YOU SAY YOU WANT A RESOLUTION? : Well, It’s Time to Flex Your Yoga Muscles and Get Cooking

Sometimes, it seems the hardest promises to keep are the ones we make to ourselves. And at no time, generally, do we make more promises than right about now.

At the turn of the New Year, we go through a collective self-improvement kick.

We resolve to eat less. Exercise more. Watch less TV, read more books. Learn to dance, to cook, to program the damn VCR. We swear we’ll finally get around to cleaning the garage, to fixing that leak in the roof, to working out a budget and maybe even saving some money. We’ll relax more. And after all that, we’ll find time to pay more attention to our loved ones.

Pop psychologists, predictably, have a term for all this: setting ourselves up for failure. We try to get out of our ruts in one big jump and end up doing a face-plant in the mud.

That’s not to say we shouldn’t set goals, but it’s better to approach them sanely: one at a time, and with some structure. Sometimes the support of a group or a class situation can make the difference between success and failure. When we’re tempted to give up, we have to make excuses to someone other than ourselves.

And who knows?--maybe we’ll even have some fun.

So, here are a handful of ideas for following through on some resolutions common to the New Year. There are plenty more where these came from. All it takes is a bit of searching, and a little resolve.

Here’s to 1994:

Learn to Endure

Robert Kahler has a reputation as a taskmaster, and he’s in no hurry to dispel it.

The first clue to the nature of the eight-week cycling fitness clinic he runs with his wife, Jill, is the title: the Torture Clinic. And then there are the things he says: “I try to weed out the whiners. . . . We don’t want whiners. We want people who are willing to work.”

Evidently, his attitude doesn’t scare people away. The Torture Clinic sells out every winter, with a waiting list, and many of his clients come back for more.

The Kahlers are owners of Santiago Cycling and Fitness Center in Tustin. The twice-a-week clinic, held in a workout room adjacent to the bike shop, is designed to hone technique and increase cycling fitness at a time of year when the short days cut down on cycling time on the roads.

Both Kahlers are past state road race champions, and Robert was a U.S. Cycling Federation national coach for five years. In the clinic, participants rotate among machines designed to work on different aspects of the sport, from proper pedal technique to endurance. There is also a lecture session.

Most importantly, Robert Kahler said, the clinic teaches riders the proper way to train. “People don’t really know how to train,” he said. “They go out and ride, but they don’t really ride to get better.”

Part of the learning process is psychological. “We teach people how to endure discomfort,” Kahler explained. “I hate to say pain, but . . . “

No pain, no gain. Aerobic testing is done at the beginning and end of the eight weeks, and Kahler said the average participant increases aerobic capacity 20%.

The program is open to all ability levels. “We individualize each person’s program,” Kahler said. “We’ve got people all the way from beginning to world class.”

There will be two groups meeting Tuesday and Thursday evenings, Jan. 11 to March 3, at 5:20 and 7:30 p.m. (the lectures are held jointly; sessions last two hours). The clinic costs $179. Space is limited. (714) 544-6091.

Be Flexible

Lisa Goodwin figures she’s fighting a few persistent stereotypes in pushing yoga in Orange County, some of them lingering since the ‘60s: yogis and gurus and ashrams and robes and deep meditation, to name a few.

Goodwin is director of Yoga Works in Costa Mesa, the first yoga-only studio in the county, the initial advance of a wave that has already washed over trendier Los Angeles (where there are about 20 such studios). Here, you’re just as likely to find business executives as blissed-out nirvana seekers.

“It takes a while to dispel some of those myths,” Goodwin said. “I didn’t know what to expect in Orange County, but people accepted us right away. . . . We’ve been here a little over a year, and we’ve had a tremendous response.”

Yoga Works teaches hatha yoga, a form that emphasizes the physical over the meditative, enhancing strength as well as relaxation and flexibility. “People are finding that yoga is much more useful in their lives. It’s not just sitting and meditating,” Goodwin said. “It’s an alternative to the regular gym.”

Yoga sessions are on the upswing at many health clubs, and the art continues to be taught at colleges and through city recreation departments. There are also individual instructors in the county (Yoga Journal, available in many bookstores, publishes an annual directory).

Studios such as Yoga Works are structured somewhat like a health club, with 1 1/2-hour classes held almost continuously through the day and into the early evening. Members can drop in for any of the classes; non-members can pay a per-class fee.

There are differences from health clubs, of course. No thumping dance music and no gleaming weight machines, for starters. Many regulars, Goodwin said, are “tired of the health club scene, where’s everyone’s trying to pick up on everybody. . . . This has more of a feeling of community and sharing, without people watching each other to see what kind of leotard they’re wearing.”

Beginners can plunge right in and take a class, or there is a monthly three-day introductory course offered for $50 (the next will be held Jan. 21-23). Also, the first Friday of every month there is a free introductory class at 7:30 p.m.

There are several ways to pay for classes. Participants can pay $12 per session; they can also prepay for eight classes at $75 or 16 classes at $125. Unlimited monthly memberships are $100; annual memberships are $950.

Yoga Works is in the Costa Mesa Courtyards shopping center, upstairs in Building A, at 1835 Newport Blvd. Classes are offered daily. For schedule information, call (714) 642-7400.

Climb Every Mountain

In this age of specialization, there are those who climb rocks and those who climb mountains, those who climb only in summer and those who prefer winter, people who backpack along a well-marked trail and those who have built a sport (orienteering) out of navigating complex courses with map and compass.

Once, all these skills were part of mountaineering, the time-honored pursuit of climbing mountains in all seasons, with ropes, ice axes, compasses or whatever the occasion required. Nowadays, a few of these generalists are still bagging peaks, and some of them pass on their skills through the Wilderness Travel Course, offered by the Angeles Chapter of the Sierra Club.

For years, the club had its popular Basic Mountaineering Training Course (BMTC, as it was known), but it was killed in the mid-’80s by the rise in liability insurance costs. A few years later, it returned as the scaled-back WTC, which dropped such items as technical rock climbing and ice ax practice.

In essence, though, the 10-week course remains much the same. It came to Orange County for the first time in 1993, and both the sections offered filled up quickly. This year, four sections are offered, with classes beginning Jan. 11 and meeting on Tuesday nights through March 15.

Each of the 10 class meetings addresses a different topic, including conditioning, equipment, navigation, snow travel and mountain safety. There is also a day hike and three weekend field trips.

“The course is geared to anybody interested in the outdoors, whether serious or casual, who wants to learn more,” said Harry Freimanis, Orange County chairman for WTC. The age range, he said, is “pretty wide.”

Freimanis said the goal of the course is to teach students to be “self-contained and self-sufficient” wilderness travelers.

Cost for the course is $135 for Sierra Club members, $150 for non-members. There is a required text, which is $18 prepaid or $21 at the first class meeting. Organizers suggest that students hold off on purchasing equipment until they can be advised by their instructors; most needed items can be rented for outings.

The Orange County outings will be held at REI in Santa Ana, 1411 Village Way. Applications are available there; information is available by calling (714) 496-3972. The course will also be offered in Long Beach on Wednesday evenings.

Hit the Books

The pledge to read more is a perennial favorite among New Year’s resolutions. It can be difficult to pursue one of reading’s great pleasures, however: discussing a book with someone else who has read it.

Talking it over can reinforce and reinvigorate our reading, which is one reason for the well-reported return of “parlor society.” A big part of that is the growth of reading discussion groups, like-minded friends who meet regularly to discuss specific books.

Starting such a group is one way to get back in the reading habit. Taking a literature class through a local community college is another avenue; regular university classes are often open to non-registered students through their extension offices.

Libraries often have regular reading discussions. At the Anaheim Central Library, fans of mystery, detective and suspense fiction meet the second Wednesday of each month. The core group numbers about 20, said library manager Kevin Moore. And the sessions can get lively.

One recent discussion paired two books set in New Orleans but with little else in common: “New Orleans Morning,” by Julie Smith, and “Neon Rain,” by James Lee Burke.

“We got in a knockdown fight over those books,” Moore said. “We get into some really pitched discussions of authors.”

Some libraries offer book discussion groups on a sporadic basis. The Canyon Hills Library in Anaheim Hills, for instance, is getting ready to start a monthly book discussion series. Scheduled so far: A discussion of “Beloved” by Toni Morrison on Jan. 18; “Possession” by A.S. Byatt on Feb. 15; “A Thousand Acres” by Jane Smiley on March 15.

“This is the first time we’ve tried this,” said branch manager Nancy Johnson. “We’re inviting people to join us for dessert and an informal discussion.”

Some coffeehouses are also getting in on the scene. Cyrano’s in East Orange is the site of a Thursday night discussion group that, in addition to novels, takes in politics, films and other aspects of contemporary culture.

“I just started the group because I wanted to talk about some things, and do some critical thinking,” said John Beringer, who founded the group and mediates the discussion. “A lot of different views are expressed.”

Although the two-hour sessions end officially at 9:30 p.m., the participants sometimes stay and chat past midnight.

Cyrano’s Coffee House is at 7444 E. Chapman Ave., Orange. (714) 289-1031.

Anaheim Central Library is at 500 W. Broadway. (714) 254-1880.

Canyon Hills Library is at 400 S. Scout Trail in Anaheim Hills. (714) 974-7630.

Get Cooking

Ready to venture beyond zapping frozen meals in the microwave? Cooking courses are a staple of city parks and recreation departments, as well as some community colleges.

Some of the most intriguing classes, however, are offered through UC Irvine Extension, which is about to start its next session.

John Sharpe, executive chef of the Topaz Cafe at the Bowers Museum of Cultural Art in Santa Ana, will lead a five-week course in Pre-Columbian cuisine, Feb. 2 to March 2. The course will be held on Wednesday evenings at the restaurant. The cost is $145.

Sharpe, who had a hand in opening some of Orange County’s most acclaimed restaurants (Diva, Bistro 201), will focus on an array of dishes native to the Americas before the European arrival, demonstrating how to prepare them and discussing their origins. He will also discuss the impact of such New World products as tomatoes, corn, chilies, beans, potatoes, chocolate and vanilla on world cuisine.

Other courses will be held at Piret’s Bistro in South Coast Plaza. These include a six-week course in professional cooking techniques for the home chef (cost is $155); a new four-week class in “French Bistro Cuisine” (cost, $125); a two-meeting introduction to the history, growing and use of herbs ($65), and a two-meeting course in soups and stews ($65).

A four-week class in bread-baking will be held at the Irvine Fine Arts Center ($125), and a seven-week wine appreciation class, focusing on European wines, takes place on the UCI campus ($160).

For information on schedules or registration, call (714) 856-5414.