bikram yoga, class 7 -- a new studio

the class package at the first studio i attended expired yesterday so today i drove at least twice as far to the second studio on my list of bikram studios to try out while i'm in austin. the first studio is called byd and is located just west of downtown austin. i had to drive within a stone's throw of the capital building and through the main tourist center of Austin, past the whole foods headquarters and then i was there at the heart of the city doing hot, sweaty yoga.

the new studio is out in strip mall world, i have to drive north of austin city center along two highways and into the land of strip malls and gas stations and concrete.

my first day at this new studio did not leave me with a good impression. but i will refrain from details until i've given it a little more of a chance.

the room was very very hot. maybe the closest to the 105* temperature i've ever been in a yoga room. i think even the byd studio didn't fully heat their rooms to the 105* temp even though it felt so much hotter than i was used to.

during the class, i was up against a wall in a crowded room, 3 rows back from the mirror and right next to the owner of the studio (i didn't find this out til later) whose dog sat right outside the door and stared at his owner throughout the class, sometimes barking to get his attention. the barking picked up as class drew to a close, as if the dog friend knew the timing and knew he was about to get more attention and the company of his owner very very soon.

the first 50 minutes of class are a series of standing postures that focus on balancing and strengthening the legs, core muscles, even the arms. usually this is the hardest part of the class for me but today i pushed hard during this first part and was able to maintain my balance so much better than at any time in the past week. my legs are getting stronger and i don't have to think about getting them in the right state of strength and solidity anymore -- "locked out, knee and thigh lifted, like a solid concrete lamp post -- you have no knee" -- they just go there automatically.

but by the time i got to the floor series, usually the strongest part of the class for me, i could barely stay in the room, let alone do the postures. i lay in savasana (corpse pose) for at least one quarter to one half of the floor series, trying not to get up and leave the room.

this is the closest i've come to ever leaving the room. i think i was dehydrated and didn't have enough water to get through the class. i drank 1 quart of water and a coconut water in the first 5 minutes after class.

all in all, a good class. i can feel my body getting stronger in certain ways and staying put in others. this is normal. i feel good.