things to do in gander: hot yoga

the first yoga studio in gander opened up last week. i was so excited to check it out. for me, hot yoga is like a beach vacation. i can relax, and i come out seriously rejuvenated. many of their classes fall during regular work hours (maybe catering to shift workers or stay-at-home-moms?), but there is a karma hot yoga class on saturdays. i went yesterday. i must say, my expectations were low. but i was happily surprised!

(relaxed and happy)

i arrived early, since i figured it would be busy. it totally was busy. there were probably 35 people there, which is pretty good for a small town like this. the first thing i noticed when i walked in was how loud it was. everybody was chatting, standing up, walking in and out of the hot room. every hot yoga class i have ever been to is very calm and quiet before class.

the class itself was good. her instructions were good, and she did her best to make corrections. i'd say 80% of the people in the class had never been to a hot yoga class. people were all over the place, and very few people were holding the poses. some people ended up just chilling through the class. at the end of the class, the instructor released us, and the whole class starting applauding, which is something i have never seen in a hot yoga class either. then everyone started chatting again. no chance to relax after the class. the room never got as hot as i remember from past classes, but it was warm enough that it felt good.

i think it is really cool that so many people who had never done hot yoga before gave it a try. i like the idea of the class sort of growing and getting better together. i bet a year from now, the hot yoga will be awesome. i'll definitely be back whenever i can.