I started the day off by going to HOT power yoga; an hour and a half of hot, sweaty, bliss. Today was particularly difficult because I haven't been to yoga in a couple months. I love hot yoga, and loved going to Bikram and Moksha when I lived in Edmonton. But I never tried hot POWER yoga until I moved to Boston. I went to my first class of power yoga back in September and immediately loved it. But when they say POWER they mean it. It is one heck of a work out. It's almost impossible to keep up during your first class. I don't think I've ever done so many sun salutations in sequence in my life!
So in summary my class today was good, but it kicked my butt!
Since I moved to Boston, I've tried out a few different yoga studios. The first studio I tried was in Boston, let's call it "Yoga 1" (I won't name names). It was quite large; they have several yoga rooms within the studio and offer a variety of classes. They have large change rooms and the price is competitive. I enjoyed my first class at this studio; however, I found it wasn't hot enough for me. I like it tropical! I bought a pass for five classes on groupon, so I will be going back for more. They also offer a yoga to music class and an arm balances and inversions class that I would like to try.
I've also gone to several classes at another yoga studio in Cambridge, "Yoga 2". They offer hot power yoga. They also have a variety of classes and the temperature is tropical! (Just the way I like it). The studio is a decent size with two yoga rooms, but not as large as Yoga 1. However, there were two things that I did not care for:
1. They did not have change rooms, only a couple washrooms with showers. When I finish my practice, I'm sweaty and I want to change, but I don't want to wait for a washroom to free up. It's nice to just have a big change room.
2. Talking in the yoga room before class is acceptable. What??? Every hot yoga class I've ever attended has been very particular about NOT talking once you're in the room...and I like this rule. Before my practice I like to lie on my mat, meditate, and stretch. I want to be in the moment, acclimatize to the heat, relax, and mentally prepare myself for the class. When people around me are gossiping and talking loudly it really takes away from the experience. I found this to be really distracting!!
"Yoga 3" is the studio I went to today and is the same company as Yoga 2. However, it is in a city that is closer to where we live. It's also on my way home from work, which makes it very attractive. It's in a quiet area where there is plenty of parking unlike, Yoga 1 and 2. The studio is roughly the same size as Yoga 2, maybe slightly smaller. However, it has sky lights, which lets in a lot of light. The temperature is great, the teacher was fantastic, and the only talking was faint whispering (but maybe I was just lucky this time around). The only downfall....it doesn't have change rooms, only a couple washrooms.
If I could combine all three of these yoga studios I would be SET! But since that is not possible, I think I will use Yoga 3 as my main source to stretch and sweat it out. It's the most convenient, since it is on my way home from work. I will most likely go to Yoga 1 on weekends, when I have more time to take the train into Boston. I'm also going to check out some of the local Bikram studios, but from what I've been reading I think they all still have that horrible thin smelly carpet that I despise. So I guess I'm still out the lookout for that "perfect" studio.
So after my yoga bliss this morning, I came home and made myself a yummy smoothie with milk, OJ, a little bit of protein powder, frozen peaches, mangoes, strawberries, and raspberries. It was awesome! I drank it while reading the latest issue of Popular Photography magazine.
For dinner we made whole wheat linguine in a spicy tomato basil sauce with shrimp, squid, and mussels and salad on the side....and a glass of wine :)
I'd say it was a pretty good day :)
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