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There’s something almost alchemical that happens during yoga class. You walk into a studio lugging around the weight of the world and you walk out an hour later feeling equal parts grounded and ethereal.
And sometimes you feel a little something more.
Although the effects of your practice can be felt, there are times when the full magnitude of it is best revealed in the quirky and unexpected yoga stoned moments that follow. Inspired by those moments, we started collecting stories from yoga students and teachers. What emerged was a tapestry of anecdotes that capture just how transportive the practice of yoga can be.
10 Ways You Know That You’re Yoga Stoned
Although yoga has a profound and prolonged effect on life, walking out of class after Savasana in an altered state can also make for some memorable experiences. Perhaps your practice did more for you than you initially thought.
1. You Have a “Where Am I?” Moment
“I remember once after a yoga class I sat in my car and had no idea what planet I was on or how to get home,” explains yoga and meditation teacher Yogi Bryan. IYKYK.
2. You Forget Where You Parked (Or Maybe You Forget Your Car)
Judging by the looks we see on faces in parking lots after class, a little confusion is pretty common. But what about when you forget that you parked your call in the first place?
“Last week, I left my yoga studio and walked home…not a completely unusual occurrence,” says Neeti Narula. “When I arrived home, I realized I’d not only left my bag and water bottle behind, but I had actually driven to the studio. So, I also left my car behind!”
3. You Lose Your Ability to Communicate Coherently
Everyone needs that someone in your life who understands they shouldn’t expect you to be conversational after yoga class. “Sometimes you seriously can’t hold up a conversation for at least an hour afterward,” says longtime student and teacher Taylor Lorenz. “Head nods and quiet sighs are all you’ve got, with an occasional mumble if you’re lucky.”
If you’re a compulsive texter, you may want to think of post-yoga class as the equivalent of 2 a.m. texting and simply put your phone away.
4. You’re Content to Wander…
“After Savasana, I often find myself wandering aimlessly around Whole Foods, buying an overpriced green juice in a state of pure bliss,” explains yoga photographer Allie Jorde. “No list. Just vibes.”
5. Or You Impulse Shop
Whatever shopping happens after yoga is between you and your bank account balance. Although a couple words of wisdom when your post-class splurge might not take you any further than the studio’s boutique. Teacher and Yoga Journal editor in chief Renee Marie Schettler had been practicing yoga a months when she was flipping through some books at the boutique of a studio on Manhattan’s Upper West Side. “My teacher, who knew I was new to the entire yoga scene, walked past and shouted out with a laugh, “Beware post-Savasana shopping!” she says.
6. You Forget Your Shoes
You know it was an exceptional yoga experience when you walk to the studio parking lot afterward and notice another student abruptly stop walking, look down at their bare feet, and bust out laughing before turning and walking back to the studio for their shoes. Sign us up.2
7. You Swipe Someone Else’s Shoes
Stacy Joyce, a yoga teacher from Charlotte, NC, attended class in New York City with multiple classes going on at the same time, she explains. “When I went to get my sandals, they were nowhere to be found! I searched everywhere. Eventually, the studio manager lent me a pair of flip-flops.”
On her walk home, as she passed Dante Park, she happened to recognize a woman from the studio who was wearing her sandals. Uncertain how to approach the fellow student, Joyce hesitated. Then she nonchalantly started talking to her about the yoga class.
“I threw in a comment that my shoes were missing. This woman realized she had on the wrong shoes that were easily two sizes too large for her. She was very apologetic, and we laughed it off,” says Joyce. “I got my sandals back, and she used the studio flip-flops to go back and find her own shoes.”
8. You Forget Where You’re Going
Maybe you intended to meet up with friends afterward or run an errand. Yet suddenly you find yourself pulling into your driveway. Driving heavy machinery should be outlawed after yoga class. And some of us realize that. Yoga Journal digital editor Laura Harold explains that sometimes, she needs to “sit in my car for a few minute before I feel completely confident driving myself home.”
9. You Can’t Recall What You’re Forgetting
“I recently had a student who was flush in the face and looking a little lost,” explains Lisa Workman, a yoga therapist in Canada. “Knowing she had forgotten something, it took her a couple of minutes to realize it was her pants.” Workman notes that this took place in winter, when walking outside in shorts, not pants, “is not advised!”
10. You Feel All the Feels
You know when you get hit with an abundance of sentiment after Savasana and simply can’t refrain from telling a loved one how much they mean to you?
And isn’t that what it’s all about? Following what feels right, rolling with the unexpected, and not being overly concerned about what’s happening in any moment other than the one in front of you.
