Now That Was Hot

For those outside NYC, lately it's like Forks without the cute vampires, and the daily rain is seriously putting a damper on my running the park. I needed something else to commit to to get myself out of bed this morning. Early morning classes (meaning 6, 6:15 or 6:30) are surprisingly lacking on the upper east. I have serious respect for people who can take a 7:30 class and get to work by 9:00 or 9:30. I just can't. I have a dog. I need to flatiron. It's not possible.

I remembered that Bikram Yoga NYC on 83rd offers 6am classes a few times a week, including Wednesdays. At 11 last night, this sounded like an awesome idea. I signed up.

I did a Bikram stint in '06 when a good friend got really into it. I went about twice a week for a few months. Then one day, a couple of hours after class, I came down with a fever. While I never officially blamed the class for the bug, I also never went back. It may also have had to do with this guy who I had briefly dated who I didn't want to run into in class. Regardless, I fell out of the routine.

I was only the second person to sign up last night, so I was surprised to walk into a packed room this morning. Luckily, the back corner spot was open. In most classes, I like to be right up front. With yoga though, and especially Bikram, the chances of me falling down or otherwise embarrassing myself are high enough that I prefer to hide.

The class was awesome. Enough of the poses came back to me that I didn't feel like a total newbie, even after the two and half year hiatus. In fact, two and half years was enough time for me to forget that I'd had hangups about some of the positions, so I was just able to get into them this morning. The spot I chose ended up working out well because it was by the window - but I didn't manage to hide. The instructor was the girl who had checked me in at the reception desk, and she'd learned my name. She was fantastic and literally talked me into a position I'd never gotten into before.

Could this become part of my routine again? I'll keep you posted.

-Gym Belle-