Leisure Activity: Yoga Class

     At home, I often attend yoga classes at my local gym. When I noticed a yoga studio on my block in Barcelona, I was hesitant to attend a class because I was not sure I would understand the Spanish-speaking instructor and would therefore be unable to follow along with the class. The yoga studio, called Centro Shri Vivek, is located on the first floor of Carrer de Industria 96. One Tuesday afternoon, I finally mustered up the courage to try the new experience of taking a yoga class instructed in a different language. The instructor could not have been more welcoming to me and even offered to do his best to repeat his instructions in English even thought I was the only American in the class.
     Everyone in the class seemed to be regulars--they all knew exactly where to find the mats, pillows, and blankets necessary for the class session. I followed their example. Some people even went to a room behind the studio and put on special linen white pants and shirts before class began. The instructor put on relaxing drum music and began telling us what to do; he instructed us to stretch our "espaldas, cuellos, brazos, y piernas," our backs, necks, arms, and legs. I realized that I chose to go to the yoga class on the perfect day because I had taken a Spanish test earlier that morning on the parts of the body. This benefitted me greatly during yoga, and I found out that I was able to follow along more easily than I had predicted.
     Other than the obvious language difference, one more difference between this yoga class and the yoga classes I usually attend at home in Massachusetts was that the class at Shri Vivek included more stretching, breathing exercises, and mind relaxation rather than yoga posing and strength training. While I usually prefer more posing, the class was very relaxing. 
     Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the experience of taking a yoga class instructed in Spanish. During my time studying abroad in Barcelona, I have been in many situations where I have had to speak Spanish, but this experience was one time when I have really felt engulfed in the culture and the language. Unlike when I am speaking Spanish in my Spanish class or when I learn about Barcelona's culture through visiting cultural attractions, this experience allowed me to actually become engulfed in the language through a day-to-day activity alongside the citizens of Barcelona. I was proud of myself for trying something unfamiliar and for understanding some of the language. It was an experience that I will always remember.