This evening, I took in a class at Thrive Yoga with Marina. I usually don't go to this class because there's not enough time to make the commute home, change clothes and go to the studio. The class is at 6:30. This time, I ran out of the office at 5:40, 15-20 minutes before I usually leave, took the Metro to Rockville, had my wife pick me up at the station, changed into my yoga clothes while we were driving to the studio, and got to the class when it was already started. Late by five minutes. Luckily, I found an open spot by the window, which happens to be my preferred location — a wall to grab onto during balancing poses.

Marina leads a very creative class. The asanas and vinyasas are not that exotic, basically, a Flow I-II level, but she modifies and combines them in unique ways, seemingly improvising as she goes along. She's always asking you to play with the pose, make it your own, stretch it farther and breath deeper, without hurting yourself, of course. She frequently asks you to hold poses for what seems like an eternity. I had a hankering for a class that tested my edge, and Marina did just that.

There's a lot of energy at Thrive Yoga. You can feel it in the lobby and the studios. The 40-day Personal Revolution got underway today, and more than 50 people have signed up to participate. They will have to do six classes a week (three in the studio and the rest at home), daily meditation and group discussions. This regime is modeled after the Baron Baptiste yoga crucible method. I bought his book. I don't think I can join the venture because I just have too many other commitments this month.

On Mondays, I usually go to meditation class at Flow Yoga with my daughter Stephanie, but she is working in Las Vegas this week so I decided to do something different.

Labels: class