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Moon Over Manhattan

: Tracy Beckerman on

"Hey, look at that," said my husband, staring out the window. "There are people doing yoga on the roof of that building." We were on the 20th floor of a building in New York City, having a romantic dinner at a chic restaurant known for its great food and beautiful views.

"What are they doing?" he wondered aloud. "Oh. Oh no!"

"What? What is it?" I asked, straining to see.

"Um. I think they're taking off their clothes."

I jumped up from my banquette and ran to the wall of windows. There, in plain sight on the roof of the next building several floors below us, were 16 people on yoga mats, doing downward dogs in their birthday suits.

"Ewww. Naked people doing yoga," I squealed.

"Not just naked people: ugly naked people," our waiter clarified.

It was indeed a spectacle. But apparently I, the suburbanite, was the only one surprised by the events out the window. True, it was an unseasonably warm evening. But all around me, diners kept dining, drinkers kept drinking and no one seemed to notice or care that right outside was an X-rated display of group exercise.

Honestly, I didn't know which was more shocking; the people doing naked yoga outside, or the people not paying any attention inside. Unfortunately, I was paying attention and having a hard time focusing on my lovely goat cheese and frisee salad and the lovely company of my lovely husband, while 16 not-so-lovely-looking people Saluted the Sun with a full moon.

 

Obviously, it wasn't the yoga part of this display that was troubling me. My husband does yoga, and my sister-in-law teaches yoga, so although I myself am not a yoga-phile, I have had some firsthand experience with people doing yoga. I am also not unfamiliar with themed yoga. I've read about such yoga options as yoga for couples, yoga for babies, and even something called doga, for people who want to do their downward dogs with their labradoodles. There are the food yoga classes, such as yoga with chocolate, and yoga with wine, as well as the popular yoga with pizza. There are classes that combine yoga with gymnastics, yoga with aerobics and even yoga with belly dancing. There are probably yoga classes for people who love "Star Wars" (yoga with Yoda) and people who like their yoga with fruit on the bottom (yoga with yogurt). There are so many variations on the yoga theme that I'm sure if I were to search the internet, I would certainly find naked yoga -- maybe even naked yoga with dogs. However, just because you can do it doesn't mean you should, especially on a rooftop in New York City and certainly not within view of someone who wants to keep her appetite intact.

Knowing this was a pricey dinner, I tried to keep my eyes on my plate and enjoy the rest of the meal. But ultimately, we decided to skip dessert and go for coffee someplace else, preferably on a lower floor. Then, as we were on our way out, we ran into a friend who was on his way in.

"Are you having dinner here?" asked my husband.

"Yes," said the friend. "We heard the food is great and the view is terrific."

"True," I replied. "But you might not want to do both at the same time."

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Tracy Beckerman is the author of the Amazon Bestseller, "Barking at the Moon: A Story of Life, Love, and Kibble," available on Amazon and Barnes and Noble online! You can visit her at www.tracybeckerman.com.

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Copyright 2024 Creators Syndicate Inc.

 

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