Yoga Dog

There are times in my life when I see, read, or hear something that I make a mental note to remember and use later in life. For instance, when I was in middle school I started keeping a small journal of thoughts and ideas for future book and character ideas, jotting down such details, as inconsequential as they may have seemed at the time, as interesting last names, bad habits, or facial quirks for my future protagonists and antagonists.
Yesterday I had a similar ah-ha! moment before my Power Vinyasa class. At West Hartford Yoga there is a cute, little white dog named Ky who lounges around the studio lobby and back office. I always greet Ky, as I am not only a dog lover but I am sorely in need of canine love what with leaving my dogs back in California. Before entering class, Ky and I shared a moment-- I pet her until she literally melted in my lap and became as limp as a stuffed animal-- and then entered the studio to warm up.
Five minutes later, as I resting in shivasana, Ky ambled into the studio, sidling up to the nearest yoga for a pet! I don't know why the addition of a furry creature in my yoga class, stretching and resting on a mat like the rest of us, was such a wonderful occurrence for me, but it was at that moment that a. I fell in love with a dog (I should probably see a therapist for this) and b. I vowed, when I open my own studio or establish myself as a teacher at a studio, I must get a yoga dog as well! Of course, the only problem I foresee with this is people who are allergic to dogs, but I suppose if West Hartford Yoga can get away with it, then so can I!

Chudleigh, the "yoga dog" for a studio on the Big Island, Hawaii

Yoga dogs are awesome and I can't wait to have one of my own. However, I am never going to teach or understand these so-called crazy yoga classes for dogs.  And the scariest part is that this trend appears to be spreading throughout the world...

'S' is for 'Saturday' and 'Sinister Juice Bar'

I've been on a juicing binge lately, and, for the past three or so weeks it has been my habit to drink a tall glass of cold, live juice after my bikram class. Today, however, I thought I'd change things up a bit and alter routine...quite a lot.

Instead of heading to Bikram Yoga in Glastonbury for the noon class today, I decided to try out a new yoga studio, West Hartford Yoga, and to take a hot vinyasa class-- my first vinyasa (non-Birkam) yoga class in almost three months!!!

Stepping into the soothing, female empowering confines of the studio, I remembered why I used to love going to vinyasa yoga so much, but during class and after class, I remembered why I switched over to Bikram: I simply get a better workout that stretches, works, challenges, and detoxes my body far better than any other form of yoga. I also have to admit that it's hard to love something that you aren't good at. Although I have been practicing yoga for years, taking a three month hiatus on ashtanga/vinyasa style yoga has really taken its toll on my practice. It's quite bizarre when your body is so fit and competent at one form of excercise and yet completely inept at another.

After class, I decided to drive to a nearby raw food cafe and juice bar that I had read about on the internet rather than drive the 25 minutes home to juice, shower, and do homework. Let's just say, it was a bad decision.

Today's Bikram Yoga Class...

...smelled like pesto.

I guess that just goes to show you what kind of smell cramming thirty people in a 105 degree heated room will produce. Yum yum.

Not sure which I like more: the smell of sweaty 'pesto' pits or the pungent, extremely toxic carpet cleaner that they use to clean the floors with post-class.




VS.