Sweatin' Time

   Late last week I was invited to a free yoga class.  I haven't participated in a yoga class in about 3 years, and what little yoga I have done since then involved my sister's Wii Fit board.  The friend who invited me, Yvonne, has never participated in yoga so I agreed to give it a try and meet her at 11:30 on Saturday for Bikram Yoga.  Now, anyone who sees the word Bikram and has any sense of recognition may see where this is going.  Myself, well, I had heard the word before, but had no idea what I was in for.  I dug up my old yoga pants and dressed myself in a t-shirt, and headed over.  I instantly realized I was out of place when the lobby temperature was very warm, condensation was dripping down the window leading into the classroom, and every other person around was dressed in the equivalent of swimsuits.....this was hot, hot yoga. 
   After Yvonne arrived and we quickly discussed our lack of awareness of what "Bikram" yoga was, we snuck into class to try to hide in the back.  Being free meant it was packed, but after two minutes of being the spectacles of class, our instructor positioned us near the back corner of a large room that smelled like the brutally used and hot socks of a football player. 
   Our instructor led the class by talking, not showing, so I was able to exercise my sideways glancing trying to discern what some of the poses were meant to look like.  A few minutes in the sweat started coming...and there was no stopping it!  Did you know your fingernails can sweat?**  Although overdressed, I at least had followed instructions to bring a towel and water - every time we laid down I snuck in a quick face swipe. 
   Overall the class turned out to be pretty great!  I felt a little drained by the end of our 90 minutes, but proud that I made it through without stopping (unless you count falling out of balance every 3 seconds as stopping....)  I also have to admit that in a way I sort of cheated....a gentleman left through the back door early in our session and didn't replace the towel blocking the draft under the door, which happened to be about two feet away from my soaked self.  Every chance to lay in our "dead body pose" brought sweet relief from beyond the foggy barrier to coolness!  If I ever go again I just might have to tackle someone for that spot. 
**For everyone's benefit, I decided against posting a photo for this blog entry  :)