A noodle kind of weekend

Les Leventhal came to Darling Yoga this weekend. And I was lucky enough to take three of his workshop sessions, starting with Friday night candlelight vinyasa class where I sweated like I didn't know I could. It was amazing, hard, and so much fun. Today, I went to two session: hips and twists, and yoga and recovery. There was more sweating in the first class with pretzel poses that look like fun, and maybe someday I'll get to do, but instead, I just savored what I could do and kept up with my breathing. In the second class, I decided I needed some restoration after such intensity that I'm not quite used to. Although I've made much inroads into my daily practice (yes, I go to yoga daily) in the 7 months that I've been practicing at Darling, I still have miles to go in my strength.

This evening I went to dinner at Blue Koi with some yogis who also went to the workshop, Les, and owners Emily and Victor. I think the highlight was seeing people you've only seen in one environment, and in a certain kind of clothes, in a relaxed, yoga-free atmosphere and street clothes. I was lucky enough to sit by the star, Les, and chat with him throughout dinner about his life and his yoga path.

I'm still really new and young to the yoga crowd, so it was interesting to hear the yogis around the table talk, find out what they eat, and hear insight into their daily lives beyond the mat. I ordered tofu (when in Rome) with a black bean sauce and brown rice. Although I've had tofu before, it's not something that's part of my daily diet. It might be after this. It was so yummy!

If you're ever in San Francisco and want to go to a yoga class taught by a teacher who knows how to embrace the power of yoga while still infusing it with a sense of humor and lightness, look up Les. Or better yet, come take his workshop when he's in town again.

Now I need to get some hand yoga done. My knitting seriously needs some attention.