while the rest of the class rested quietly in pigeon pose, i watched the woman in the corner, lay on her back, ankle over knee – then struggle to lift her chest

i went over, hoping to relieve some obvious stress by encouraging her to let her upper body relax into the mat … to reassure the hip opening will come over time.

that’s when she explained that in her yoga class, the teacher combines abs with hips – getting more bang for the butt (?).  i wanted to explain that she was in my yoga class now.  but instead, i let her do her thing.

because i've come to realize, yoga by itself is no longer attractive.  we feel we must add dance. or weights. or provide cocktails and chocolate.  bring in the hoops … turn up the hip hop … cycle in, yoga out … and marry our yoga with every bell and whistle we can conjure. 

yoga is now juicy, sexy, drenched in sweat, kick-ass, ((add latest new-age buzz word here)), heart pumping, and hot, hot, HOT!  teachers serve as models, performers, preachers, and all ‘round bad-ass instructors … forever dreaming new ways to entertain, entice, and draw in students an audience.

one day, i found myself in a very unfortunate class called “runners’ yoga.” this teacher promised her shtick would finally lure those pesky runners into yoga.  forget that most runners like to actually run and would rather have a root canal than work flexibility - and the best way to get them to yoga is an injury.  but i digress …

we spent the entire time moving in and out of aerobic lunges, swinging our arms like runners -- to the tune of rocky. 

like i said ... it was unfortunate.

but sometimes, in moments of insecurity ... i begin to wonder ...  maybe it's me whose old out-of-date out of touch. 

just last week, someone asked me where they could find a really hard intermediate yoga class.

really want a challenge?  try getting up at the crack of dawn, 6 days a week, and practicing yoga without a priest in the pulpit, a band in the house, and with no other reward offered other than a strong, healthy body and perhaps, a little peace of mind.

now that’s fcken hard.