I live in a pretty small town, connected to two other small towns.  We have our flag waving Tea Partiers, and our Bay Area Back-to-the-Landers, like me.  So I am always happily surprised to rediscover how many yoga studios there are here.  So my plan is to swap childcare with a girlfriend and visit each studio in town and write about it, Julie Powell style.

I’m going to start with Dragonfly, my local studio, where I was lucky enough to do a stint teaching.  The studio suits the neighborhood: it is quiet, comfortable with an emphasis on relaxation.  Penn Valley is primarily a retirement community, so Dragonfly brings in old bodies with a young appetite for trying something new.  They have intimate events like mediation and music.  Bonnie Murphy, who is co-owner of the studio, offers a donation based class to Veterans in the area.

Dragonfly is a really good place to get your yogic feet wet.  If you want to try something new but are a little intimidated by visions of skinny little indian men in the shape of a pretzel, then this is the studio for you.  No one is going to hurt you or make you do something your body isn’t prepared to do.  And you will be surprised by what you can do in the course of one hour.