An Open Letter to the Lady Who Stepped on My Yoga Mat

You violated my sacred space

Dear Fellow Yoga Attendee,

The other day, at the end of our yoga class, you did something I found entirely disgraceful.

There are unspoken rules in fitness classes that don’t need to be said. Clearly, I misjudged you for being someone who understands that. And I feel your grievous insult needs to be brought to your attention in hopes that you will never make this unforgivable mistake again.

After a great yoga class, I felt on top of the world. I was adequately stretched and kneaded and in a calm place after the end-of-yoga meditation and my obligatory namastes.

I stood up and grabbed the end of my rather excessively long yoga mat my husband insisted I buy because it’s eco-friendly. I was ready to start rolling it up — and then you came along.

You saw my yoga mat, woman. Don’t pretend you didn’t.

As you walked toward the shelves to put away your borrowed communal gym exercise mat, you paused just inches from my mat and looked down briefly. Then you stepped right on it like a doormat on the front porch of a welcoming home.

At first, I was in complete shock because this had never happened before. Two other old ladies had walked around my mat right before you broke the first rule of yoga class: thou shalt not step on another person’s yoga mat.

No, I’m not overreacting or being sensitive. You made me spend a few precious minutes grabbing a sanitizing wipe to erase your shameful footprints. I brought my own yoga mat to class for the simple joy of not having to wipe it down afterwards like I had to with the communal mats.

Lady, I don’t know where your feet have been. I don’t know the last time you washed them. For all I know, you could’ve been walking through a toxic waste dump this morning. Because of the unknown origins of a stranger’s feet, I don’t want you — or anyone — walking all over my mat.

Was it a power play? To show me you can walk all over my mat and me whenever you please?

Was it too much of an effort to slightly change your direction so you could walk around my mat? Or lift your leg a few inches to…

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