Yoga Nights

Most nights, I'm the only guy in the Uttara yoga studio, which means I'm pretty taciturn, and must - as a result - look lost because I'm often asked how I am or if there's anything I need.

The studio is on the second story of a building downtown that used to be a loft apartment, with sturdy wooden floors, spacious rooms, and a nice view of downtown through huge windows. It's candlelit most nights, though there's sometimes a soft glow from low-lit lamps.

The lounge area looks straight out of India, or at least what I have in my head as India, since I've never been there. Pillow seats surround a low table; there are lots of deep oranges and reds. No one seems to linger much in the lounge, though - probably because the classes are stacked and while you're leaving your class often there's another group trickling in, and you immediately get the feeling that hanging around and talking would be rude.

Tonight, I go for what's called Integral Yoga, which is more meditative than other kinds, though I'm still sometimes sore the next day. The kinda sore you get when you helped a friend move or played too much Wii bowling: a mild ache of secondary muscles that are typically the couch potatoes of my everyday locomotion.

I'm pretty bad at yoga in general. That's not to say I'm not flexible, but in many of the poses I look a lot more like the Karate Kid than Mr. Miyagi, since it's all about balance.

Of course, you have to be flexible in another way, too, so I found out when we began chanting. Okay, so I've never chanted outside of the shower before, but it really added to the whole experience, and I'm open to new things.

By the time our hour and fifteen minute session was coming to a close with a relaxation breathing exercise while lying prone, I sorta fell asleep. My wife lightly brushed her hand on my arm and I came to, hoping I hadn't been snoring.

So if you're up for a totally different kind of exercise, and you despise running as much as I do, give yoga a try. They have lots of different kinds, a variety of times, and good parking (which says a lot considering it's downtown Roanoke).