This is a bonus post, since I now have some Dirty Yoga to report:

My first real day of practicing Dirty Yoga happened on one of the worst days possible. Namely, it has been unbelievably gorgeous here in Seattle, and I really wanted to be outside. Unfortunately, my flat is anything but – we’re located on a hill worthy of San Francisco, so level places to lay out my mat were not very prevalent.

I settled for opening the back door and singing “Aquarius” (Leeeeeettttt the Sunshiiiine…Leeetttttt the Sun. Shine. In.). And then I went to work.

Most of the beginning went fine – I was very mindful of Jess’s email, and tried to make sure my face wasn’t contorting, etc. I’m not sure I actually tried any less to get my body into the poses (variations rooted in a plank-downward dog-upward dog asana, in case you’re wondering) but I did try to keep my face calm and serene. When I did find myself at one point making a face, it was a good cue to check my body and pull back a little.

The session lasts about 35 minutes, and is divided into roughly four equal parts. In between each part is an “inspirational” quotation (like “Sleep is the best meditation“). But there’s no music, no beaches, no gongs – just Jess, in shorts and a t-shirt, showing how to do the poses.

The main problem for me and my umbilical hernia seems to be the “twist” section of the workout. However, again, I was mindful of his words, and instead of putting my elbow on the outside of my knee and forcing my body to turn, I just…turned. And that seemed to be enough.

I did have a minor technical difficulty, in that the video suddenly quit just before I did the last sequence of twist poses. It may have just been my iPhone browser. I was able to log back on and fast-forward to the proper part fairly quickly, though. It is really nice to have the clear voice and high-contrast video on the iPhone, though, because it makes for an easy way to put the image of the instructor somewhere you can see it, even while in the poses.

One day done!