Equi-knots

I'm doing my one-week trial at Equinox (the third gym on my shopping list) and I am in LOVE. Sunday, I ran a quick warm-up mile on a nice video screen treadmill, then went down to the lap pool for a swim. It was a sad narrow little three-lane pool, but for Manhattan standards, I suppose quite reasonable. Considering Equinox's high standard of cleanliness, the pool was cloudy and needed to be backwashed. (I know this because I used to be a lifeguard!) One of the people there told me I should do their swim team. Unfortunately, I have some dinners/outings scheduled this Tuesday and Thursday, so I don't know if I'll have a chance to check it out.

Yesterday I experienced New York yoga at the Equinox level. People are SO good at yoga in New York. I'm used to my family YMCA, where child's pose is part of every flow, and my yoga instructor would say things like "You know, downward dog is really supposed to be a resting pose..." as people would go into child's pose after the strain of thirty seconds of down dog. I don't know what I would have done if I started yoga in a New York environment. Probably get better faster since I would have had no choice, but seriously, all those modifications at the family Y really helped!

I tried to do a headstand for maybe the second time in my life, and actually flipped over. I was really inspired by the yoga instructor and her "embrace your fear" speech, so at least now I know what it's like to flip over and make a loud thud in a quiet yoga class.

Yoga instructors are THE BEST. I've had many in my time, and they are the kookiest bunch of people I have ever met. I almost burst out laughing with all of this woman's new age stuff she was busting out, thinking it sounded like the dialogue of a Will Ferrell parody. She was one of the fortysomething type, slightly overweight but able to bust out moves like crow.

A shout out to my other two favorite instructors
Shannon: petite woman with a Mia Farrow haircut, soft-spoken in her Namastes
Rene: thirties, gay, planning a yoga trip to India, also known for his role as an instructor of the senior citizen "seated fitness" class. I loved doing sun salutations with him.

Enough with yoga, time to finish work before I go out and gorge myself on BBQ at Blue Smoke tonight...