Some yoga classes have introduced free weights to build better yogis. Is it wise to mix traditional yoga poses with dumbbells?

When I first started super-slow about seven months ago, I was recovering from a long illness and even doors felt heavy. I knew I had to get strong again, but in my fragile state I didn’t picture myself slamming steel with the guys down at the Y.

Remembering an article I had read ages before, I looked up Threshold NYC, which Daily Candy had raved about in 2004 (“Threshold has raised the bar. All you have to do is pull up over it.”). When I got to the private gym, a raw, lofty, art-filled space near the Hudson River, I was relieved to meet husband and wife team Eileen Kelly and Lowell Boyers. They were warm and welcoming. Eileen started me off easy––the most difficult part was climbing on a Nautilus machine and moving as slowly as I possibly could. Each rep lasted 20 seconds in each direction. In regular lifting, it’s about five seconds.