Journey home and hoosier yoga

On the last step of our journey,I found myself visiting old friends from high school that live in Carmel, Indiana.  There is a hot yoga place in Carmel called The Yoga Center www.htlyoga.com.  They have a very interesting philosophy rather different from many places I have been.  The classes are various with different lengths, types and temperatures.  They have lower temperature classes as well as higher temperature. They returned to the methods I am used to of synthetic flooring and overhead heat blowers.

The instructor this morning, Stacy, indicated that each instructor gets to shape their class how they like. Different postures and no set script allow each instructor to shape the class as they feel their students need.  They also have free flow time in some classes where the instructor will build a flow routine, have everyone do it and then let people flow naturally thought those poses or others that they wish to do.  

My dear friend Mary decided to try the class with me.  We did an hour long slow flow.  The temperature in that class was between 85 and 95 degrees, however I feel it was closer to the lower end.  There were some new positions that I had not tried before, or were not included in my normal routine.  I managed to build up a good sweat, even though the room was a lot cooler then I am used to.  I found myself using many of the modification I have build up in my tool box over these last few months.  

For my friend Mary, this was her first class. Mary, in her early 50's, is extremely healthy and at times in her life has been ridiculously fit.  She is the kind of lady that is beautiful inside and out. After having a child in her late 40's, and moving from Cali to Indiana, she has had a hard time finding a workout that fits into her extremely busy new life.  She loved the hot yoga and has committed to giving this a good try.  She did a fantastic job on the class making it through the entire thing even though it had been years since she has been on a yoga mat.   

One other big difference in this location is, there are no mirrors.  Yes, you read that correctly.  No mirrors. OK, I have to say at first this set me off, not sure how I was going to balance with absolutely no reflection.   But then I did the class.  It forces you to focus inward the entire time.  The instructor encouraged you to close your eyes at times thus increasing that inward journey.  The feeling of that process went well with the aura of this yoga studio.  This also allowed the instructor to change the orientation of the class to face any of the four directions.  

The feeling of this studio and this particular lower temperature class felt like a hybrid between hot and traditional methods.   I am sure, if I had more time there and had a chance to do the hotter class, and many of their other selections, I would have had a more rounded opinion of their offerings.  I am very excited to hear from my friend as she ventures on her journey through hot yoga and all it's healing potential. I will keep you posted.