Running to Yoga

Over the last month, I've been trying to use up the remainder of my class package at Yoga Studio #1. As I had blogged about a few months ago, getting to Yoga Studio #1 is a bit of a challenge.

YS1 is a nice place. If  lived or worked closer to it, I'd be a frequent practitioner there.

Lately, I've been trying to squeeze in a yoga session during lunch. YS1 offers hour long classes at noon which works nicely. Now to getting there. Here's where it's truly faster to ride a bike or run.

Case in point:

To arrive to YS1 about five minutes before class starts, I'd need to board a bus at 11:30. Even though YS1 is just a mile and a half from work.

We had a few beautiful days last week. It was on one of these days that I planned to go to the studio. After looking out my office window and seeing people walking around without a coat or a cloud in the sky, I decided to adjust my yoga transportation strategy.

I would run there.

This makes so much more sense. Why haven't I done this before?

I left work with just my clothes on my back, my work ID and my phone.

I estimated 20 minutes would be plenty of time to go a mile and a half at an easy pace, even if I stopped at every stop light.

I arrived at YS1 with a few minutes to spare. I left my phone, ID and long sleeved t-shirt in a cubby and grabbed a loaner mat.

I walked into the studio to see an instructor I'd had earlier that week. We had talked in class about the marathon. She remembered me. This made me feel better as, upon entrance in to her warm class, delayed sweat from running poured out of me and onto the mat.

While in downward dog during warm up, I looked down to see the loaner Lulu mat was not going to be up to the task of staying a viable yoga mat. Instead, rather quickly, it was becoming a slip and slide.

As we moved through practice, I thought about how truly amazing my new mat, called 'The Mat' from Lululemon is. It's made to handle big yoga sweaters like me.  I also was making an effort to not be obnoxious on the slip and slide.

As we jumped out of downward facing dog to the front of the mat at our hands, the sound of feet slipping on rubber was apparent each time as we moved through sun salutations.

A quick survey of the other women in the room showed that none of them were breaking a sweat. Yet here I was, looking like I just came out of a sauna.

As practice progressed, we moved into balancing positions. I stepped off the slip and slide for that.

Then into seated positions for ab work and binding. Maybe now I would finally stop sweating.

Nah.

As I laid on the mat in final relaxation pose, I felt sweat running down my face from my temples.

Practice concluded. We picked up our mats and props and headed out of the studio. The instructor wished me luck on the race. I wished luck for the future of loaner mat. That poor thing got more than it was bargaining for that afternoon.