In January 2000 I had no boyfriend and no hobbies to speak of. (Besides spending too much time at the local pool joint, that is.) So when I started attending yoga classes at my gym, I really threw myself into it. I went two or three times a week and I made a lot of progress, fast.

Then it was June, and I moved, and I got a new boyfriend, and I didn't spend quite so much time practicing yoga. In early 2001 one of my teachers suggested I try his uncle's studio, Ashtanga Yoga Center. Two months later I cancelled my gym membership. I continued classes regularly, if not frequently, at AYC throughout 2001.

If I made New Year's Resolutions, one would be: go to AYC at least twice a week. Once a week, I'm not working out often enough to make any progress, so I get frustrated and am more likely to skip class. But at twice a week, the difference is tremendous. I feel strong; I am an active member of the studio. I am not as sore after the second class as I was after the first, and I'll be even less sore next week. Maybe in a few months I'll have the whole primary series down . . .