After practicing at-home yoga on my own in my bedroom these past couple of months I finally attended my first public yoga session. With about two-hundred other people. Yes, I take go big or go home very seriously. As you can imagine this session wasn't your typical Saturday morning yoga class (as I imagine there is such a thing as your typical Saturday morning yoga class). My first 'shared' yoga session was actually part of the Find What Feels Good Roadshow 2018 hosted by Adriene Mishler from Yoga With Adriene. Yes, I take go big or go home very seriously.

Up your connect

As a self-proclaimed recluse, leaving the house and sharing a -for me- very personal practice was not something I imagined myself doing. Ever. Let alone doing so quickly after only having picked up the practice of yoga this summer. I'm just a newbie, what right do I've got to do downward-facing dog with seasoned yogi's?! Well, to answer my own worries and doubts: you've got every right. Yoga, and especially yoga with Adriene (eeeey!), isn't about eeny meeny miny moe you're not good enough so go, but about connection. May this be connection between mind and body or connection between bodies sharing an online practice or (finally) smelling each others' sweat IRL. And boy did we sweat! Jk. Though my trademark clammy hands made an entrance with me as I walked into the room... Luckily Adriene reminded me/us at the beginning of the yoga class, after she prefectly, dramaticly entered the room walking down a steep stairway while Nina Simone's Feeling Good played in the background (note to self: make everyone play Feeling Good before I enter the room): "Everything is as it should be". Dramatic entrances and clammy hands included.

She's giving me good vibrations

The room was filled full-capacity with colourful yoga mats and their owners. Although a rush of anxiety swept me away at first, the positive tension shared non-verbally among each other created a sense of belonging without belonging. As I stressed and stretched on my mat in-between strangers, I even felt somewhat at ease. This 'easiness' really integrated as the practice developed and I dared to close my eyes to go with the flow instead of mirroring my neighbours' moves. This really made me realise how far I've come and how the unimaginable sometimes becomes reality so easily, so naturally. This naturalness is also something that really drawn me to Adriene as a yoga-teacher in the first place. Her pressence (online and offline) exudes a calm and playfulness that helps you to bring meaning to the yoga practice in your own way and on your own terms, while also helping you to go further and carefully break down brick walls. To connect. And this is I think also reflected in the diverse community based around her and all the lovely people that help to make Yoga With Adriene and Find What Feels Good happen.


At the end of the yoga session there was a meet & greet, during which they played music. One of the songs that came on was Good Vibrations by The Beach Boys. It's been stuck in my head ever since. In a good way. Although doing yoga with two-hunderd people at the same time is very intimidating, the whole experience was from beginning to end very positive (vibrations) and perhaps a good icebreaker for future yoga classes. Though for now I'll stick to the one-man show in my bedroom...

Are you a regular public yoga practicer or are you a proud member of the stay home club? Let me know in the comments below!

Pin this post!