone’s individual energy was new, very vibrant, and super exciting. 

After experiencing Saturday’s intimate setting with Sunday’s huge crowd, I realized the value of practicing in different environments. Sometimes you need the individual instruction and personal guide of a teacher. Sometimes being fueled with the liveliness of many different people works, too. And then there are days when being alone on your yoga mat is just what you need. What kind of practice do you need today?

Gift of Seeds: Our takeaway from Saturday’s intimate class.

The other end of the spectrum: Sunday’s big turnout was an equally enjoyable experience. That’s me by the way at the bottom of the photo, in the gray top. Photo courtesy of Maaret Jokela

#Baselyoga #Loosloo #yogapractice #yogacommunitych