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For years, I would walk into my favorite yoga studio on the second floor of a brick townhouse on Manhattan’s Lower East Side and roll out my mat in the same spot, far left, in the back row. There was a spot. I didn’t question it. I just fell in love with it like a moth to a light.
It wasn’t always convenient. I liked to linger after Savasana and could hear others walking around me to collect their belongings. Once, someone’s shoe fell on my head.
Each day, as my students began to move and breathe next to and in front of me, I joined them in sun salutations, went through balancing poses, and finally landed in savasana from this particular angle. “My Spot” provided a kind of anchor in my day, a focal point within my consciousness and within the collective.
Several times, when I arrived at the studio and found someone else taking “my seat,” I realized that something inside me was stirred, as if the world had gone crazy. . I laughed at my stiffness and spread out my mat elsewhere, telling myself I was supposed to practice non-attachment. However, I returned to my usual spot the next day.
In the spirit of bringing mindfulness to everything I do, I began to wonder why I was drawn to this 11-square-foot hardwood floor. Why did I so consistently place my mat in the same space every practice? How many others are drawn to the same mat arrangement in each class, and what does that reveal?
location, location, location
When talking with other yoga practitioners about where they like to practice, comfort came up many times. Of the people I spoke to, 38% preferred the front row. The remaining participants were split down the middle. 31% preferred the back row, and another 31% chose the middle of the room. An overwhelming 81% would prefer to take a spot against a wall if available, while 19% would prefer to be in the middle of the class, surrounded on all sides by other students.
Few people I spoke to said they had no preference at all. Some yoga studios appear to be responding by allowing students to choose their own location before entering the building. At my current local studio in Brooklyn, we assign mat placements online. When you sign up for a class, you also select the mat you want, just like you would select a seat when booking a concert or airline ticket.
front line
Just as I have gravitated towards different styles of yoga at different times in my life due to changing inner needs, Ashtanga when I need routine and rigor, and distraction when ease calls my name. The placement of the mat depends on the content of your life. One year, I told myself that this was going to be my “front row year.” I was teaching yoga and wanted to placate myself so that I felt more stable and stronger because of my practice and was generally welcomed to be seen as a student. I thought this was a new perspective.
In this studio, teachers often sat in the front row. The idea was that more experienced practitioners could spot the shapes from the front row and practice with more inner guidance without having to look around the room for explanations. More experienced practitioners can guide others from there.
I appreciated that space, but the energy was different. I felt more “on.” Inevitably, I ended up back at the back of the room, which probably says a lot about my personality (may I mention being an introvert?). I’m not the only one who places my mat to reflect my inner needs.
“If I’m not in the lead, I’m going to compare myself to other groups and their abilities,” says author Ali Smith. “As a new practitioner, it’s also reassuring to know that you can leave at any time,” she said, explaining that the studio door was at the front of the room. “I don’t mean that,” she quickly added.
Other front rows reacted differently. A front row seat gives you the opportunity to focus and zoom in on your teacher’s voice and body without being interrupted by others moving within your field of vision. For many people, the front office has an image of being at the forefront. If you are someone who does yoga in the front row, this may show that you are not afraid of being seen by those in the middle or back of the room. The front row gives you a sense of both leadership and privacy. Being in the front row may mean you’re bold, focused, and outspoken. You are ready to deal with the situation at hand and may want to blindfold the people around you and focus on the situation.
Ask yourself: How invested are you in learning from the community around you? Are you able to lead with kindness and child pose when necessary?
middle way
The middle row is where some people feel comfortable and part of the class collective. There, you can miss out on joining the community, or you can find yourself.
Preferring the center of the room may indicate that you find support in immersing yourself in an experience. You thrive by making yourself part of the whole. From the center of the room, close your eyes and experience yourself being embraced, not just by the yoga practice itself, but by the people you are practicing with. In community, you are no longer alone. This is also a smart place to learn by imitating others, either visually or through the senses. When you’re in the middle of a room and feel lost, notice that there are examples of different poses all around you.
“I like being in the middle,” says Jennifer Ginter, a physical education and physical education, mind and body health (PEMBH) instructor at USC. “As someone with ADHD, I find the ‘body double’ phenomenon in group settings very helpful. Having others around me doing the same thing helps me stay grounded in the present moment. Being in the middle of a group of yoga practitioners is infectious in the best sense of the word. ”
behind
And then there’s the back row. Being drawn back may mean you are seeking shelter, a place to take off the mask you wear in the world, a space to just feel without being seen.
“My yoga practice is a place to process grief and trauma,” says Mary Ward Lupinacci, a youth yoga teacher and professor at Eastern Washington University. “In that respect, I prefer the back. The physical asana practice is a very important emotional release for me, and I’m very vulnerable. Being in the back of the room allows me to access that vulnerability. It makes room.”
The back row is a place where you can feel special while staying connected to your community. From there, you may feel secure knowing that you can look up and see the entire space if you need to. If you choose the back row, you may be looking for some alone time while practicing with others. You want calm in the midst of everything. You may be looking for a cocoon.
Looking back, I began to realize that my choice of the back row was no accident. I also liked the back row because it provided an area that was somewhat separated from the rest of the room, but still connected to it. Warrior 1 would occasionally look up, see arms stretched out side by side, and feel emotions welling up. I was part of this community that I worshipped, but I had a unique role within it. Then you’ll have to move again.
During the years I was in the rear, I sought safety, a place where I could relax without being directly witnessed. At first, I entered the studio and practice with a broken back, a broken heart, and a busy mind. As an introvert in a crowded metropolis, I craved the closeness of community, but I also needed time alone to feel all the medicine I found in the back row. The back row was the solution. There I was definitely able to relieve my weakness.
The consistency of my back row choices came from a period in my life when so many things were in flux, from work to relationships. There was a deeper rhythm to this choice. Placing the mat in the same spot every day was like practicing a set order. I was able to ask myself, what else has changed? As it turned out, there were a lot of them. From that corner, I gradually began to feel safe in yoga and in life. I watched myself grow.
Having options also builds safety. Of course, we can only control our own choices, not the choices of those around us. There were times when the teacher asked us to “flip” the warriors so that the back side of the mat was now the front side. Then, to my surprise, I suddenly found myself standing at the front. A cosmic joke? Then it became a lesson in detachment.
“I think whether you feel physically safe depends on whether you feel psychologically safe,” says yoga therapist Dr. Gail Parker. “I think it’s important to help people find where they feel most comfortable in their physical space.”
questions to ask yourself
What happens when you bring your awareness to the space in your room that you choose to practice? The placement of your yoga mat is part of your practice and another layer of mindfulness.
leadership
Do you want to be in the front, perhaps close to the teacher’s voice and body for guidance, or do you want to be in the back of the room where you can get a glimpse of new practitioners?Leadership in the room What can we do to foster it?
support
Do you prefer to practice in the middle of a room surrounded by others on all sides? What supports you in your physical space?
privacy
Is it possible to have some privacy by being in the back row while being part of a group? Where else and how else can you have privacy in a room?
safety
What kind of mat placement gives you a sense of boldness, security, or both? Does moving it to different locations help? Or do you stay in the same place to better feel the difference each day? How can you make where you put your mat part of your practice? What does your choice say to you? And what, if you become more aware of it, will give you the security or challenge you need in your practice that day?
Ask yourself where in the room you can access the energy you need or want. Would it be beneficial to try new energy elsewhere? Why not stick with your usual mat of choice?
Increasingly, I use every random space available. Sometimes I check my intuition and see what kind of energy I need from that practice. Ultimately, the most important thing is that no matter where you place your mat, you’re on top of it. There you are in the center of your body, in the most important place.
About contributors
Sarah Herrington is a writer, poet, and teacher. She is the founder of OM Schooled Kids Yoga Teacher Training and Mindful Writing Workshops.
