The Onion is ripe with yoga statistics today:
Doubly funny because both of my regular instructors are guys, and I’ve yet to get so much as a date (with a woman) out of class.
After dropping in for a vinyasa class at Yoga in the Pearl, I wandered the Pearl neighborhood and came across Powell’s Technical Books. This branch of Portland institution Powell’s books has all the obscure technical books you’d expect to find in a musty professor’s office, and even captures some of the smell. Along the wall, they had their own “dead tech” collection of old computers. A few other friendly by-the-geeks, for-the-geeks amenities: free wifi and a fee-free ATM.
Walking over to the bus stop, I tripped over another fountain in the shadow of the tall US Bancorp tower. The metal Lee Kelly fountain also made a ready playground for at least one skateboarder.
I had a great time at an acroyoga workshop last night. You really have to see the pictures on thier site to get an appreciation for what it entails, but it’s a lot of fun to actually do. One of the things that always brings a smile to my face in yoga is playing around with new positions and realizing how many interesting shapes the body is capable of making. This took that to another level, adding the complimentary shapes of another person, or two, or twenty!
That’s the other big attraction; being able to work with other people. While yoga is often a syncronized group activity, it often feels like a solo pursuit. Moving in concert with someone else really adds a human touch, and creates some powerful stretches and blissful moments. The instructors created a great environment and were beautiful to watch as they demonstrated each maneuver.
I had a good yoga session tonight 
I got enough of a handle on the physics of some new poses to get back to the breathing and mind-soothing benefits of practice. A few weeks ago, I switched from static cold yoga to flowing hot yoga. My body’s been trying to assimilate the new rhythms, and it’s beginning to get there; I even managed to get an interesting new bind tonight.
The Wall Street Journal regularly interviews high-powered people to ask about their workout routines. This week was Hollywood producer Peter Gruber, who has this to say about yoga:
“To me yoga is some stretching but also it’s letting go of all else in your mind when you’re doing it. It’s like sex without a partner.”
I’d like to know what poses he’s doing!
del.icio.us/mbotos