6:03 p.m.: Cab rolls up to the PMA. Start my ascent up the steps.
6:04 p.m.: Shit. Only halfway up.
6:05 p.m.: Made it to the top! Feeling like an Olympian—is this how Rocky felt?
6:10 p.m.: Got my entrance pin to the museum. Pay–as–you–wish Wednesdays apparently don’t mean you can pay $0. The woman at the desk gave me a judgmental look when I finally handed over a quarter.
6:15 p.m.: Found the second floor gallery where the yoga is held. There are roughly 30 people here. I’m late so everyone is already doing “downward facing dog.” I lay my mat down and assume the position.
6:16 p.m.: I listen to the music playing in the gallery. It’s a cross between “Lord of the Rings” and the soundtrack to “Eat, Pray, Love”—is this meant to be soothing?
6:18 p.m.: Yoga is so easy.
6:20 p.m.: The man next to me is planking with one arm. Show–off.
6:25 p.m.: The yoga instructor corrects my breathing as I attempt to touch my toes. “Hear your breathing, feel your breathing, focus on your breathing,” she chants slowly.
6:33 p.m.: The man next to me farts while saluting the sun. He’s not so cocky anymore.
6:40 p.m.: I take it back—yoga is not so easy. It seems unnatural to balance on one leg while holding your hands in a praying position behind your back.
6:48 p.m.: Four museum–goers walk between us as I attempt a bridge. One stops and takes a picture—maybe I’ll become insta–famous?
6:49 p.m.: I can’t get down from my “bridge.” The instructor is announcing the next pose but I’m stuck. Help!
6:50 p.m.: I collapse on my mat with a thud. The man next to me snickers. He’s wearing orange short–shorts—is he really in a position to judge?
6:55 p.m.: Cool down time. Finally! I am enjoying the “happy baby,” which involves rocking on your back while holding your feet. This makes me so happy. I wish I were a baby.
6:58 p.m.: I stare at the tapestries in the gallery while “ohming.” I feel zen(ish).
7:00 p.m.: The session is over and the instructor gives a shameless plug for her studio downtown. I look around and try to decide who to ask to take a photo of me. I decide against asking the smug man next to me, and instead opt for the woman in the flowy, floral, maxi skirt and leotard. She snaps a “candid” pic of me in the “tree” pose in front of the artwork. Success!
Yoga at the PMA 2600 Benjamin Franklin Parkway Great Stair Hall Balcony Wednesdays, 6 p.m. - 7 p.m.
The museum is pay as you wish on Wednesdays. Bring your own mat.
