This is Bath --Sweat pours down my beetroot-tinted face as I lunge forward, twist my torso and press my palms together as if in prayer. I hold the stretch, breathe and feel a bit smug.
Apparently I'm doing a posture called Parivrtta Parsvakonasana, but all I can think is "Wow! I'm doing yoga. Me! A woman with all the bendiness of plywood."
Occasionally I also think "I hope I don't fall over and collapse in a sweaty puddle" and also "Blimey! It's hot in here". But mostly I'm in the zone.
In any case, Ed Wood, the yoga teacher, is not about to open a window and let the cool night air drift in from the Gloucester Road, because this is Yogafurie, his hot yoga studio in Bishopston. And seven highly efficient heaters are fixing the temperature at a sweltering 37 degrees celsius.
Hot yoga is... well... hot right now. The theory is that doing yoga in temperatures of up to 40C loosens the muscles, enabling people to feel more flexible, push themselves further and burn more calories than with regular yoga.
The jury is still out on the calorie-busting front. But while the fervour of hot yoga fans Gwyneth Paltrow and Madonna leaves me cold, who am I to argue with the man who won Wimbledon in July? Andy Murray credits hot yoga with his improved performance.
Yogafurie's fans say they have lost weight, become more flexible, lowered their stress levels and recovered from aches and pains.
But Ed, who founded the studio in January last year, is not pushy.
"Hot yoga works for me," he says. "But I would always encourage people to try other styles of yoga with and without heat so that they can find the right kind for them."
People will get the chance to do just that next weekend at the first ever Bristol Yoga Trail.
On Saturday, six venues will be throwing open their doors and inviting people to sample classes for free.
Whether you're a novice or a seasoned practitioner, this is your chance to explore six yoga spaces, try out various styles, meet the teachers and have a cup of tea and a biscuit. And if you collect a stamp from each of the six locations you'll get an extra free yoga class at your favourite centre.
Yoga emerged from an ancient Indian quest for peace and enlightenment, the realisation that we are not separate from other people and other things but all connected, and for a deep experience of this connection. If you've ever seen pictures of bendy people in impossible poses or tried only one class, you might have been unnecessarily put off.
But though all yoga styles emerged from this same quest, carried out through physical, mental and spiritual practice, the reality is that classes vary enormously.
They could be vigorous, fast-paced, slow, repetitive, varied, intense, easy, gentle or physically demanding with a greater or lesser emphasis on correct body positioning, breathing and meditation.
The common-or-garden yoga, suitable for everyone, is hatha, which is usually slow-paced and gentle with basic postures. You can try it at Bristol Yoga Space and Bristol City Yoga.
Yogawest, in Bishopston, specialises in Iyengar Yoga, which is known for correcting postural alignment.
Kundalini, a style available at Wilder Studios in Stokes Croft, is a spiritual, yet physically demanding style that also uses visualisation and chanting.
Yogasara's classes include Ashtanga, a dynamic, physically demanding practice, which strengthens the body and calms the mind. The hot yoga on offer at Yogafurie is a style called vinyasa, or flow yoga.
Strictly, it relates to the flow of breathing during movement. But the style is best known for the smooth and fluid way the poses run into each other. It's a fast-paced energetic style that gets the heart pumping. Yet Ed, who got into yoga seven years ago after suffering a knee injury during judo, gently reminds his students to push themselves only up to their limits, not beyond.
Afterwards I feel both invigorated and relaxed. The heat was a bit much for me, although the other students say you get used to it. Either way, I'll be trying yoga again.
If you want to try out hot yoga you'll need to bring water and a towel to put over the yoga mats provided.
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