2. Free Yoga at Runyon Canyon

I used to do yoga pretty often. I guess, you could have called me a Yogi. I did it for about a year, approximately three times a week. But this was almost seven years ago...I stopped doing yoga because during most work outs or exercise I tend to get bored. Yoga, though very challenging, became unexciting for me because it was so stationary. I started trying yoga classes that moved at a faster pace and to hip hop music, and this entertained me more, but after a while, the dance like movements and the at peace feeling I got just faded.

I have been wanting to get back into yoga for a few years now. What I miss most is the feeling of being at-one with your body, and really taking that time, that hour or so, out of the day to breathe and stretch. When I was hiking Runyon canyon, I saw signs for free yoga, and I thought outdoor yoga might be even more invigorating since it's breathing and stretching...but in NATURE.

Today, I finally went. I decided to go to the 6 PM class so I wouldn't be sweating in the hot sun...turns out it might have been okay to go earlier. When I first got there, I really had to go to the bathroom. I then realized, there weren't any bathrooms, not even a port-a-potty. I scoured the lands, searching for a pop-a-squat worthy zone, for 30 minutes before the class started, but every area was populated by people. Finally, once the teacher, Patricia, arrived, I asked where to go. She pointed over to an area of trees (right next to an apartment building, and only a vine-covered gate away from the grassy area where the class took place) and handed me some tissues. I thanked her, ran over, "went peepee" as I used to say, and came back. I'm not ashamed to talk about this on a public forum, because I think not having an actual bathroom anywhere, is kind of an issue. So, forewarning, if you take one of these classes, go to the bathroom BEFORE.

As for the actual class, it was very much a mixture of relaxing/stretchy yoga and harder yoga. I didn't sweat much, but I'll probably (hopefully) be sore tomorrow. There are different teachers for each class, so maybe other teachers are harder...some maybe even easier. There were about fifteen people there, so it was a good small amount, and we were spread on a grassy area. Unfortunately for me, my mat was on an uneven part of the grass, and it was hard to do some of the poses properly and stay aligned and in balance. The grass was also covered in gopher holes. One gopher popped out to say hello during Downward Dog. Needless to say, this shocked the poor girl whose hand was near the hole...not very relaxing, but pretty darn cute. Another detrimental aspect, I'm a bit ashamed to admit, was the fact that there were a lot of flies and ants that kept flying near me or crawling on me, and it did distract me. Now, some more one-with-nature type people might not be bothered by a few critters here and there...but it made it hard for me to focus on the movement.

What I did like was simply being outdoors while practicing yoga. Most of our lives consist of being inside four walls, and it's very important to me to be outside for at least one hour a day. This activity combined exercise, some de-stressing, and my outdoor moment all in one. So I liked that. Patricia had a very soothing voice that resonated over some of the louder hikers that were jogging by and she showed different variations of poses for varying levels. My favorite part, as usual, was Shavasana (the part where you lie on your back and basically nap), and it was even nicer to do it outside with the wind blowing through my hair and lightly on my face and the birds softly chirping. It did get a bit chilly towards the end though, so I'd recommend bringing a sweatshirt to the evening classes.

All and all it was a positive experience. I would go again, with the knowledge that I have gained from this first time, but I'm also not rushing to go back.

To learn more and get a schedule go to the Runyon Canyon Yoga facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Runyon-Canyon-YOGA/128176273877039