The Irony of a Specialty Yoga Class to Relieve Stress & Anxiety

Whenever I go to yoga class, I set my mat up in the back corner so I can make all the modifications I want and not too many people can see me. I am always looking for ways to feel better naturally so when I heard there was going to be a special class at my yoga studio called “Yoga Strategies to help with Stress, Anxiety and Panic attacks,” I signed up right away. I knew that we were going to learn helpful breathing techniques, some meditation skills and we would end class with some deep relaxation postures but I had no idea that this class was going to stress me out before any techniques were even taught to overcome it. After the instructor introduced herself, she said she was going to move to the back of the room (where I was hiding in the corner) and we were going to start the class with some standing postures (which I can’t do unless I brace myself against a wall.) I couldn’t stand against the side wall because there was a huge picture frame there so the only place I could stand to do these postures was at the front of the class facing all of the other students. All I could think of was, “This is so ironic. This is supposed to be a class that teaches me how to relieve stress and anxiety and before we even learn any techniques, my stress level is through the roof.” Then, I decided that this was a pretty funny situation that I couldn’t make up if I tried and I just needed to close my eyes, do the best I could and enjoy the moment. After all was said and done, it was one of the best classes I ever attended and I learned some great techniques to help myself through challenging times.