1- Acknowledge that you’re having a grumpy yoga class
It happens. Sometimes your yoga practice isn’t all sunshine and roses. Sometimes class is hard, sometimes you struggle, sometimes everything (including yourself) is annoying. Acknowledging that can be half the battle.
2- Know that it’s a choice
Last night I was having a really grumpy class. And I was grumpy the whole 90 minutes. That was a choice I made to stew in my grumpiness. I could have turned around my thought process and attitude in Standing Head to Knee as I’ve talked about before. I could have decided in the savasana between the Standing and Floor series that I was going to let my bad attitude go. I didn’t last night, but I’ve had other classes where I’ve done a 180 in my attitude within just a few breaths. Everyday is different.
3- Don’t blame the teacher
I love to blame the teacher and say that they are annoying… it’s not me, it’s them. Sound familiar? Sometimes teachers are annoying, but so much of your grumpy class is coming from you. Know that and try to keep it to yourself. The teacher may notice, but don’t worry, they’re a pro. They know not to take things personally.
4- Know that “stirring the pot” is a good thing
When you have negative things come in class it feels bad in the moment, but is ultimately a good thing. If you always have the best yoga class of your life, you may not be working hard enough or digging deep. Part of the yoga process I’ve learned, is working through the yucky stuff. I had a six month stint where I hated every class I took (I’m amazed I actually kept going back to class) and I kept thinking that yoga should feel good, it should be FUN! The beautiful thing is that by unearthing the grumpies, you can release them from your mind and body.
5- Work harder than you want to
This ties into my last point. A great way to change your attitude during class is to work a lot harder than you want to. By doing so you can essential ‘burn off’ your bad attitude like you would burning the sulphur off a match. Try a little trick, challenge yourself to work really hard for the next three postures, and see what happens. You may feel a little crazy, your heart rate will likely spike, and your breath with challenge you. But by burning off the grumpies you could free yourself from that negativity for the rest of class.
6- Drink lots of water
After class drink a lot of water and hydrate and flush your body and mind. It will also help you ward off those pesky post-class headaches.
7 – Sleep it off
Just like a kid who goes to bed grumpy, and wakes up all smiles – sometimes all you need is a solid night of sleep. The good news is you just took class and you’re well hydrated so you’ll sleep like a college student after finals!
8- Get back to yoga class soon
Have a bad class? Get back to your yoga practice as soon as possible. This is a great way to make sure you’re flushing and working through the negativity that transpired. And one of the weird yoga principles is if you have a bad class, the next one will be wonderful.
Goodbye Grumpy Yoga Class.
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(Photo credit: milopeng – Flickr CC)
