My Husband's First Yoga Class - Yoga Vida Downtown Austin

Last night was "date night" and we started out at Yoga Vida downtown Austin where my husband attended his first ever yoga class... and it was awesome. Yoga Vida teaches vinyasa hatha flow (something-or-other-i-am-not-a-yoga-expert) style yoga classes and they heat the room to just under 90 degrees... but on a hot day like yesterday, it was probably even hotter than that.

I planned in advance and brought towels for my novice yogi hubs... but I had forgotten just how much he sweats when he exercises (yes, it's rather gross). The dainty hand towel I had brought him did little to mop up the large beads of sweat continuously pouring onto his mat. In spite of his sliding all over his mat (unable to get traction because of the pools of sweat), he dug in, persevered, and embraced the class. He twisted. He reached. He held the pose (bent knees and all). I must admit, I was impressed. A lesser man would have crumbled into child's pose and called it a day. Most impressive was that after the class... he even said he felt "terrific".

If you haven't tried the new downtown Austin yoga studio at Yoga Vida (located at 7th and West, ample parking in back) -- you should. It's one of my new favorite things in downtown. It's a very serene, beautiful environment (feels and looks like a spa) and the instructors are all good (although some are definitely better than others). I love the 60 minute noon classes... it's a great break in the middle of your day. They also have a shower equipped with yummy Aveda shower gel so that you can rinse off before you head back to work.

My husband and I followed up the yoga class with dinner at the Clay Pit where, oddly enough, we sat at the table next to Kinky Friedman and his lady friend. ... which is the 2nd time I have dined next to Kinky Friedman in the past 2 months. (weird. no?)