"Don't let me lead you anywhere you don't want to go," Michelle Pugh of Joonbug Yoga instructed. Wise words to listen to whether on a Yoga mat or not, but I definitely wanted to go there. My body was thoroughly saturated with the warmth of the room (I noticed the heater with glowing red indicators stating 86 degrees), and I had come to explore in my practice. The Salmon Center seemed like the right place to do just that.

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I'd visited The Salmon Center before, walking the wetlands with friends, another time getting a tour with one of my sons and his Cub Scouts troop. I knew Yoga had recently begun to be offered, but couldn't quite envision where this Yoga took place, or how they got it hot enough for such a class. Although I think another class offered may be held in another space at the center, this community room was front and center, and buzzing with energy (we later learned 30 kids had been there earlier for their day camp).

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I find challenging the idea of things to be amusing at times. This space might challenge ones' preconceived notions. There's not some of the 'usuals' you come to expect (although you should never 'expect') when you visit the amount of studios I do. There's no Sanskrit or Yogic mantras displayed, no props in cubbies, no gongs or Nag Champa filling the air. There's no malas being sold by a register, or any Yoga propaganda anywhere for that matter. But what IS there is a refreshing reminder that all those additives are not, in fact, Yoga.

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The asana (postural) practice of Yoga is essentially only a PART of Yoga as a means to move energy, clear the mind and relieve bodily ailments in order to be able to sit in meditation with less than the usual amount of bodily and mental distraction.

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This class touched on all of that. Energy in my body was surged and expressed. I had no time to be distracted as I listened to the clear, kind and sweet nature of Michelle's instruction. And whatever was a bit out of whack in my body before class was certainly no longer when class ended. I discovered postures I don't normally hold and journeyed through a sequence that is not my own - a common side effect as a Yoga teacher myself. This was similar to Bikram in its postures, yet not in the pre-set and determined fashion you typically find in HOT Yoga.

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We were all somehow on a shared AND an individual island at the same time. We sweat to the same heat, moved in a unified form - yet unique in our own bodies, and we listened together. We inhaled and exhaled as one pair of lungs and felt the intensity as well as the relief as a unit. The magic of a Yoga class is in its presence of practice, and there's no gettting away from that. The daylight-lit room soon settled down as we took svasana, and the only music played during the class began to float around in a serene wave. To put it simply, I recommend this class to any one, of any age and/or experience, who is willing to set their 'stuff' down for an hour and be led to a higher state.

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The Salmon Center offers Divinity Yoga with Janice 11am-12pm and Hot Yoga with Michelle 6-7pm, both on Wednesdays (HOT Yoga is also a drop-in class priced at $12 if you're not up to the 8-week commitment - check with the Center regarding Divinity Yoga w/ Janice). A portion of the proceeds of the classes go towards helping to fund the youth summer programs for local youth!

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For more information, visit The Salmon Center's website at http://pnwsalmoncenter.org/

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To see all that Joonbug Yoga offers, head to the website and Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/JoonbugYoga/ and https://www.facebook.com/JoonbugYoga/

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Namaste, Yogis!