Why I Don't Do Exercise in Classes

Yesterday I had jury duty. When I didn't get selected for a jury and was allowed to go home I thought I'd get in some exercise at the gym (1 hour on the elliptical machine) and then thought how nice it would be to go to a yoga class on Monday night. I looked up the schedule at my local yoga studio (which I love!) and saw that there was an Ashtanga Yoga class at 6pm. I've never gone to an Ashtanga Yoga class but it talked about doing Sun Salutations and I've done them so I figured "I can do this!" I introduced myself to the teacher and I chatted a little with some of the regulars. Class started off with a long chant in what I assume is Sanskrit. I had no idea how the chant went so I just stood with my hands at my heart like everyone else and listened. Then she started instructing the class but gave the pose instructions using Sanskrit names. There are variations to Sun Salutations so I had to look around the room to see what to do. By the time I'd recognize what to do and go to that pose they had already gone on to two more. I felt lost but continued to try for 20 minutes to keep up. I finally decided to exit. I picked up my mat while everyone was in downward facing dog and started to quietly leave. I whispered to the teacher "I'm out of my league, I should go." She kept trying to talk me out of leaving but by that point there was NO WAY I was staying. It was already embarassing to leave early (the woman who teaches the class I go to on Saturdays was there) but it was humiliating to stand there while she was trying to talk me into staying because now everyone is looking at us instead of continuing. It would have been mortifying to put my mat back down and continue screwing up!! I was so sad when I walked to the car I started crying. I love yoga and I love my yoga center so it was sad to feel embarassed and inadequate because of an experience there.
It reminded me of why I don't go to aerobics or kick boxing classes. I tried to go to a kick boxing class at 24 Hour Fitness a few times but felt stupid and awkward and left everytime. Donna has mentioned that people have attempted to attend the Step 2 class at her gym and they get frustrated and leave and how that affects the energy of the room.
In all of these cases, what are the instructors doing to help out the newbies? In my experience, they aren't doing much. Last night the instructor did nothing until I got frustrated enough to leave and then tried to talk me into staying. She knew I had never been to her classes before, but said "I didn't know this was your first Ashtanga class." In my kickboxing classes, the instructor just started teaching. She didn't ask if anyone was new and have them come to the front to be closer to her or pair us up with a seasoned person. Apparently, it's sink or swim. And if you don't learn to tread water on your own, no one is going to help you out either.

There are several things that teachers can do.
1. Ask if anyone is new.
2. If there are new people, quickly describe the level of difficulty and/or prerequisites.
3. If there are new people who decide after that to stay, put them near the front, near the teacher or near a seasoned person to follow.

The new person has to put in the effort to attend and is responsible for giving it a good try, but the teachers have a responsibility to do what they can to make their students succeed. If they don't and their class attendance wanes, they have no one to blame but themselves.

Until things change, I think I'll stick with my Hatha yoga class where the teachers give instructions in English and get my sweating in on the elliptical machine.

Exercise 1.75/2.25 by March 4