Resident Says Neighbor Karen’s Yoga Classes Have Crept Onto His Lawn That She Calls ‘Shared Nature’: ‘Am I Overreacting?’

Mar. 15, 2025

A woman doing yoga on a lawn (stock image).Photo:BSIP/Universal Images Group via Getty

BSIP/Universal Images Group via Getty

A woman’s yoga classes have put her neighbor in an awkward position.That neighbor turned toReddit’s Am I Overreacting forumto vent about the loud and smelly yoga sessions, which have grown so much over the past weeks that attendees are now also using his backyard.“So, a few months ago, my next-door neighbor, Karen, started teaching yoga classes in her backyard. No big deal, right?” the man wrote.“Except, her ‘backyard’ has slowly started to spill over into my backyard,” he added. “At first, it was just a mat or two near the fence, but now her whole group of yogis takes over half of my lawn every Saturday morning.”People doing yoga on a lawn (stock image).ANTHONY WALLACE/AFP via GettyAside from the size of the classes, the sounds are bothering him.“They’ve set up an entire speaker system blasting calming nature sounds and ‘healing frequencies,’ ” he continued, which he claims prevents him from “enjoying my coffee in peace.”To remedy the situation, he said he “politely asked her if she could keep her classes to her own side of the fence.”His neighbor then “laughed” at his request and said, “ ‘Oh, it’s all one big green space anyway,’ ” he recalled.A woman doing yoga on a lawn (stock image).JOE SCHILDHORN/Patrick McMullan via GettyHis irritation intensified when the yogis started using incense at class.”Last weekend, they brought out incense, and suddenly my backyard smelled like a meditation retreat while I’m trying to grill burgers,” he wrote. “I asked her, again, to maybe shift the class back into her own yard.”That’s when she told him that he “was being too territorial about ‘shared nature’ and should appreciate the community vibe,” he remembered.Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.On Reddit, he asked users to weigh in on whether he’s overreacting or if “Karen is taking ‘namaste’ a bit too far?”One person wrote, “Not overreacting. She needs to nama-stay on her side,” while another quipped, “Start turning on the sprinkler on those mornings.”Another person said he would simply call the cops on them for trespassing.

A woman’s yoga classes have put her neighbor in an awkward position.

That neighbor turned toReddit’s Am I Overreacting forumto vent about the loud and smelly yoga sessions, which have grown so much over the past weeks that attendees are now also using his backyard.

“So, a few months ago, my next-door neighbor, Karen, started teaching yoga classes in her backyard. No big deal, right?” the man wrote.

“Except, her ‘backyard’ has slowly started to spill over into my backyard,” he added. “At first, it was just a mat or two near the fence, but now her whole group of yogis takes over half of my lawn every Saturday morning.”

People doing yoga on a lawn (stock image).ANTHONY WALLACE/AFP via Getty

ANTHONY WALLACE/AFP via Getty

Aside from the size of the classes, the sounds are bothering him.

“They’ve set up an entire speaker system blasting calming nature sounds and ‘healing frequencies,’ ” he continued, which he claims prevents him from “enjoying my coffee in peace.”

To remedy the situation, he said he “politely asked her if she could keep her classes to her own side of the fence.”

His neighbor then “laughed” at his request and said, “ ‘Oh, it’s all one big green space anyway,’ ” he recalled.

A woman doing yoga on a lawn (stock image).JOE SCHILDHORN/Patrick McMullan via Getty

JOE SCHILDHORN/Patrick McMullan via Getty

His irritation intensified when the yogis started using incense at class.

”Last weekend, they brought out incense, and suddenly my backyard smelled like a meditation retreat while I’m trying to grill burgers,” he wrote. “I asked her, again, to maybe shift the class back into her own yard.”

That’s when she told him that he “was being too territorial about ‘shared nature’ and should appreciate the community vibe,” he remembered.

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

On Reddit, he asked users to weigh in on whether he’s overreacting or if “Karen is taking ‘namaste’ a bit too far?”

One person wrote, “Not overreacting. She needs to nama-stay on her side,” while another quipped, “Start turning on the sprinkler on those mornings.”

Another person said he would simply call the cops on them for trespassing.

source: people.com