Hot Yoga: The Sweaty Truth

Orange County, California is not generally viewed as a center of transcendent thought. There exists an exaggerated perception that women at Fashion Island spend more money on accessories for their teacup Chihuahuas than most families spend on their yearly food budgets. However, if there's one thing that OC natives believe in more than their tall, non-fat, no whip, two pump mocha Frappuccinos; it's exercise.

Hot Yoga, a growing trend among exercise aficionados, is an experience that opens your mind to the spiritual and the disgusting.

At the beginning of your class you'll be invited to lay your mat down next to a stranger. If your instructor is more crunchy-granola than most, you'll be asked to introduce yourself to the person you'll be "sharing your space with," for the remainder of the practice.

It's already hot in the room even before you start moving. The puddles you noticed on the floor when you walked in are described as the "spilled energy," from the previous class. Your eyebrows have filled with sweat and the person next to you is permanently crouched in child's pose, breathing deeply and waiting for the class to end. When you look up to make your graceful exit from this temple of body odor and steam, you realize with horror that the mats have taken up every inch of space leaving no way out. Panic sets in.

Then something beautiful happens.

The combination of deep breathing and motion creates a sort of barrier against the unpleasant smells. The sweat that had so offended you now drips innocuously down your back like an offering to the earth below. Every uncomfortable thought that had crossed your mind dissolves into the vapor that now hangs in the air. You move through the poses with calm acceptance and breathe with the knowledge that every move strengthens and every drop of sweat cleanses.

As you lie in final shavasana (dead man's pose) you accept the gritty, unsavory pieces of your life and celebrate that which unites us all.

Then you bow, utter the final Namaste and exit the room with confidence, appreciating the simplicity of the practice...and of course, trying not to slip on your way out.