Falun Bomb

So last night I went to a free community center Falun Gong meditation class. I don't even know how to fully describe how much I hated (yep, I used the 'H' word) this. I arrived to find a woman and man, both in their late sixties... and me (I should have taken this as a bad sign, but I was being optimistic). Before the 'session' started, the woman hands me brochures on Falun Gong and torture in China (actual pictures of torture)! 2nd bad sign.

We go into this big gym and they start music and the woman tells me to empty my mind of thoughts, just follow her and concentrate on the music. Fine... for those who don't know, I have been doing yoga for about 6 1/2 years now and am a certified teacher, so of course my ego speaking... no problem. I start to concentrate on the music and it is awful! I mean cheap Chinese restaurant awful! Okay, great. Well, I just try to retreat into my body and focus on my own energy, and then a Chinese man's voice on the CD is yelling at me in Chinese... did I mention this is a 2 hour meditation? I'm really trying to relax to this while holding my arms out from my body for an hour (try doing this for 10 min! - like you are holding a ball in front of you). I was having the worst time keeping my mind free (I always meditate to no music) and kept thinking:

mind #1: "My arms and shoulders are killing me!"
mind #2: "Shut up mind! Concentrate on the energy you are creating."
#1: "But they are seriously asleep!... Did that Chinese guy just say 'some young guy'?
#2: "hehe... that is funny. Okay, enough."
#1: "Crap, this feels like that book 'Eat, Pray, Love' where she has such a hard time with that one meditation."
#2: "Right, and it ended up being super great for her, so stick with it!"

Well, by the time we sat down (1st hour standing, 2nd hour sitting) I had memorized the horrible music, and it was on a 5 min. loop (seriously, I timed it). The woman left and this man sits in front of me saying "the next hour is spent in full lotus position" (!!!). Uh yeah... that doesn't work for me. After 20 min of more sitting and arms falling asleep, I had enough. I was really trying to tune the music out and just meditate as I usually do, but no dice. I was in complete awe of this old dude sitting in full lotus for an hour listening to Chinese water torture. I think he could tell I was done when there was 15 min. left and I was stretching and walking around the gym. I asked him if it is always the same, and to the same music. Yep!... and he does it every day!

At least when I do yoga, I can put any music I like on and afterwords I feel refreshed, energized and healthy. After this I felt like eating an entire chocolate cake.

Hope you all have a peace filled day... off to my yoga mat.