All Hot And Limbered Up

The SMS read 'we're doing yoga on tuesday'. I was intrigued. I thought this group of people I hung out with just ate and shopped. But no, this was physical activity they wanted to partake upon. Perhaps we have moved to the stage where we are comfortable seeing each other contort and perspire.

So I sent an SMS to the organiser, Jo, who went on to tell me there was place for one more at $17 a trial at Telok Ayer. Having heard so much (maybe too much. I know 2 full fledged yoga instructors as well as others who have been mystified by the spell cast by ancient Indian stretching exercises) about how good it would be for my back, I affirmed my commitment to lesson number one.

An hour before meeting Jo, I asked her the name of the yoga studio. Absolute Yoga she replied, with a joke reference to exercise and vodka. When the site loaded, its deep red background grabbed my initial attention followed very quickly and distressfully at the words 'Hot Yoga Studios'. Alrighty then. I didn't know I would be thrown into a 40-degree room to swim in my sweat for 90 mins. I guess there's a first time for everything.

So I felt like I would die. My skin wanted to leave my body. No matter how many breaths I took my lungs simply didn't seem satiated. Yes, hot yoga is no joke. I liken it to running (not jogging) at noon in Baghdad.

Our instructor was Andrea. She was nice and had amazing skin (the girls noticed). She told us all she wanted us beginners to do was focus on our breathing and get used to the temperature. She was right, the heat took getting used to. We did many poses, some doable, other less so. I gave up twice and just lay down on my back. "Rest is ok, rest is important," instructed Andrea. "Knowing when you need to rest is as important as doing the poses." Hey that's nice and encouraging.

Towards the end, I gave up and focused on breathing. I noticed when the hot breeze diminished. It made me glad. I started to venture in and out of sleep, would you believe it. Or was I passing out. I didn't know.

Soon we all on our backs, and the hot breeze stopped. We were all cooling down. Thank goodness I was thinking. Later, we all described our individual tortures over a spot of dinner.

I know it all sounds extremely painful and negative. But at the end of it all, I felt like I went through hell and got out alive. And all that sweat. I had never been this wet since someone pushed me into the pool with my clothes on. I felt cleansed somewhat. Purged, detoxed, poisons expunged, that sort of thing. Andrea talked to us after the class and said it was a good first attempt. That's probably why 3 out of 4 of us signed up for more classes. Yes me too. Who says guys can't commit?

Amos called Jo later and she told him that I signed up for more hot yoga. Amos said it should be easy for me because I am Indian. It is not true, ah.