This week has been a whirlwind of activity and fitness-wise and otherwise. I did yoga for the first time in a long time last weekend at Breakfast Yoga Club’s September event (see blog post!) and lawd did I feel it in my hamstrings after a nice splits session. Clearly, this was my body telling me I need to get away from my desk and get back on a mat. So I signed up for a class at BIG Power Yoga on Waugh the following Friday.

I’ve previously been to a few BIG Power Yoga classes, one at the Memorial location (see blog post!) and one on a paddleboard (OMG seriously the coolest – see blog post!), but never at the Waugh location so I was excited to try it out! The studio is located at the corner of Waugh and Allen Parkway (kind of by the Whole Foods in Montrose). I’ve seen the logo on the side of the building a million times, but honestly it was a little hard to find the door to the building (it’s facing Allen Parkway if you’re wondering). And even harder to find parking. 90% sure I left my car in a place that might have gotten towed. Oops. For those of you looking to still have your car intact after class, be sure to park on Rosine Street (the first street west of Waugh) between D’Amico Street and Allen Parkway. The lot is directly across the street from Stages Repertory Theatre. Just don’t park in any “reserved” spaces to prevent your car from being towed. If it’s your first time coming to class, give yourself some extra time in order to find a space.

Studio shares a building with some other businesses and the studios are split between the first and second floor. The class I took was on the second floor with views that look into tall crepe myrtle trees and into Buffalo Bayou. Doing tree pose while looking out into the trees was delightful.

The class I attended was an hour long “hot” yoga class with Marijke. The room was certainly heated and I probably had a little sweat going on before the class had even started. I was definitely glad to have brought my yoga mat towel as well as a little hand towel. One thing I challenge myself not to do during a hot yoga class like this is to wipe the sweat off. It’s hard because sometimes that’s an instinctual habit that makes me feel more “comfortable.” But yoga is all about mindfulness. By recognizing that I’m hot/sweaty and consciously acknowledging that adds another level of depth to my practice. I will, however, concede every once in a while and use the towel in preparation for an arm balance though. Safety counts for something!

The class was a pretty traditional sequence of poses. We warmed up with sun salutation A and B. Mixed in some triangle poses and half moons and twists. Added in a touch of balancing (including a partner tree pose!). Ended with some core poses, a supine twist and backstretches and then SAVASANA. Despite the fairly basic line up of poses, my legs were definitely shaking at some parts — definitely a combination of not having done yoga in a few weeks + attending an OrangeTheory Fitness class during lunch (see blog post about surviving OTF). I probably needed a restorative class more than a vigorous one…

So obsessed with my Varley Leggings

The class ran over a bit, but I wasn’t mad in the slightest because they came and put cool eucalyptus towels over our eyes. SO DANG REFRESHING. Also a super trendy thing that I’ve seen recently in fitness classes (see 5 other trends blog post). This towel was totally worthy of sweat-wiping at the end of class!