A foreign woman was spotted casually busting out her mat and practicing yoga in a Chiang Mai McDonalds yesterday afternoon.
The yogi started gaining attention on social media after photos of her impromptu yoga session were posted to a closed Bangkok expat Facebook group, “Everything Bangkok”, yesterday.
The original poster and witness to the yoga practice, who identified himself to us as “Hilla Hatt”, told Coconuts Bangkok that the incident occured in a McDonalds inside the Star Avenue Lifestyle Mall located in Chiang Mai’s Mueang district.
“I was eating a Big Mac and saw her break out the mat and go through a little namaste then go into a full routine,” he told us. “She was still going through the motions when I left.”
According to Hatt, the routine went on for at least the whole ten minutes he was at the restaurant. The yogi was accompanied by a friend who just “sat and chilled.”
“No one said anything, just let her about her business,” he said.
Since the lifestyle mall is next to a bus station, we wondered if the yogi and her friend were traveling somewhere, however Hatt could not confirm that.
“If I remember correctly, there were a couple backpacks. My observations beyond the actual yoga were passing at best,” he said.
Yeah, we understand how impromptu yoga session in a fast food restaurant could get a little distracting.
“It might be a technique to relieve pain. I saw a “back school” do some things like this. The joint pops back in if you do it the right way. I never try but maybe it work?” wrote one Facebook commenter, giving the woman the benefit of the doubt.
Another asked: “this is begpacking 3.0?” Although the woman did not appear to be asking for money, we can understand the question since she seems to have a similar sense of shamelessness as those infamous travelers caught doing everything from selling Thai flags for some extra dough to asking locals for money at a market to fund their travels.
Perhaps impromptu public yoga is just the latest trend?
“I do yoga myself but I damn sure am not busting it out while waiting for my nuggets” said Hatt.
“You get all types from all walks [in Chiang Mai].”
