SFO Sadhana: Test-Driving the Yoga Room in Terminal 2

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Yoga Room, Terminal 2!

I had breezed through it last year en route to D.C., but this time I was really stuck. My flight to Los Angeles involved a plane held captive by Seattle’s recent ice storm, leaving me a chunk of time (ok, like 7 hours) to become better-acquainted with San Francisco International Airport’s new Terminal 2, which houses Virgin America and American Airlines.

When I swept through the terminal shortly after its opening in 2011, I appreciated the aesthetic imparted by design giant Gensler, but last week I had plenty of time to make use of Terminal 2′s many thoughtful and humane features. I convinced myself to see this extended stay as a positive experience; after all, the terminal has LEED™ Gold Certification, and is a model of sustainability. I began documenting some of the terminal’s impressive amenities, including its spacious concrete workspaces. When I uploaded the workspace photo to Facebook, it prompted an unexpected discovery.

“Evidently there’s also a new yoga room there,” Emily Betts, my friend and fellow yogi, commented on the workspace photo. She prompted me to visit the Facebook wall of our teacher, Stacey Rosenberg, for more details. Sure enough, during a recent trip, Stacey had not only commented about the room, but had also left directions: “The yoga room is right after security on the right. I spied it from the security line!”

SFO's Terminal Two

A brief history of my “airport yoga” experience: I am from the east coast, and I fly back often. To keep myself sane, I generally do some low-key poses at the gate (and also on the plane, during long flights). In my experience, nobody blinks an eye at SFO. In other airports, I sometimes get a few strange looks until folks realize I’m flying to or from California. Though I have never felt too self-conscious about doing some pre-boarding lunges and thigh stretches at the gate, I had never considered the possibility of a space within an airport that is entirely dedicated to yoga. I was compelled to investigate the Yoga Room.

Yoga Room Interior

I beelined to the ladies’ room with my luggage, swapped the skinny jeans for yoga pants, and traveled the path to my salvation: from inside the terminal, I walked back toward security, past the array of eco-friendly shops and restaurants—all the way to the end, past the bookstore—and veered to the left. To my surprise, there was official airport signage for the Yoga Room, which I hadn’t noticed on my way into the terminal. I had to stop myself from sprinting to the door (well, actually my luggage stopped me).

There’s a short list of Yoga Room Etiquette posted both outside the frosted glass door and inside the room, with commonsensical directives such as shoe removal and the silencing of mobile devices. I quickly removed my boots and ushered my luggage inside.

The room is the color Krishna’s skin would be after a beach vacation: a deep, soothing cobalt. The dark hardwood floor and soft lighting create a soothing space. There’s also a full wall of mirrors, but there are three mirror-free walls, too, so you can choose whether or not you want to watch yourself practice. On the afternoon of Thursday, January 19, I was the only visitor. I grabbed one of the three complimentary mats and settled into a sweet SFO practice, grateful to reconnect with my breath in a place that usually stifles it.

Considering that the Yoga Room is just a few yards from the security screening area, it is surprisingly quiet in there. The aforementioned frosted glass door is hung in a comparably frosted glass wall, which adds extra light to the space and keeps it from feeling like a dark blue cave. The glass entryway also allows for one-way vision: while gazing forward in ardha uttanasana, it is a surreal experience to watch fellow passengers stumbling out of security and sprinting to their gates.

Pre-Flight Practice

One word of warning: there is no clock in SFO’s Yoga Room. Unless you’re saddled with a long delay, as I was, you may want to keep your silenced phone handy so you can periodically check the time while you indulge in an airport practice. Afterward, you might enjoy refilling your water bottle at the automatic refill station near Pinkberry. Adjacent to Pinkberry is the SFO outpost of The Plant Cafe Organic. I have enjoyed The Plant’s locations in San Francisco, and the Terminal 2 location has a similarly delicious menu to satisfy post-practice hunger. If still stranded following your meal, take advantage of the free wi-fi, go shopping, or settle down in one of the many truly comfy chairs distributed throughout the terminal.

During my delay, I learned some good lessons. First of all, there are far worse places to be stranded than Terminal 2 at SFO. Secondly, this experience was a great illustration of how the yoga community can uplift and guide us, even when they’re not physically present—and how the practice itself can be powerful, even (or perhaps especially) in the most unlikely places. Also, I truly appreciate living in a time and place that has the foresight and consideration to formally incorporate yoga into the air travel experience, allowing passengers to transcend their worries of liquids, gels and creams, interminable layovers, and so-called “random selection.”

One more thing: never leave home without yoga pants.

All photos by Kelly Murdoch-Kitt.

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