Bikram Yoga + Bouchon Bakery + True Religion Jeans

One of the things (among very many) that I knew I was going to miss when I left Vienna was my morning run three times a week along the Prater in the second district.  Those 45-minute runs provided me with many a therapeutic moments plus a rich perspective into the diverse flora and fauna of Bohemia (and I am counting in the colourful Viennese from the 3rd, 5th, 12th, 20th and 22nd districts in here!)  And then my chum Martina introduced me to Bikram yoga - which I resisted for about 2 months.  I am not the meditating kind, nor can I keep still for more than 12 seconds.  But Austrian weather tends towards cold and rain, if not snow (which I love, regardless of....) and I needed to find some form of indoor sport and having had enough of gyms, I decided to see for myself what all the rage about Bikram Yoga was about.  I attended my first class in April 2008 and have not looked back since.

So how does one stay fit and trim in gourmet wine country when this rainy season does not allow for any outdoor activities?

It has been gratifying to have met the feisty and vivacious Sylvana Carrarra who runs a serious but always lively Bikram Yoga studio in Napa. 

http://www.bikramyoganapa.com

And because I am lucky to be living in Thomas Keller's, Michael Chiarello's and Cindy Pawlcyn's territory,  how can I resist real and honest food especially when they are presented impeccably?  One of my favourite places in Napa Valley is Thomas Keller's  Bouchon Bakery in Yountville.  So far, it has been the only place where I can get real and honest schwarzbrot and warm pain au chocolat -  which always brings me back to Provence 1998!

http://bouchonbakery.com

Is there anyone out there who might not agree with the following equation:

90-minutes Bikram Yoga  plus  Bouchon Bakery is still equals to sliding-in with ease into your True Religion jeans!