From the celebriyogi rumor mill: Jessica Biel kicked out of yoga class for etiquette taboo #9,0210 – verboten blackberry offense!
Drat! And we just got done talking up her yogadorkiness and JB goes and pulls the contraband smuggler maneuver. Everyone knows cell phone use in class makes for frowny yogis, even in Hollywood, where smiles are mostly plastic! The gossipmonger source says Lady Biel was caught fiddling with her phone and was asked by the instructor to take it outside, which she did, and then promptly returned once she was done. Nice, so she interrupted the class twice! Lots of studios have started banning phones from the classroom altogether. Do they make special exceptions for sexy texts from ex-Backstreet Boys? (purely speculation)
In th
is age where technology facilitates constant communication wherever you are, should yoga studios be any different? Or should they be devoid of any contact other than with your mat and your inner Self?
Maybe they should start making announcements at the beginning of class like they do at movie theaters…”If you hear ringing, it should be from the divine, not your phone! Thank you, management of greater sanity.”
Earlier…YD Makes the NYTimes! ‘Invasion of the Serenity Saboteurs’
I can’t believe this is even a question. Of course, if someone needs to be in contact because of some sort of emergency situation, that’s a different story, but keeping your cell phone with you so that you can have a chat is disruptive to you and everyone else. We don’t allow cell phones in concerts and films for the same reason.
One of my teachers threatened to stand on any phone that went off in class.. It is amazing how well that worked…
My watch is broken and there is the odd time I have to leave class a few minutes early, in which case I need to see the time, so I put my blackberry (on silent, of course) beside my mat strictly for the purposes of knowing what time it is near the end of class. I always feel guilty for doing this, as I would never EVER text or email during class. I almost feel like announcing to everyone, “I’m not an a-hole, I just have to go to work after and I need to see the time.”
This is the only purpose that bb’s or cellphone or iphones should be allowed in class, IMO. If studios were to ban these devices, I think it’s only fair to the students to have a clock mounted on the wall that everyone can see.
I agree that phones should not be a part of class! Had a gal that would grab her blackberry each time we visited Child’s Pose…. next class… there was no child’s pose! :0) However, I do have two ladies whose husbands are serving our country overseas, they have my blessing to keep their phones on vibrate next to their mat. I know, I know, I hate setting a double standard, but there is a BIG difference between knowing that your friend just farted and wanted to share it with you and knowing that your soulmate is safe and was given the opportunity to call home.
How do you know she wasn’t doing that very thing?
It’s not up to you to decide when it’s acceptable for people to do what they want to do. If you can’t ignore it, yoga’s not doing for you what you think it is doing for you.
If you want to see an angry yoga teacher, answer your cell phone in my class! OMG WHAT!? It makes me crazy. In general my students are amazing. Every once and a while I will get someone who answers their phone and/or tries to text during class. What’s worse is when the offender tries to be all sneaky about it. Hello, I can see you, and it’s still distracting to everyone. Also, what are we? Fourteen years old? Holy smokes it makes me mad. Clearly this is my biggest yoga pet peeve.
On the other hand, I do have people who are totally courteous about using their phone. On-call doctors/nurses, people with children, etc. who will tell me ahead of time they have their phone on silent and will quietly step out if they need to. I honestly don’t mind. As much as I want my yoga room to be a sacred, special place, I know people have to deal with the real world and that small interruptions are inevitable.
Louise: if your watch is broken, kindly go out and purchase a cheap one for $9.99. If you are able to afford a blackberry than you are able to buy a cheap watch. Sheeeesh!
It’s called a watch. Some of the responses bring up a good question: why does anyone other than the instructor need to know the time during class? It is my understanding that you are NEVER EVER supposed to leave before class has ended unless you become ill during class. If I am obligated to be somewhere at a certain time and I would have to leave class early to be punctual, I don’t go to class. I think the same reasoning applies to leaving class early to go to work . I purposefully do not go to morning yoga classes because I would have to leave early so that I could be at work by 8:00 a.m. Further, I think having to be conscious of the time defeats the practice because you aren’t able to focus on the present moment. That’s why I set an alarm clock when I meditate.
Sorry to be so pissy. I guess I am frustrated that we all have so much to do that we have to struggle to cram something so good our days…
Because we have entire lives to conduct outside of your sacred special yoga class? If you pay to go to a class, you’re entitled to leave, stay, come late, come early, whatever the hell you want. You’re not a special snowflake who gets to tell other people what to do or what to buy or wear. If she doesn’t want a watch, guess what? It’s not up to you to decide she should get one.
If you want everything just the way you want, it, pay for your own private lessons and then you NEVER have to deal with anyone else interrupting YOUR special perfect everything-is-about-ME time.
Hey guys! I guess I should just bite the bullet and buy a new watch. The thing is that my watch is less than a year old and I feel bad buying a new one. I try not to be wasteful in my lifestyle, so I would rather get this one fixed than see it go into a landfill. I have a blackberry for work- I am really not that wealthy.
I think that it’s ok leaving early once in a while- just as long as it doesn’t become a usual thing. I’ve only left early maybe 3 times in the past 7 years! My yoga teacher always gives us the protocol for leaving early in the beginning of class, since classes are 2 hrs long, plus she regularly goes over 10-15 minutes. I need to know sometimes whether or not she has gone over so that I am not late. I really believe I have good “yoga manners”….. I was just explaining an instance where a phone in class is not a bad thing. 🙂
Generally texting/talking on a cell phone in a yoga class is bad form and distracting. There are exceptions of course, but they’ve been mentioned above.
The issue of coming in a bit late/leaving a bit early is tricky too though. While I feel that making a regular habit of it is not great, things are going to come up sometimes. People have lots of different things going on in their lives. I’ve seen seasoned teachers coming in for classes and letting the teacher know that they’ll have to leave ten minutes early. There’s no disrespect there if they are quiet about packing up. If someone really needs to come to the mat that day for whatever reason, I don’t feel that they should decide not to come because they have to leave five minutes early. They’ll still get huge benefits from the practice they get in and if they need it, I won’t begrudge them that. I know a lot of other teachers who feel the same way. And if I ever start to feel myself getting bothered by it, I try to make it a part of my own practice to let go of that, be compassionate, flexible, and a bit more lighthearted. 🙂 I think it’s part of practicing as a group.
Sara, we have one woman who leaves 10 minutes early every time. She hasn’t had enough yoga to take one of the harder classes at a more convienient time, she needs these classes and her work will only give her 70 minutes off ..and the class is 70 minutes. (she’s 5 min from work). So we all accomodate that. But again, it’s a special circumstance and none of us would want to be unable to take yoga due to a circumstance. Honestly, I’ve never seen her leave. She’s managed to be so descreet about it.
The cell phone issue, it’s on several signs to leave them out of the room. The exception is a life (not work) emergency and it needs to be discussed with instructor before. The ‘silent’ cellphone for watch .. if it were to vibrate on our floor would distract everyone. Being careful with your resources has to be balanced with being careful with other’s needs … Walmart has watches for $5.
My. So nice of you to be so awesomely tolerant of someone who can’t accommodate your every wish. You are a truly special person. You aren’t angry at someone who needs to be to work on time..I mean, that is amazing. Does the Dalai Lama know about you?
Peggikaye, that’s wonderful!! I love that your class is supportive of her time constraint.