BE HEALTHIER.
BE IN COMMUNITY.
BE TRANSFORMED.

“Once again, I would like to thank the members of the Academy for voting me “Employee of the Month” at Hot Yoga Baltimore. It’s been quite a while since I last received this honor. Back in 2019, I was under the impression I had voted Student of the Month, but many of my fellow yogis took particular delight informing me that I had actually been voted Employee of the Month. Hey. Whatever. I’m just happy to be around. I’m just doing some little things to keep the studio running so we all have a nice place to do our thing.

Looking back over my yoga odyssey, I believe it played out differently than many of my fellow yogis. I had my first class back in 2012 and I liked it instantly. I came back the following week and have been coming to class consistently ever since. With my office being 15 minutes away, I was able to show up 5 times a week until COVID put the brakes on everything. The only things that have derailed my practice have been the COVID shutdown and the occasional surgery. Now that I work from home, which is 45 minutes away from the studio, it is more difficult to get to class. I had been going two times a week, and it just wasn’t cutting it. I recently added another day to get back to 3 times a week, and I’m starting to feel the difference. If I could magically generate more time in the day, I would use it to come to yoga. It really straightens my body out after sitting at my desk all day. My answer to any positive remark I may receive is, “I go to yoga”. If someone says, “You know, you have a lot of energy for an old dude” my reply is, “I go to yoga”. When I go for my yearly physical, my doctor usually says, “John, you seem to be in fairly good shape. You are maintaining your weight, and your bloodwork is nearly perfect. Whatever you are doing, keep doing it.” I just respond, “I go to yoga”. I tell everyone that yoga is my fountain of youth. If I lived closer to the studio, I’d be here every day.

With all that said, I realize I am preaching to the choir in this forum. All my fellow yogis know what I am saying is true. Maybe a more interesting discussion would be what I have learned from yoga and my yogi friends that has helped me in my daily life. Pull up a chair…

I have found that if I am lumbering up the steps to the studio too slowly and Lynne is at the front desk, I’m going to hear about it when I pass through the door. “Oh my God. Was that you coming up the steps? It sounded like Cornelia. You better pick up the pace, Johnny Boy.” I was coming up the steps real slow due to whatever malady I woke up with that morning. There was probably some associated groaning also. Ever since then, I have been hustling up the steps, no matter how bad my knee hurts, to make sure I don’t catch any grief when I crest the landing.

Once inside, I quickly walk by the bathroom to make sure the toilet seat is down. Since there aren’t many guys in class, if the toilet seat is up, I am going to get blamed. I remember setting up my mat and hearing Kyle yell, “JOHN!!!” I knew exactly what she was yelling about. Some snitch must have turned me in. When I arrived at the front desk, I asked, “Yes, dear. What is the problem?” “You left the toilet seat up.” “I haven’t been to the bathroom yet.” “I don’t believe you. It’s your job to make sure the toilet seat is down.” The next time I win an argument with Kyle will be the first time. I have been steadfast about checking the toilet seat ever since. Now, whenever I pass a toilet seat anywhere in the world, I feel the urge to put it down.

While in class, if the dialog for Pranayama changes from “lay your head back like you’re getting your hair washed” to “lay your head back like you are getting your hair dyed”, I know that my hairdresser has laid on too much shoe polish. This should not be surprising to me. When I show up for class on

a Sunday with my hair looking like Einstein and then come back on Wednesday looking like a helmet head, I should expect some hassling.

I recall one day before class one of the girls was telling me that some guy that looked just like me set up his mat next to hers. She began describing his clothing and demeaner in great detail and I remember thinking, “This guy sounds like a serial killer. She probably should have called the cops.” As she wrapped up her scary encounter, the only words I could muster was, “That guy sounds pretty creepy. Did you move to another spot in the room?” Since then, I have changed my hot room wardrobe entirely. No more wife-beater tank tops and OP shorts for me. I’m trying not to scare away any yogis.

I am always amazed at the trust I receive from my fellow yogis. More often than not, when I set up a step ladder to fix the lights in the hot room before class, and the repair runs close to class time, if my ladder is in someone’s normal spot, they will still set up their mat right under my ladder. I should probably put road cones around the construction site. They obviously don’t know I have a habit of dropping sharp or heavy tools. But I understand wanting to be in your comfy spot. I may be the worst person to question this. I had one girl complain to the teacher that I was being unsafe by having the power wires in my mouth. I told her as long as she doesn’t turn on the lights, everything should be fine. My teeth are the best wire-stripers I have.

The only other thing that has interfered with me getting to yoga is recovering from three surgeries since 2018. As soon as I am home from the surgery, I am ready to get back to the hot room. I know it’s healing properties. The doctors and physical therapists I have encountered aren’t aware of the help yoga can provide to people recovering from surgery. It doesn’t seem to be on their radar. They always have a confused look on their face when I ask permission to return to yoga. My PT instructors told me they were afraid I may lose my balance and reinjure my rotator cuff while in yoga. A lot can be said about how well I do my postures, but lack of balance is not one of my problems. My cardiologist was dumbfounded with my request to start going back to yoga 6 weeks after surgery. “Mr. Schech. I don’t think you understand. I have never been asked such a question. The question I hear most at the 6-week mark after surgery is, ‘Can I sleep on my stomach?’ You are well past that and doing amazingly well. I would just ask you to be careful an know your limits.” My response was the same as always, “I am doing well because I go to yoga.””