8 People You Almost Always See in a Philly Yoga Class

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I think it’s safe to say the whole yoga-studio-filled-with-tea-drinking-hippies stereotype is a thing of the past. Now, thanks to an endless supply of yoga studios around the city, just about everyone has dipped their toes into the practice.

If you go to enough yoga classes, you start to notice some patterns, a few people you can pretty much count on always seeing when you hit the studio: the Lululemon addict, the skylight hog, the wide-eyed newbie. We decided to test our theory by hitting studios all over Philly and documenting the yogi types we saw over and over again.

Don’t get us wrong: We love each and every one of these people — they’re what keeps the yoga soup so darn interesting. But because chances are you’ve been at least one (if not all) of these people at some point in your yoga life, we thought it was high time to celebrate each and every one of them here on Be Well Philly. Namaste.

1. The wide-eyed newbie.

We’ve all been the newbie. This person tiptoes into class with a studio mat in their hands and a look of fear in their eyes. After an hourlong class — spent mostly with their eyes darting around the room wondering “WTF does Tadasana mean?!” — you may or may not ever lay eyes on them again.

2. The Lululemon addict.

This person is always, always decked out in multiple layers of Lululemon gear. Spotting a Lulu addict in yoga class (and there are usually a few of them) brings back memories of seeing middle school peers sporting True Religion jeans in the cafeteria: Like True Religion jeans, you know that you don’t need a drawer full of $50 flowery Lululemon sports bras and leggings and jackets — but nonetheless, you walk out of class with a serious case of wardrobe envy, sporting your own sports bra that you probably (or, in my case, definitely) bought at Marshall’s.

3. The skylight hog.

This person arrives 15 minutes early to class, and places their mat directly under their favorite skylight (or window, or fireplace) before anyone else has a chance to get to it. If the class fills and you are forced to whisper, “Hey, can you scoot over?” prepare yourself for the type of glare usually reserved for strangers who spit on subway platforms.

4. The Beyoncé of Bikram.

While you look like you just spent 10 days in the desert without water or a hairbrush after a Bikram class, this person looks, well, #flawless. They never have a single hair out place, and they are usually wearing a pair of leggings that involves cutouts and mesh. You assume their Instagram is a neverending feed of them performing yoga poses on yachts in the Mediterranean and beaches in Jamaica. Needless to say, you want to be their best friend.

5. The resident yogi.

This person probably doesn’t actually live in the yoga studio, but they might as well, because they are always there. You’ve spotted them getting their downward dog on in every single class you’ve ever taken at the studio, and there is a 98-percent chance you’ve confused them for a member of the staff at some point.

6. The BFFs.

Before class, you will find this pair posted up with their mats side-by-side, almost overlapping, chatting about stuff you’re not supposed to hear — because they think they’re whispering — but can. During class, one or both of them will fall into a hysterical fit of laughter after the instructor says “perineum” or something. Let’s be honest: We’ve all probably made up one half of this equation at some point.

7. The germaphobe.

There is no doubt that every surface in this person’s kitchen has been wiped down with Clorox at least once today. They are always the first person to make it to the sani-wipes after Savasana, and they take no less than five of them and proceed to scrub their mat into the ground. Oh, how I wish I was blessed with their zeal for cleaning.

8. The person who makes you rethink razors.

I can’t count the number of times I’ve spotted a fellow yogi rocking some fully grown-out armpit hair during a yoga class and thought to myself: The last pack of razorblades I bought cost more than a delivery sushi dinner! That lady must save so much money. I am SO done with razors. I have yet to follow through with this declaration, though I have made it many times.

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