I had my hottest date yet today at Tapna Yoga on Pine Street, where the Bikram studio is a toasty 105 degrees. In fact, the heat caused my phone to shut down before I could take a picture of the sweatfest — hence the exterior photo.

I dressed to impress. That is, I finally retired the cotton top I’d worn all week trying out yoga studios. (To anyone about to excoriate me in the comments section, I already know this is gross.)

Tapna smells like incense, in a nice and not cloying way. The no-frills studio has two mirrored walls, which quickly dispelled any illusions I might have harbored about how graceful I looked in standing bow pose. I run 50 miles a week, but, compared to some of the lean, older women, I looked like a corpulent sloth.



Ten minutes into the 90-minute class, I didn’t care. The heat was blissfully mind-numbing. For the first time this week, I stopped second-guessing my stances and worrying about work deadlines. Just staying upright was enough to hold my focus.

The instructor, Kelley, who opened the studio in 2001, talked us through the 26 postures with the fluidity of a flight attendant reciting a safety routine. Except that she was enthusiastic and seemed to genuinely care about our wellbeing.
We did each posture twice in a row, which was nice because, on the second time around, I could sometimes attain modest improvement.

Kelley had an endearing habit of referring to the ladies in class as “Miss,” followed by their first name.” Impressively, she must have remembered mine from the liability form I’d filled out before class. Occasionally, she explained how a particular posture would benefit a specific internal organ.

After just one class, I can’t say I’ve noticed any changes in my colon or kidneys, but my muscles and joints feel pretty good.

No orange-scented towels this time, but Tapna does provide showers, for which I’m sure my coworkers were grateful when I returned to the office.

Vermont Yoga Week runs through February 28. Find out more here.