Saturday morning I took Basic Flow at Lotus House of Yoga, a new yoga studio in Omaha. The class description on their website reads:

Basic Flow
A class built for the beginners and brand new yogis! Learn the foundations of a healthy yoga practice that will energize the body and vitalize the mind.

The one thing they conveniently omitted from their website is that their classes are done in extremely warm rooms. I wasn’t prepared for how hot it was going to be.

How hot was it?

It was so hot, the thermostat in the hallway read 82 degrees — but the studio must have been in the triple digits.

It was so hot, my antiperspirant clumped into tiny white balls in my armpits, rendering itself ineffective.

It was so hot, my yoga mat felt like a Slip and Slide.

It was so hot, my eyelids were sweating.

It was so hot, my arm hair was frizzing.

Did I at least have a good workout? I don’t know. I was preoccupied with how hot I felt, worrying that I may pass out or — even worse — throw up. I had trouble keeping my balance because my hands and feet were slippery. I was concerned that the instructor would be grossed out by my slimy skin and foul body odor the two times she came over to adjust my positioning. Basically I was focusing on everything but being in the moment, which is one of the primary goals of yoga.

Thankfully, my body temperature began to return to normal during Savasana. I was not able to totally relax, but I did enjoy listening to the sounds of waves crashing and recalling a day I spent on Fire Island a couple of years ago when my feet were buried in the cool sand and a breeze filled my nostrils with the smell of salt water. Then I realized I was actually tasting the salt of my sweat as it dripped into my mouth.

Will I try another class at Lotus House of Yoga? Probably. I loved how clean and modern — yet simple — the studio looked and that they offered you a cup of cold cucumber-infused water before you left. And the owner, Mary Clare Sweet, with whom I spoke for a couple of minutes after the class, seems lovely. She even offered to email me with a list of guided meditation CDs that she recommends. But next time I attend a class I will be equipped with a towel (or two) and the knowledge that I am going to sweat my ass off.

(image source)