Herndon, VA – Students of Tara Yablon’s yoga class were annoyed to hear her tell them to “take a moment and relax” in what was one of the most painful positions they had ever put their body in.

“When I want to relax I don’t intertwine my legs and grab my feet behind my head while looking up at the sky with a smile on my face with my hips about to crack and my hamstrings on fire. I’ve always been very successful at relaxing with the classic lying down pose,” said student Peter Anton.

“It might be hard at first,” said Yablon to her students, “but after a few seconds you should feel your body expand and breathe into the pose and then you’ll feel that deep relaxation.”

Students reported a feeling of burning muscles, cracking bones, and a pain that made them sweat like a towel being wrung dry. “No, I wouldn’t call it relaxation per se, more like a terrible enduring pain that made my limbs shake with fear,” said student Tina Hamlin.