Space Equality: Stay On Your Own Mat

I adore my personal space bubble. That delicate bubble floats around my body providing space to breathe and move freely. In my utopia, every single soul is granted a bubble large enough to accommodate expansive swan dives and extended stick poses. Of course, you're free to welcome guests in your bubble. An invitation is an absolute requirement though. No ifs, ands or buts about that.

In the real world, personal space bubbles continuously inflate and deflate throughout the day. Under some circumstances our beloved bubbles actually burst and disappear completely. Sometimes it feels as if people in this city are armed with invisible bubble popping wands. It's a wand bubble war out there. You're lucky if you make it down the block with your bubble still intact. 

But that is just the way of life for New Yorkers. Less personal space is part of the package deal we signed up for.  You'll find it in the fine print right under ridiculously expensive rental rates and startling rat sightings. But, so what? If you can deal with the fine print, you get to live in one of the most energized cities in the world. Besides if ample personal space was a prerequisite for our happiness, we would've  invested in spacious three-story houses in the suburbs long ago.

I'll sacrifice a little personal space for the common good. But, I'm far from okay with the ridiculous inequality in personal space. I'm fed up with people obnoxiously squeezing their way into my bubble. Complete strangers, men and women alike, have literally sat on my body to give themselves more space. I'm not kidding. No one has had the audacity to put their entire bum on me yet, but have thrown a good portion of their leg right on top of mine. 

Space is a feminist issue. I haven't had the courage yet to ask those people if they would sit down like that on a man. But my guess is the answer to that question is a definite and resounding no.

Women are simply expected to take up less space. We're taught to keep our bodies slim and slender. Our movements should be tiny and dainty to stay within the bounds of our extra small bubbles. Women sit with their legs crossed, while men have the freedom have their legs opened wide taking up as much horizontal space as they would like.

And women's personal space is more easily invaded. People sit on, push, and shove me because they know that in all likelihood I won't retaliate. They know I'm not going to call them out on it or give them a big push back. Even if I tried, most likely I would lose the fight miserably. To stay safe, I begrudgingly surrender my precious personal space and go on about my day.

Unlike bubbles, yoga mats provide visible and clearly defined personal space boundaries. I'm on my mat and you are on yours. Even in crowded classes, it's customary to leave little bits of space between mats and be mindful of your neighbor's space. You wouldn't put your mat right on top of your neighbor's. And all yoga mats are just about (if not exactly) the same size. The standard mat is large enough to accommodate a variety of body sizes and shapes comfortably.

There's no need to fight for personal space in yoga class. It's automatically granted to you no matter who you are or what you look like. Here's to taking the yoga with us when we leave class. May we always remember to stay on our own mats.