Well, hot damn. Last night I tried hot yoga.

After hearing its praises from relatively sane individuals, and discovering that a studio near my apartment offers a $10 intro class, I decided to give one of these steamy classes a whirl. I've done not-hot yoga before, which I really liked, but it's been ages since I've taken a formal "gym" class of any sort.

The studio employees were extremely helpful, and encouraging. I sort of expected a bit of gym-snootery, but everyone, teachers and students alike, was very nice, calm, and cheerful. I wondered, is it the yoga, or is it heat-induced delirium?

During the class, I kept one goal in mind: don't pass out. Not only did I manage to stay conscious in the 105 degree heat, but I also got a great workout. Though it was a little creepy to sweat buckets, from areas of my body like, say, my shins. Especially after recovering from mild dehydration a little over a week ago (that fact only occurred to me halfway through the class... oops.)

All in all, I felt great healthy-happy feelings after my class, so I do plan on trying it again. However, one somewhat disturbing after-effect was that I couldn't even finish my glass of chardonnay after dinner later that night. Is there some sort of hot yoga/alcohol contraindication? I certainly hope not, as I've got some wining/dining plans this evening...