Yo Yo Yoga 'til you drop!

So here's the thing, if you can't handle it, do it anyway... cause you might just surprise yourself!


Saturday, a girlfriend and I decided to walk in a yoga studio on Ventura Boulevard after we dropped off our kids for their weekend activity. Of course we had come prepared with our yoga outfits, mats, towels, and the most eye catching of all was my friend's Five Finger running shoes. Love those, she swears by them for best comfort. The journey there wasn't easy, seems everyone was on the road at that time. Somehow we made it for the 10:30 am class.

We parked, and hurried in the already crammed little studio. The room was filling up fast and we still had to pay. Finally we put our things in the cubby and walked in the long stuffy hot room, was this Bikram Yoga? I wondered. The room seemed heated up to 40°C, I can't even explain the humidity level, but fresh isn't a word that comes to mind. Nonetheless we were there to do yoga, we both had not done for weeks and needed some good stretching and work out. We managed to squeeze our mats between two other students, it was the only tiny spot left in the room. I felt trapped.

My friend began to worry about the amount of coins she put in for the parking space and by the time we finished chanting several loud "OMs" she soon was off tip toeing her way around the mats and got out to insure she wouldn't get a ticket. Meanwhile, the teacher had begun the routine. The music was great, serene, deep and flowed with the movements; from the tree to the downward dog, the cobra, inward facing dog, back to downward dog, back up arms high, breathing in, breathing out... breath in again, back down on the mat and the speed increased each time around.

My friend returned and found me face down on my mat, I was done. But I pushed my self and my body into the various Asanas. I couldn't see the teacher up front, I could only hear her, she did her rounds but didn't seem to correct anyone or help them. Everyone appeared pretty confident with what they were doing. Then the teacher said to do a hand stand "say what?" My head dangling down between my legs I saw the girl behind me kick her legs up and stand on her hands - wow!

My girlfriend was doing her best to follow as well, she was dripping sweat, I was dripping sweat, everybody around me was dripping sweat. I was hot and needed to retreat into child pause! So I did. We both eventually lay down to rest before we left the class a good half hour before the end. On the way out, we had time to glance around the small front room filled with symbolic items, a collection of Mala beads, and a few outfits hanging by the wall. We got our things from the cubby and noticed on the front desk the list of classes, we had just experienced Level 2 class. Not the one to go to if you haven't done yoga in weeks, but I think we did quite well regardless. I felt my body stretched, warm and pain free. My shoulders had softened, my back was straightened and I felt basically good, a "good" I hadn't felt in a while.

I might have not even gone into the class knowing it was level 2, but I am glad I did and I surprised myself. However I didn't like the stuffiness and the lack of space, and for that reason I don't think we'll be going back. The Iced Hazelnut Frappuccino we slurped within minutes afterwards was the greatest delight - a reward we received with giant smiles on our relaxed but red faces.

What did you experience "new" on Saturday?