As I sat cross-legged at the start of my yoga class at the Columbia Gym, my mind was buzzing.

I haven’t worked out in a while. Britney Spears definitely got lipo. Then again her arms did look pretty toned on David Letterman. When’s the nap?

I fell into my first downward dog, palms and heels on the ground, pelvis in the air, head dangling loosely between my arms.

What if my stomach rolls pop out from under my shirt? Did the guy next to me smell my breath during the exhale? Ew, I need a pedicure.

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Then I hit warrior pose. I lunged deeply with my right leg, turned to the right side and extended my arms, gazing out into the horizon.

Why is that 50-year-old guy more flexible than I? I think I’ll have Greek salad for lunch. My thighs sting. When’s the nap?

I stretched back into child’s pose, resting my sit bones on my heels, placing my face down on the mat and extending my arms to the floor. Taking a deep breath and settling into the pose, I started to feel the muscles in my arms loosen, my face relax and the knots in my back unfurl.

And — just for that moment — my head was totally clear.

The modern mind is busy and the world moves fast — we watch television in 30-second clips full of exploding 3-D graphics and pulsating music.

We can listen to our iPods, respond to e-mail, chat on instant messenger and read Web logs simultaneously — and that’s just at lunchtime.

So it’s a challenge to reign in the mind, take deep breaths and really experience a yoga class.

But instructors tell you to stay in the moment, concentrate only on the pose and the sound of your breath. It’s about being there in your body.

You may not get there every time, but even those fleeting spurts of mindfulness feel like complete bliss.

In a world of constant cell phone calls and 24-hour e-mail, it’s no surprise people become addicted to that feeling.

Plus there’s a nap at the end.