Heart And Soul

More than 130 people fought through slush, left over from a passing storm, to attend a free Yoga session on Wednesday night. The draw? A chance to practice inside one of the rooms at Casa Loma, a turn-of-the-century medieval-esque mansion. After dropping off our jackets and boots, we set up our mats in the Library, a huge room with book shelves behind glass panels, and a white, intricately detailed ceiling.

Even with the space, the large number of people meant we were squeezed mat to mat. Two instructors led us through an hour of a simple class: sun salutions and hip-opening asanas, some twists, and a few standing balances. The crowd was mostly of the "yoga as exercise" type. It was fun to practice in such an unusual place. Afterwards, there was a chocolate fountain for those who wanted to indulge.

The other draw for this class, at least for me, was live music played by Tanika Charles and the Wonderfuls. It was a bit strange but interesting to do yoga while listening to funky soul music. Everyone had a great laugh when, near the end, we laid on our back in "happy baby pose" facing the band. As a nod to the occasion, during the start and end of class, the Wonderfuls improvised atmospheric, soothing soundtracks for our practice.