You know that local yoga celebrity that all the other students worship?

Their classes are always packed, their playlists are always baller, and their sequences always kick asana. 

Ever go to one of these teacher’s classes and feel like maybe you’re, um, missing something?

That’s the situation Maeve finds herself in as she enters yoga teacher Tayne’s “Heart Blaster Flow” class. Not only is she a beginner in a room full of handstands, but after getting to know Tayne, she’s not exactly eager to join his cult following.

Now keep in mind that the featured video is supposed to be silly…

Okay, it’s supposed to be ridiculous. (One of Tayne’s cues compares the sphincter—ahem, we think he means mula bandha—to a rosebud.) However, there are some glimmers of reality to be found in the outlandish instructions, the collective adulation of a questionable guru, and that feeling of being over one’s head when everyone around you is trying to one up your asana.

After watching the video, my mom told me that she can now “articulate why she doesn’t do yoga.” She was kidding, but probably only half kidding. And that’s kind of sad. So hopefully the episode gives you a chuckle, but as a comedy writer and a yoga teacher, I’d also like to add a friendly yogic PSA: yoga isn’t supposed to be scary.

So let’s ditch the competition and the bells and whistles, and let’s embrace a more inclusive, welcoming vibe in our classes and studios. In the words of Tayne, “Mad gratitude y’all!”

~

Author: Lea McLellan

Image: Screenshot

Editor: Yoli Ramazzina