A Sweaty Towel

A Sweaty Towel

I went to a class yesterday that I hadn’t been to before. It was a slightly more challenging class but Meg had been assuring me I’d be fine.

Got to the class and had that old familiar intimidation feel, which was welcome actually, as I hadn’t felt it in so long.

The class was packed(damn new years resolutioners) and I had forgotten that this was a heated class and I didn’t bring a towel. I thought “Ah well, I’ll be fine. I’m not a big sweater.”

The sweat started immediately. A fabulous sweat, pouring off of me. It was distracting because I wanted to focus on my practice. Plus, it was making my mat slippery.

After being in child’s pose for some extended breaths in the beginning, I looked up to the top of my mat and there was a white towel tucked underneath the top corner of my mat.

“How sweet,” I thought. “The instructor, Whitney, must have put that there, knowing it was my first time and seeing that I hadn’t brought my towel.”

I wiped myself down and kept practicing.

5 minutes later, to my horror, the woman in front of me leans back and grabs the towel.

“No no! I used that.” I whispered.

“You did?” she said looking a little exasperated, and dripping with sweat.

“I’m SO sorry!” I said.

She shrugged and kept practicing.

The rest of the class, while deliciously sweaty and so invigorating, was plagued by me chastising myself for being such an idiot and hoping I didn’t ruin this woman’s class. It doesn’t take much to ruin a class for me. (Kenny G anyone?)

To punish myself, I didn’t use the towel again, even though she wasn’t going to be using it either.

At the end of class, I lay in savasana for as long as I could, and at one point, peeked to see if when she left, she took the towel. She didn’t.

Then I lay there, turning all Black Swan paranoid, thinking she was talking shit about me in the locker room.

I got up, rolled up my mat and went to the locker room, determined to find her and plead my case.

I found her, naked, standing next to the shower, talking to another fully clothed woman about knee surgery. (side note: I don’t usually engage naked women. I just don’t. But this was an emergency.)

“Excuse me,” I said. “I’m the one who took your towel. I’m so sorry! I hope I didn’t ruin your practice. I honestly thought Whitney gave me a towel.”

She was lovely and so gracious, assuring me it was ok.

I still felt like a total loser.

I can’t wait to get back and sweat. I’m going to get one of these first.

Hopefully, I can practice 4 days a week. It seems to keep lupus happy as well as my soul.

Namaste, MFs. (my friends) I wish you a sweaty new year!