If you are like me, you have a love/hate relationship with yoga. My brain tells me that I shouldn't be sweating just from my prep stretching before class even starts, but then at the end of class--I have better flexibility, higher energy levels and I sleep like a baby. All great benefits. There are times during the summer that I choose to practice on my terrace because I get the heat benefits without the stinky stuffiness. It is that stinky stuffiness that tends to keep me from regularly practicing hot yoga. It's only natural that this will occur when you throw a bunch of people into a closed off room and crank the temp up to 98*.
Enter my new favorite studio--Spark Yoga. I already told you about my aerial class, and now I have experienced one of their heated classes and I am even more in love.
Yesterday I met KB for a 10AM Hot Power Yoga class. It is 75 minutes and the room is set to 95*. It was our own fault, but we had to set up shop in the front of the class which made it a little more difficult to follow Cathryn. The flow was great, and I secretly accomplished two goals in the class (1) moving from crow into tripod headstand and (2) holding good 'ol regular headstand for quite some time.
Truly though the best part of class is that I didn't feel smothered. I was definitely hot, and I was definitely sweaty but I could breath comfortable which made those last few wheelbarrows so much easier than other classes I had taken previously.
I still miss the music that accompanied my classes in NYC and think I will try out a hot vinyasa flow with music Wednesday morning. (That is if I can get myself up and motivated for a 6:30AM class).
Spark Yoga. 2201 N Pershing Drive, Arlington; 703-248-9642. $20 to $30 for drop-in classes.