It all started with assistants. Sharath's assistants that is. These sweet souls are very dedicated and helpful, and one thing about them is that they have to deal with very sweaty students. God bless them.
At some point, I suppose, someone took on the idea of using the cotton rug that Sharath wears around his waist to dry his hands after a particularly sweaty adjustment. Then suddenly all assistants are wearing one. Now this is my speculation, it could be that they got the idea in a different way, and it may very well be that not all of them do it, I just could not help noticing some similarities.
And it does not end there. I have noticed that most Indian men use them. Instead of getting dressed, as I understand "dressing" with my Western mind. They put on a t-shirt and a towel around, and voila! They are dressed. I have not seen Indian women do that, just the men, but the idea seems to be taking root among shala students. After all, it covers you fully, and it is easy.
Besides, nobody here is looking or judging on clothing, at least not as far as I can tell. We are all in the sweaty business of yoga, the last thing we are worried about is what we are wearing. I think comfort comes first, as it should.
The assistants wear them folded in half, as if it was a short apron, just like in the picture above. But for students it becomes a full length skirt. And I have seen both men and women wear them to and from the shala. It looks good!
At some point, I suppose, someone took on the idea of using the cotton rug that Sharath wears around his waist to dry his hands after a particularly sweaty adjustment. Then suddenly all assistants are wearing one. Now this is my speculation, it could be that they got the idea in a different way, and it may very well be that not all of them do it, I just could not help noticing some similarities.
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| There is the towel |
Besides, nobody here is looking or judging on clothing, at least not as far as I can tell. We are all in the sweaty business of yoga, the last thing we are worried about is what we are wearing. I think comfort comes first, as it should.
The assistants wear them folded in half, as if it was a short apron, just like in the picture above. But for students it becomes a full length skirt. And I have seen both men and women wear them to and from the shala. It looks good!
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| Could not figure out how to make the flash work today but you get the idea |
I find myself wondering If I might dare go out on the streets of Gokulam with one of them, put a shawl on top and no worries at all, proper coverage, easy dressing, no tailoring needed...
They cost 100 Rupiahs at Rashinkar (US$2), as Susan told me, which, I suppose is more than what Sharath pays for his. I would bet on that.
How wonderful if the trend could take root in the United States too, maybe I will start it! Would I dare walk New York City on one of them? Why not! Can you imagine? Getting dress on a t-shirt and a towel? Of course not in the brutal winter but when the weather is more benign... maybe...
Would you dare wear one at home?
They cost 100 Rupiahs at Rashinkar (US$2), as Susan told me, which, I suppose is more than what Sharath pays for his. I would bet on that.
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| The cotton ones that Rashinkar has in Gokulam. They come in every color under the sun |
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| 100 Rupiahs per towel |
Hi Claudia! The longer towel that men wear is called a dhoti, it's a traditional men's garment. More info here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dhoti Sharath's towel does seem to have caught on but I'd guess it's just for ease of adjusting sweaty bodies, and unrelated to the dhoti. But who knows how fashion catches on? :)
ReplyDeletethats right, dhoti, thanks for telling me, had forgotten... I also think it is good for ease of adjustment, bodies do get sweaty... :-)
Deleteactually sharath suggests his teachers wear them..for sweat...to wipe hands and also for extra protection on your back although you have to wrap it very tightly for that.
ReplyDeleteThat is interesting... sort of how construction workers wear something around thei waist for protection, I would imagine it would have to be tight yes... thanks for sharing that...
Delete'Assistant chic' !
ReplyDeleteAm tempted to get one now, just to see if I get any funny looks in London for wearing what appears to be a tea towel.
Then again, you can wear anything in London and there will always be someone who looks even stranger nearby!
HA ha ha, always someone looking even stranger... I wonder now, it is after all the latest assistant chic. AND it seems very useful now that it has not one but two functions...
ReplyDeleteI have been using a dhoti as a travel towel since forever. Its just great: folds neatly and dries quickly. The idea came from this hotel http://www.ournativevillage.com/. They had traditional towels made of a material similar to a dhoti. It's always with me ;)
ReplyDeleteyes it does fold neatly and is so comfy, I am loving them too... will see if I can find a dhoti in particular today
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ReplyDeleteHa! I was wondering about that. I noticed my teacher here in Boston start wearing the towel around her waist several months back (it actually looks quite similar to Sharath's). One of her assistants has also picked up the idea while the other assistant tends to just tuck a towel into her waist band. It's a pretty genious idea--and fashionable ;-)
ReplyDeleteYou'd have to pay me NOT to wear one:) Yes, they are soo comfortable, I wear it when I'm in the house, it's hot here in Florida, i wear it to the beach and after practice:) FYI, Sharath's uncle, Manju wears a really nice Indian scarf(it's big) around his waist as well, he wears it for sweat purposes and to help students with drop backs. He showed me how to do it, so now I have incorporated into my teaching:)
ReplyDeleteLucky you being in Florida, all that warm weather, so good for practice. You wear it to the beach? Wow! who knew?
DeleteI believe I know what you mean about Manju, Greg here in NYC also uses a towel around the waist of the students for dropbacks, I got that adjustment for a while, suppose it protects their back... had forgotten about it
oh and by the way Claudia, i had a talk with myself during practice this morning regarding the arm over head in the drop backs...total fear, but I talked myself off the ledge and ya know what? my back did not break nor did my arms, in fact it was quite comfortable:) I thought of you during this:) I;m still not dropping, but I do feel it coming, blessings to you:)
ReplyDeleteCool! thanks for the good thoughts, and great on you trying. I've heard other tips here too that I might be implementing soon, perhaps taping as well... good luck in the journey!
DeleteI think Sharath wears them because he is a HUGE fan of the science fiction classic "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" which, to the uninitiated, suggests that pro galactic hitchhikers really only need one thing to survive: a towel.
ReplyDeleteOops, that last one was from me, not Josie. -James
ReplyDeleteI see James/ Josie, interesting will have to talk more about it, I never read the Hitchhiker's Guide...
DeleteThis is a really great post, Claudia. I loved all the detail of the speech that you captured. (did you tape it or do you just type really fast, I wondered)
ReplyDeleteAnyway, I got such a burst of energy from reading it. I'm going to go to my mat now and do some yoga. Thank you.
Whoops. I entered my comment in the wrong place. Oh well. I am not so savy about computers and will just have to accept these mix-ups.
ReplyDeleteI really, really liked the lecture from Mysore that you transcribed. It was just like being there. Many thanks again.
Thank you Penny, yes it looked like you were refering to one of the posts on the conferences. I just took notes, very fast, he speaks slow, so that helps. I am glad it made you feel like you were there, have a great practice
ReplyDelete