I didn't know Yoga was Inaccessible.

I wish there were more greedy capitalists. 'Greedy capitalists' is a phrase my Dad says. I thought it was a bad thing when I first heard it, when I was young, but he taught me that it means a person who wants to work hard to earn more money. That's a very good thing. He used to have his own store, and if someone wanted to use his business a few minutes after he closed, but he was still there, he would open the doors, and stay a while longer. That's how you make more money. This was a great lesson.

I just took my first offical yoga class. I've been doing it at home for 11 years. I was inspired to keep doing yoga even with my new limitations by a guy I heard of in Minnesota whose legs are paralyzed and who teaches yoga. I've been doing it at home, what I call "floor yoga". And I'm hobby-shopping right now, so I thought a real class would be fun. I wasn't too concerned about it. I can get on the floor, and do lots of things, just not the standing stuff, or the raising your legs stuff. I figured I would just do my best, do what I can..

I went on Monday to check out the place. It was nice. I asked the lady who showed me around if I could just stay on the floor for the standing poses, and just do what I can do and not do what I can't. She said it was fine.

I picked Yoga Yoga's easiest class, called "Gentle". The class flyer descrbes the Gentle class by saying "These classes support people with limitations." I know I can do harder yoga than "gentle", but I went to that class anyway, in attempt to follow the ways of the yoga studio.

I was late. I wasn't really late, but I was made to be late. There are only two disabled parking spaces near the studio, with a reserved space in between them. Look at disabled spaces next time you're out, there are reserved spaces between the spots, with yellow stripes, some on the left and some on the right of the parking spot. Since I am on the drivers' side, the left, I need extra space on the left to assemble my wheelchair. I lift it over my head in the car from the passenger seat to the ground out the left door. Then I have to put the wheels and cushion back on it to assemble it, and then turn it around into position for me to get in it from the drivers' chair. Anyway, the parking space with the left space was taken, so I went to the other one, and attempted to assemble my wheelchair, but it was physically impossible. It was too close to the next car on my left. I had to lift the chair from the pavement up over my head, while sitting in the drivers' seat, and I still didn't have enough room to turn it around, it was stuck. By now my arms are killing me, I'm sweating like crazy, and five people are resting at the sidewalk in front of me not caring at all. Then, a lady who can walk without visible ailment comes to the car on my right, in what I'd like to call "my parking spot". So, I lift the chair high in the air again, mostly with just my left hand, to disassemble it to put it back in my car, so I can move over one space. Assuming it was physically possible for me to get my chair unstuck between those two cars, and that wasn't looking promising, I also had the high risk, since I was parked pretty much on the yellow line, that a new car would be parked even closer when I returned to my car, thus completely preventing me from accessing my car. I had to take the extra time and effort to move. Unfortunately, the other lady took her sweet time to get out of the parking space. By the time she did, my class had started. Once she moved, I quickly moved to the other space, and unloaded my chair, again.

I "ran" into the yoga place, handed them my first-day form, then went to the class. I was 4 minutes late. I felt awful about it, but it really wasn't my fault. I would've been at least 5 minutes early if I could've used any parking space like everyone else can. Anyway, this probably started me out on the wrong foot with the yoga instructor. One lady and her mat were blocking the door, so she and a few others had to get up and pick up their mats in order for me to get to a space in the back of the room. The instructor asked if I wanted to use a raised platform space at the side of the room, it was about 3 feet off the ground, higher than I was seated in my chair. Unfortunately, the parking experience made my "kindness" factor a little low, so I just answered logically instead of super-politely. I said, "how would I get up there?"

Class resumed, and we did some floor things. My left arm was killing me from all the overhead chair lifting, so I kept trying to sneak in some arm stretches. It was unfortunate that I couldn't focus on what I was doing in the class, like the others there, because I had just injured my arm while trying to do something they take for granted: parking and getting out of my car.

When it came time for the first pose I couldn't do, a forward bending pose on all fours, I just sat with crossed legs and bent forward. I was quite proud of myself, that I was adapting and doing well. The instructor came over to me and said you have to do this pose in order to stretch your lower back. I said, yes, that's why I'm leaning forward like this. Then, he tried to talk me into doing it correctly again, up on all fours, and I just looked at him, surprised. I said, "am I making you uncomfortable?" He answered no, but it was clear that he wasn't okay with me not obeying his every word.

The class continuted. It was hard, because I had to work a lot harder than everyone else to do similar things, but I worked hard, and I got some good stretching and exercising done. I felt good about it. Though, I did feel like it was kind of a waste of my time, and that I should just do yoga at home like I'd been doing for years, because some things they do I just can't do, and are a waste of my time. Likewise, because of my leg spasms, and because my arms are getting so strong, I needed extra work for those issues. I should just do it my way.

At the end of the class, I hadn't yet decided if I would continue coming or not. I thought I wouldn't burn any bridges, and I would ask the instructor what might make him more comfortable about me being in the class. I just asked, "are you okay with me coming to your class and just doing what I can? I did my best, I'm just not physically able to do some poses." (and I was expecting that the wheelchair was a big tip-off to him) I continued , "I spoke with a lady about this on Monday and she said it would be fine." He said something to the effect that no, it's not okay to not do every pose. Then he said "you should just keep doing yoga at home."

That was a shock. I went to the front, and paid for the class. The great lady, the same one I spoke with on Monday, offerred to give me a free class, but I don't like to be in debt, so I paid anyway. She said "ah, first class." I said "last class," and I told her about it. She said she would talk to the management and call me back. I told her that I specifically went to that class because it was for "people with limitations." I also said that this was a business, and I figured they'd rather take my money, than require that I do every pose, even when I'm physically unable.

I was quite surprised by all of this. Why would they care what I did, as long as I did my best? I've heard it said that the disabled are actually the largest minority group in the country, from a population point of view, and I never thought much of it. But, I think, today I was discriminated against, and for no good reason.

At least I won't let it get me down. I just wanted to write about it, now I feel better, having recalled the story. I can take care of myself, do my own yoga, and keep my money. I'll be fine. I did ask the nice lady, however, to remove the phrase "These classes support people with limitations" from their paperwork. I told her I want other disabled people to know that they're not welcome in that yoga studio before they take their first class.