By Roya Nikkhah
For thousands of years, yoga has brought inner calm and spiritual peace to its adherents.
Now, however, its followers are becoming exercised over the intrusion of modern manners.
So-called "yoga rage" is on the rise as a surge of new year novices tread on toes both literally and metaphorically.
The ringing of mobile phones, a rush to change before the chanting has finished, feet in faces and elbows in stomachs are all fuelling bad feeling.
Elizabeth Stanley, the director of the Life Centre in west London, said: "Classes are probably around 10 per cent fuller than usual at the moment and, as a result, we get a lot of beginners who are not aware or considerate of those around them.
"That means a higher incidence of mobile phones going off during classes, which always angers the more considerate clients, or people rushing out to the changing room before the session is over, which is deeply unrelaxing, disruptive and annoying for those winding down."
Jane Craggs, a teacher at the Yoga Shala centre in Manchester, said that many of her regular clients were struggling to keep their tempers as an influx of "new year beginners" joined their sessions.
"Classes are absolutely packed at the beginning of the year, so yoga rage is definitely more exaggerated," she said. "The beginners don't realise that yoga is all about self-awareness, so they come into class late, take off their shoes noisily, drop their loose change and step on hands as they try to find a space for their mat which often prompts hard stares and angry muttering.
"The more experienced students can get very edgy about it, particularly if space is tight and they end up with someone's foot in their mouth during a twist because the beginners are not as spatially aware. That is when the elbows come out and there can be a bit of pushing."
Union Yoga in Edinburgh asks all students to observe complete silence in the studio to avert yoga rage.
"It is the only way to prevent classes being disrupted and annoying those who may be deep in meditation," said Victoria Bosso, a teacher at the centre.
With a cult celebrity following including Madonna, who played the role of a yoga teacher in the film The Next Best Thing, and Hollywood stars such as Gwyneth Paltrow and Julia Roberts, yoga has soared in popularity in recent years.
Nearly three million people in the UK are estimated to practise regularly, a figure that has more than doubled in the past five years and tripled since 1998.
Sarah Lassman, a barrister from south-west London and yoga devotee, takes weekly classes at the Sivanada in Yoga CentrePutney. In recent weeks, her class size has doubled from 15 to 30.
"At the moment the classes are so full that you can't help but notice when your neighbour does something really irritating," she said.
"When someone's mat is rammed up against yours, it is impossible to do moves like the sun salutation where you have to stretch out, and I have seen people giving each other a few shoves to claim their space.
"What really grates is when people leave the class during the chanting at the end so they can be first in line for the changing cubicles. By the end of the class, I am often fuming and less relaxed than when I went in. It sometimes feels more like an anger management session than a yoga class."
Pierre Bibby, the chief executive of the British Wheel of Yoga, the UK's governing body, said "If phones go off and mats are so close together that pupils cannot move properly, people will undoubtedly get angry and teachers need to be strict about not exceeding class capacities."
On the mat: Yoga etiquette
- Be punctual. Do not enter a class more than 10 minutes late if it has already started
- Switch off your mobile phone
- Remove your shoes and jewellery before the class and place out of the way of mats
- Don't bring water bottles into class - they get in the way
- Don't place your mat too near your neighbour's. You should leave enough space for both of you to stretch your arms out standing up without touching anyone
- Don't talk or whisper in class. It is distracting to others
- Make lavatory visits during rest periods; walk around the outside of the class to avoid obstructing fellow pupils' view of the teacher
For thousands of years, yoga has brought inner calm and spiritual peace to its adherents.
Now, however, its followers are becoming exercised over the intrusion of modern manners.
So-called "yoga rage" is on the rise as a surge of new year novices tread on toes both literally and metaphorically.
The ringing of mobile phones, a rush to change before the chanting has finished, feet in faces and elbows in stomachs are all fuelling bad feeling.
Elizabeth Stanley, the director of the Life Centre in west London, said: "Classes are probably around 10 per cent fuller than usual at the moment and, as a result, we get a lot of beginners who are not aware or considerate of those around them.
"That means a higher incidence of mobile phones going off during classes, which always angers the more considerate clients, or people rushing out to the changing room before the session is over, which is deeply unrelaxing, disruptive and annoying for those winding down."
Jane Craggs, a teacher at the Yoga Shala centre in Manchester, said that many of her regular clients were struggling to keep their tempers as an influx of "new year beginners" joined their sessions.
"Classes are absolutely packed at the beginning of the year, so yoga rage is definitely more exaggerated," she said. "The beginners don't realise that yoga is all about self-awareness, so they come into class late, take off their shoes noisily, drop their loose change and step on hands as they try to find a space for their mat which often prompts hard stares and angry muttering.
"The more experienced students can get very edgy about it, particularly if space is tight and they end up with someone's foot in their mouth during a twist because the beginners are not as spatially aware. That is when the elbows come out and there can be a bit of pushing."
Union Yoga in Edinburgh asks all students to observe complete silence in the studio to avert yoga rage.
"It is the only way to prevent classes being disrupted and annoying those who may be deep in meditation," said Victoria Bosso, a teacher at the centre.
With a cult celebrity following including Madonna, who played the role of a yoga teacher in the film The Next Best Thing, and Hollywood stars such as Gwyneth Paltrow and Julia Roberts, yoga has soared in popularity in recent years.
Nearly three million people in the UK are estimated to practise regularly, a figure that has more than doubled in the past five years and tripled since 1998.
Sarah Lassman, a barrister from south-west London and yoga devotee, takes weekly classes at the Sivanada in Yoga CentrePutney. In recent weeks, her class size has doubled from 15 to 30.
"At the moment the classes are so full that you can't help but notice when your neighbour does something really irritating," she said.
"When someone's mat is rammed up against yours, it is impossible to do moves like the sun salutation where you have to stretch out, and I have seen people giving each other a few shoves to claim their space.
"What really grates is when people leave the class during the chanting at the end so they can be first in line for the changing cubicles. By the end of the class, I am often fuming and less relaxed than when I went in. It sometimes feels more like an anger management session than a yoga class."
Pierre Bibby, the chief executive of the British Wheel of Yoga, the UK's governing body, said "If phones go off and mats are so close together that pupils cannot move properly, people will undoubtedly get angry and teachers need to be strict about not exceeding class capacities."
On the mat: Yoga etiquette
- Be punctual. Do not enter a class more than 10 minutes late if it has already started
- Switch off your mobile phone
- Remove your shoes and jewellery before the class and place out of the way of mats
- Don't bring water bottles into class - they get in the way
- Don't place your mat too near your neighbour's. You should leave enough space for both of you to stretch your arms out standing up without touching anyone
- Don't talk or whisper in class. It is distracting to others
- Make lavatory visits during rest periods; walk around the outside of the class to avoid obstructing fellow pupils' view of the teacher
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