Distractions in yoga

I'm not a yoga junkie but I try to go once a week or more.  Mostly for the stretching and breathing.  I decided it was necessary to go yesterday because of a string of events (though exciting) I needed some peace.  I go to the same class each time with the same instructor and usually the same crowd with mostly older people and never have any issues. 

This class was just an odd exception.  At first, I was the only one there and I thought maybe I'd end up in a private session! Keep dreaming. Within 5 minutes, the class was slammed and mats were getting to close for comfort for me. But, what can you do, go with it.  This time, I just happened to notice a few too many distractions.  An overweight young girl with black leggings on. Oh wait, oh no. No, no.  They were pantyhose.  I don't know if she was trying to do the legging fad and didn't realize her leggings were not leggings.  Sadly had chosen to wear them to the gym with a shirt that didn't cover her butt.  All I know is I could see her skin and her blue and black stripped underwear.  Poor thing.  I almost wanted t o let her know in case she didn't realize, but that would really do no good but embarrass her. Skinny or not, see through stockings are not for the public's eyes.  Then a whole mess of extreme sweat entered the room.  One older lady who I see in there frequently and likes to sit front and center had a sweat mark that well, to put it nicely, it wrapped all the way around from her belly button to butt crack and I don't mean around the waist.  She proceed to do stretching as if she wanted to show off her horrific sweat marks.  I can't ever look her in the face again.  Another lady who squeezed in front of me took her sneakers off which let out a horrible stank.  Ugggh. Ok, Molly, just breath, go with it.  So my wonderful instructor starts out with our deep breathing exercises and I'm fully engaged with my eyes closed, breathing deep.  Suddenly we are interrupted by a woman who felt the need to yell out to the teacher that sneakers all over the floor are disrupting to her and she find its a huge distractions and for the teacher to please remove all the sneakers.  In front of this woman is Ms. Stretching Sweatmarks and became embarrassed and rightly ticked off went to remove her sneakers.  My instructor seemed taken off guard but then handled the situation tremendously well.  She said no, wait, don't remove your shoes, let's discuss this.  And went on to discuss 'distractions'.  How in this classroom, there are distractions all around us.  The trucks driving by, the train station, the stomping runner outside, but the point of yoga is to learn to deal with these distractions whether internal or external.  Life is full of distractions, you can't avoid them but deal with them and this is where we learn to deal with them.  Luckily I internalized all my qualms because, do I really think its valid to express my silly irritants to my teacher? Hell no! So thank you presh for rudely interrupting our deep breathing exercises,  not getting your way and being the example.

I did learn a good lesson in yoga that day.  Deal with life's distractions through practices in yoga because they never go away, so we might as well learn to deal with them.  Though, I really hope next time, there are less obvious body issues with my fellow classmates!