TheHotYogaDoctor

I know!  No more pile of smelly towels on my basement floor!  And I’ve just heard that for monthly unlimited the monthly fee is going down the more classes you do.  Ahhhh, what could be better?!

Oh, it’s in Richmond, BC. 

If anyone else has the problem with their own clothes/towels/mats smelling funky, I finally found something to keep the smell at bay: add a cup or two of baking soda to the washer and use HOT water. It took a 2 or three washes to get the smell fully out, but now using it every time, it does a great job of keeping the funk away. Sam’s Club sells baking soda in bulk (I think people use for swimming pools). Helpful when you do so much yoga.

Anyone know why the series was designed so that we step off our mats for several of the poses? It would make so much more sense just to turn 90°. I tried this last week and a teacher came over and said, “Is there a reason why you’re not facing the same way as the rest of the class?” And I said that I slip easily, which is true, but really it’s because I don’t want to sweat on the carpet. I get a much better grip if I stay on my mat, and don’t feel like I’m leaving a puddle for someone else to step in.

Why was the sequence designed this way, and why are teachers so rigid about adhering to it, even in a room so filled to the brim with yogis that those pressed to the wall have to compromise the poses?

Great question Wallflower

I think, like most things, the ritual was derived through convenience. I would say that the first studios only had one wall of mirrors and that was at the front of the room. Out of that came the standard. Often the reason gets made up retrospectively. For example: ‘You stay facing the same way because stepping out on carpet is a great way of strengthening your legs and inner thighs.’ Then myth becomes engrained and everyone starts to believe it, and they are totally unable to name the source.

These days there are plenty of studios that turn for poses along the mat. It’s no big deal. But I guess it’s just group etiquette to follow the main orientation of the whole class where possible. I too hate sinking into other people’s sweat puddles. It’s really off-putting.

Namaste
Gabrielle

This thread had been very interesting reading!  It sounds like there is a wide variety out there as far as studio set ups go.  At Bikram Yoga The Woodlands (Texas), the floor is carpeted.  When I first started practicing there (I’m a very new yogini - with just two months) and realized just how sweating goes on, I was very surprised that the studio is alway very clean and does not smell, at all!!! I have no idea how often they must have to shampoo the carpet to keep it that way, but I can only imagine how distracting a smelly studio would be!

As a note, I believe that carpet is the only approved flooring for Bikram franchises; although I expect that only applies to new franchises.

Hi Dana

Carpet is largely responsible for any smell in a studio, or at least any smell that lasts more than a short time after class once the air has been refreshed.

Carpet has always been a requirement by Bikram. It’s not just for new franchises.

Aside from that - IMHO - it really doesn’t have a bearing on one’s experience of the yoga asana (except if the smell is unbearable people tend to ‘vote with their feet’ and take their ‘asana’ elsewhere ).

Namaste
Gabrielle

I was curious too why the carpet ????? why does it matter to him??

I practice Moksha Yoga, at a Moksha Studio.  Everything is Eco friendly in the Moksha Studios. Flooring is bamboo, etc. Have never smelt anything funky at all and I have a strong sense of smell!

I had a Bikram class recently where I tried to use the ‘T’ towel formation and immediately singled out and ordered to remove it. I told her I have a problem with slipping and her answer was, ‘No, one towel only!’. I felt as though I was commiting a crime.
‘You need to use your thigh muscles!’.
This also ties in with your post about military style, unsympathetic teachers. I Does anyone have any suggestions as to what to do when faced with such an intimidating experience?

Could you not turn 90 degrees on top of the towel and the mat? Most yoga studios do sep. leg head to knee and triangle by making the students turn on their own towels. Does it mean that you have to stand on their carpeted floor? That does not only sound very unhygienic to me, but also not very wise: which yoga studio will want the students to sweat on their floor! I would think they want to avoid that as much as possible. Maybe you could tell them that you find it unhygienic?
I am practicing in our own tiny home studio. We have carpet with an extra piece of carpet on top that can be replaced if needed and then a yogamat and a towel. Towels are washed every time, our yogamats also take a shower with us, pieces of carpet go outside once a week and get washed with a pressure cleaner after a couple of months. I never experienced any smell in our ‘studio’, but I try to stay on the towel as much as possible. I don’t use 2 towels as I prefer to turn for those poses.

Hi Anna and Lisa

Yes it really defies logic and commonsense. It’s interesting that you can go to one yoga class and be told that you create a traction with your feet against the mat in a warrior pose, only to go to another class and get told you have to FIGHT the slippery carpet to prove that you have strong inner thighs.

It’s very dogmatic I know and takes your own intuition out of the equation (especially if you feel that potential harm is imminent). And then here’s a question to ponder: What would happen if you didn’t turn your towel, said “thanks for the suggestion, I am working toward that goal.”

As you will have read in the other posts ... as hard as it is to NOT be intimidated, it is your stuff if you are. It’s confronting and could even be abusive at times. But it’s also ultimately your choice to do as you deem fit for YOUR body. It’s only a towel. And I agree, stepping out on slippery sweaty carpet is unhygienic and damn icky. I know that in some studios I have had minor foot infections from the micro scratches in my skin and then infecting them with that less than optimal environment.

You can either stand your ground - EQUANIMOUSLY (no reaction and happy in your choice) or bow to the pressure. It’s a balance. Don’t be pushed around and don’t let them steal your peace. Your reaction will be what fuels further reaction. It’s a test!

Namaste
Gabrielle