Like
- Class is apt to start on time
- No one yells or speaks out of turn
- The clothing is so dignified
- It’s a centuries old tradition
- The brief moment of good will towards yourself and all mankind. Even the universe.
Dislike
- Sweating
- Grunting
- Sweating
- Having to let on that you are trying
- Happy Baby pose*
Image:
Nola House Of Yoga
*It’s the dignity thing. Why the toes?
39 Responses
Hahaha, excellent. I will only do Happy Baby when no one is watching. (And even then I feel positively silly. But maybe that's the point?)
Oy. I'm with you on the dignity element.
Because happy babies grab their toes. Clearly.
I have no experience of yoga. If I would get interested, I would like to have private lessons. In a group I can´t concentrate. I would be too busy watching the others. And then there is a part of me, who wants to do things with rapid results.
LOL!! Yes, Happy Baby Pose certainly doesn't place one in the best light, does it? By the end of a session, my favorite is Corpse Pose. Just let me be at that point. :)
I think my babies were too fat to grab their toes. They could reach their feet, just barely:)
We just need to remember while we are doing happy baby, so is everyone else and they cant see how dreadful we look!
Happy baby because it feels sooooo goooood!
~janet
Ha! Wonderful post. I've only recently started doing yoga, and one of the things I really enjoy about it is that there is far less grunting and sweating then in an aerobics class. I really don't like perspiring….
Funny — I've done yoga at several different places. Never did the happy baby. Never heard of the happy baby until 2 minutes ago.
That said, the downward dog is not a very respectable sounding position either.
I always got embarrassed when we had a particularly New Age-y teacher who wanted us to stick our tongues out or do some other strange thing.
Sigh. I have since fallen off the yoga and exercise wagon. I should get back on.
I am determined to take some yoga classes this summer. I've wanted to for ages, but am not prepared to give up my twice weekly Pilates classes and there's only so much schedule in the schedule. But other commitments ease off in the summer and I could even drag a mat outside and let the ocean noises mask the grunting noises — win/win! And probably as close as I'll ever get to High Wasp!
Happy Baby because it is humbling and reminds us not to take ourselves so seriously…in Yoga no one should be watching you…it is a personal practice…eyes closed, looking inward, in the zen zone.
OHM…..
What this WASP likes about yoga:
it's calming
it's non-competitive
it stretches out my tight places
What this WASP dislikes about yoga:
that God-awful calming new-age-music
I'm generally the worst yogini in the class
my tight places do not enjoy being stretched
I realize that yoga isn't a competition, but most yoga classes make me feel insanely ungainly and as stiff as the pre-oiled Tin Man in The Wizard of Oz.
I know I'd get better if I stuck to it, but I never do. OK, entering shame spiral in 3 … 2 … 1 …
Stretching–oh, yes–but no, not yoga! This WASP (garden variety, I think, not high) prefers roller derby. I am one of perhaps three or four WASPs in my women's derby league. How do we recognize one another? After landing a legal hit, we apologize: BOOM–"Sorry about that!" We also wear tasteful knee socks. :-) Velma
I've been wanting to take Yoga. It's very big here. Had not heard of Happy Baby Pose. How funny is that!
ding ding ding- we have a winner- you hit it on the nose- happy baby just feels so prone and like I'm voilating myself, much less indirectly exposing myself to the whole class!
xoox
kHm
I don't do yoga, but I can relate to everything on your list from my pilates class.
Oh Miss Privilege, this is the best post we've read all day! Perhaps because we enjoy our yoga and even do it on the Wii sometimes (shameful, I know), we've loved it for years.
However. Despite the excellent point made by the Suburban Princess, we draw the line at Happy Baby.
Love this one!
tp
Where do WASP's stand on Pilates?
I have been looking at http://www.kappaprep.com the blog of a very cheery girl called Hopsy who loves Lily Pulitzer. Is Hopsy High WASP?
Hopsy is a self-described preppy, and a bright, talented one at that. Preppy is not the same thing as High WASP. One can be both, or just one, or, of course, neither. But I might say that some of the preppy aesthetic was derived from a few moments in High WASP history. So that's a nexus, along with a focus on manners. It's a longer discussion, but you have to fly to San Francisco, and stay at the St. Regis, where we can have dinner and some soothing drinks, and a long talk. Bring Mr. FF. San Francisco is fab:).
Oh, and High WASPs approve of Pilates. Stomach muscles are very important for good posture.
I do have a touch of the High WASP in me, after all.
I love yoga :-)
SSG xxx
Ha! You got it right here–I'm more of a High WASP wannabe, but I do yoga and fully agree with everything you've said. Especially Happy Baby. So humiliating! But the result is just so worth it all, and that feeling of goodwill? Miraculous.
I only do that pose twice a year at a designated medical appointment. :) xoxo
How do High WASPs feel about exercise generally? I would have guessed that sweat went with the healthy, sturdy lifestyle — skiing, hunting with the hounds, crew, sailing. But maybe not?
Ha! You guys crack me up. Elizabeth, well, yes, to all that outdoor activity. But one hopes for brisk weather to keep the sweat at bay. I wish there were an emoticon for tongue in cheek?
OK I would be cracking up during the happy baby pose. You don't want to bring me to class, cause I honestly can't keep quiet for a long amount of time… ;D
I am a bad yogini. During the reflective moments, I'm making to-do lists in my head. ~sigh~
I prefer Happy Baby to partner yoga, which is deeply distasteful for me- having to grab someone's spiky ankles or sweaty paws, ugh.
I like and dislike the very same things! I have actually really injured myself doing yoga, but I no longer push my leg down with force when it will not go further on its own, haha!
Hi Red lipstick,
I am health editor of the sunday express and doing a piece about the risk of injury in yoga when people do not get a good teacher. I wondered if you could tell me a bit more about your experience.
I am on deadline and grateful for a call asap. I can call you back to save your bill!
I am on 07710466389
thanks
Lucy Johnston
LPC, Thank you for the Happy Baby Pose photo. Made me laugh out loud at that Public Lib.
Always Bumby
i have to try some yoga now so that i can relate on your blog post..lol anywayz nice blog btw :)
Happy Baby is better than crying baby!!
haha…seriously never heard that pose~
xo
The secret to avoiding the dread Happy Baby pose is to study with an older, more traditional teacher — I'm pretty sure Happy Baby appears no where in Patanjali's Yoga Sutras. Just like chow mein is hard to find in China.
Ugh, happy baby. My husband is a lawyer & also owns several yoga studios. He l-o-v-e-s it. I prefer a long run.
Funny you should post about this, My Dr. suggested I add yoga to my routine. Something about If I bend now I won't break later. I was sitting there thinking "I'm 35" but then "I thought, OMG, I'm 35". Time to add yoga.
I only do selected yoga poses… so no grunting involved. Happy Baby looks absolutely cute and I bet that's one pose where both J and Z would happily join me on the floor, giggling all the way!
Hmmm . . . clothing dignified? I have seen some pretty scary outfits in my yoga class.
Hahaaa! I luuuv happy baby pose! It feels so good on my spine. Maybe they're all right and I AM self-centered since I care way more about how good it feels rather than how I may look! The proof is in the pudding as they say…XXOO
Yoga is very beneficial for our health and we should do yoga everyday. If we start our day with yoga then we can stay fresh whole day and we can stay fit and healthy as well.
yoga clothing
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