Comments on: Culcha

By: daydreamingmel

daydreamingmel — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 13:56:49 +0000

I’m so glad you gave the heads-up here on the dressing room Karen, especially with the way you described it in terms of drishti, otherwise I think it would have freaked me out on my first visit this week! All other places I have been to either have little cubicles or at least separate mens & ladies rooms – I wonder if maybe the logic used to be that it would all be women attending classes anyway so what is the need for a separate room for men…not so now, though!
Also on the meat/drink thing (just to labour it further) – vegetarianism isn’t usally seen as odd in London, maybe a little more so in other towns, but being a non-drinker is unusual enough to warrant comment. Next time just say you are on antibiotics if you don’t want to explain and as someone mentioned earlier I don’t think many people are in AA here (though maybe they should be!). I remember a trip to NYC with some girlfriends years ago (in my preyoga days) and we’d ordered half our usual amount of wine when the waiter said “maybe we’d had enough”. Attitudes to drink seem very different either side of the pond…

By: lauren

lauren — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 19:50:23 +0000

I am like soooo puritan American…it’s borderline embarassing.

By: V

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 19:12:21 +0000

Not such a big deal. But then, half my family is Spanish and the other half is Brazilian

By: lauren

lauren — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 18:46:06 +0000

Holy crap!

By: karen

karen — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 16:27:08 +0000

Haha! Now perhaps I’m belaboring this — but: all I did was say “no thanks” when the servers offered food. I didn’t say I was a vegetarian or not hungry or anything at all. “You don’t eat meat?” was one of the questions I was asked.

Communal, meaning unisex. Men and women in the same room.

By: lauren

lauren — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 16:05:17 +0000

So, you weren’t eating and you were drinking water. People were curious. Probably next time that happens and they start asking questions, instead of saying you’re a vegetarian, just say that you’re not hungry…what can they say to that?

I had another question: regarding communal dressing rooms…is there any other kind? I’ve never been in a place that had private changing rooms…so I am confused about what made this space different..?

By: karen

karen — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 12:44:02 +0000

I was drinking water, so I did have a glass, but people were eager that I have wine. I didn’t want to carry around two glasses (this was a standing and mingling event), so I guess it was obvious I wasn’t partaking. And as far as the meat goes — there were a ton of hors d’oevres passed around, many of which had meat and fish in them. I didn’t want to make a big deal about asking what was in all of them, and truth be told, I hate trying to talk business and juggle a glass and finger food. It’s awkward and I always wonder what’s in my teeth afterwards.

Cary is always standing in front of you when you come up from the third backbend, yes. I am accustomed to hearing the teacher approaching, though, or having some sense that they are there, waiting. Not with her, though — she’s just standing there as if she’s been there all along and as if she’ll stand there forever. It’s pretty amusing.

By: lauren

lauren — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 12:26:30 +0000

When I was running a lot, I took a business trip to london and mentioned that I had run several miles that day. The response: “That can’t be very good for you.”. That was 15 years ago, but still.

I personally find that it feels “contrary” to not order a something if everyone around me is drinking. If I need to keep my wits about me, I simply don’t drink more than a sip or two. And I never “say” that I don’t eat meat. I just don’t eat it. I don’t notice what others order, particularly, so I assume people aren’t watching what I order. So then the questionis – how did these colleagues happen to catch on to your eating habits? Seems a bit intrusive, but maybe I am missing something about the interaction?

Finally, isn’t cary appearing as you stand up from your third backbend? In that case, you would be facing the other direction in a backbend as she made her way to you…so mystery solved!

By: Kai

Kai — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 21:59:05 +0000

When you’re back from the trip and things have settled down a bit, could you email me? I want to pick your brain about something yoga/technology related. Thanks!

By: Boodiba

Boodiba — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 13:21:40 +0000

Did you ever see that old movie Blind Date? Kim Basinger & Mickey Rourke, before either of them went round the loony bend. She says to him, “Whatever you do, don’t let me drink…”

Was a silly but funny movie.