How to avoid being the skunk in yoga class

“What is that stink!” says Alice. “It smells like a skunk and it is getting stronger.”

Alice hears a scratching and whining at the kitchen door. She opens the door and finds her dog Rex.  He has been sprayed by a skunk. It smells terrible. It is going to take a while to get that stink out of his fur.

Rex’s strong ordour reminds Alice about a person in her yoga class that has a problem with body odour, luckily it is not as bad as Rex but it is pretty strong.

Why is body ordour a problem in yoga class

Most people have mild body odour and their neighbours do not notice it, but there are a few people that have a strong body odour.

If you have strong body odour you will discover that it :

• bothers the people around you
• bothers your teacher
• gets worse over time
• may result in your removal

Bothers your neighbours

If you have strong body odour it will bother the people around you. They will be reluctant to setup near you during yoga practice.

Your strong body odour will distract them from focusing on their yoga practice.

Bothers your teacher

Strong body odour will cause your yoga teacher to avoid adjusting you. Getting too close could be uncomfortable for the teacher and it is easier for them to stay away.

You will miss out on getting help to improve your yoga practice.

Gets worse over time

As the class goes on you are heating your body up. Your skin gets hot and sweaty and your body odour is going to become more pronounced. The longer the class goes on the worse your body odour becomes and this can be a big problem.

It may result in your removal

If your body odour is severe your yoga teacher may actually ask you to leave the class. This will be embarrassing for you, your teacher and the other people in the class.

You can avoid this embarrassment by taking a few simple steps.

How to manage your body odour

Alice used tomato juice, lots of tomato juice, a remedy she learned from her mom, to get rid of the skunk stink from Rex.

There are a few things that you can do instead of a tomato juice bath to manage your body odour.

• shower before class
• wear sent free deodorant
• watch the food that you eat

Shower before class

A shower or bath just before yoga class will get your skin clean and remove the dirt and oils that cause body odour. Be sure to clean under your arms between your legs and around your neck.

Once you have your skin clean you are ready for the next step keeping the body odour away.

Wear scent free deodorant

Now that your skin is clean it is time to apply some scent free deodorant. The deodorant will help to manage your body odour during class.

Do not use a scented product. Using a scented deodorant is exchanging one smell for another. What smells nice to you may be nauseating for your neighbours.

There is one more step that you can take to manage body odour and it has to do with food.

Watch the food that you eat

This step requires some planning on your part. You need to monitor what you eat and the affect that it has on your body odour over the next few hours.

Once you figure our which foods increase your body odour you need to remember to avoid eating them the day that you are going to yoga class.

Summary

Alice finally got Rex clean and smelling skunk free. She used the tomato juice bath to remove the skunk scent from Rex. It took about three baths and lots and lots of tomato juice.

It’s easier for you to manage your own body odour. Luckily there are no tomato juice baths involved.

• Be sure to shower or bathe before class
• Use scent free deodorant
• Avoid eating foods that cause you to smell

Next Step

If you notice people avoiding you in yoga class you may have Rex’s skunk problem. It is time to take some steps to correct your body odour.

Additional Reading

Wearing body lotion can cause other problems. Learn more in Why the greased pig effect is bad for your yoga.

Why no scents makes good sense in yoga class talks about avoiding scents in yoga class.