Suspension
The temperature rose as more people filed into the small room. Just when I thought no other yogis could fit, people shuffled and scooched their mats closer together, making room for one more, two more, three more. We hadn’t even started our yoga practice, and I was already coated in sweat. I like to come to this 5:30 a.m. Wednesday class specifically because there are typically only a handful of people in it. I love the peaceful feeling of flowing through asanas in enough open space to pretend I am alone. Not today. At least 30 people filled the studio with their body heat and breath. I started to panic. My heart rate climbed as beads of sweat formed on my upper lip. I felt my breath shorten and catch in my throat. “Run!” my mind screamed. “All the air is outside! Go outside and breathe!” But just then, Nikki came to the front of the crowd and began our practice. “Let’s start in child’s pose today,” she said. I have difficulty keeping my face planted on the mat ...