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Before class, I felt a little nervous. But I loosened up really quickly in the comfortable environment.

If Oprah had a show on it, does it mean it's become mainstream?

When it comes to pole dancing, the answer, based on my friends' reactions, is emphatically no. (The guys made dumb jokes; most of the women said they admired me but could never do that.)

But when Angi Carlston of Divine Movement in Seattle invited me to come take a class and check it out, how could I possibly say no?

Well, easily - three years ago, before I lost weight. I was incredibly self-conscious about my body, and I was a total wallflower at dances, from high school until I got married.

But when I lost weight, I also lost a lot of reserve and became much more comfortable in my skin. (Sure, I wish that had been the case without the weight loss. But it wasn't.)

So I was excited to try the class, and so was my friend Sarah. When she heard I was going, she wouldn't let me go alone.

Divine Movement's web site claims that the class is a "safe and nurturing environment." Well, I knew I was going to need that to be able to relax and try pole dancing!

The studio looks like a typical dance or yoga studio, with two exceptions: only one small mirror on part of one wall, and the pole over on one side of the room.

We began on the floor on mats, doing really similar stretches and movement to my power vinyasa yoga class. The difference, though, was that every movement was very slow and controlled, graceful and pretty. Angi explained the movement we were to do, and demonstrated it as we tried it. We spent about 45 minutes of the 1 hour, 45 minute class doing this floor work, which included abdominal exercises, back strengthening exercises, and different series of movements and poses that were later incorporated into a dance we learned.

In the next part of class, we practiced walking - a very sensual walk where we took small, controlled steps and dragged the toe of the moving foot from back to front. Finally, it was time to try the pole.

The class I took was a beginner class, but it was the second week. Therefore, the other women had already learned one trick - the Pixie, where you face the pole, hold it high with your right hand, loop your left leg around it, then grab with your left hand and lean out towards your leg, allowing your right leg to come hug behind the pole. You twirl around a few times, then land on the ground and stand up gracefully.

Sarah was ahead of me in line and performed the trick pretty much effortlessly. Then it was my turn.

Unlike in the earlier part of class, where I felt comfortable and fairly smooth with the motions, I was suddenly a little awkward and giggly. I tried it, but my embarrassment got the better of me and I only went around the pole once before quickly getting up and walking to the end of the line, not very gracefully.

But my second turn was much better. I won't say I got it perfectly, but it was easier - and by then, it was definitely fun! Sarah and I kept looking at each other and whispering, "This is SO COOL! I'm so glad I'm here!"

The second trick Angi taught was the Butterfly. In this trick, you stand with the pole at your side, grab on, then link only one leg around the pole. The second leg is bent at the knee, and you rotate around the pole a couple of times then land on both knees. To stand up, you do the "Stripper Stand Up," which is like this: From your knees, put one  and bend that leg in a deep squat. Open the knee all the way up, and put all your weight on that leg. Then straighten the other leg and bring it around to the open knee leg. Stand up gracefully, letting your bottom lead the way and lifting your chest up.

Not only is it fun, it actually feels good. It doesn't feel overtly sexual; it feels sensual and beautiful. I'm not about to start doing the Stripper Stand Up at the playground with the kids, but in the right context might be a nice trick up my sleeve.

After the pole tricks, we learned a wall dance. First, Angi performed the dance herself. Then she broke it down, step by step, showing how the stretches and poses we'd done earlier were incorporated into the dance.

It was fairly easy to memorize, but she reminded us she didn't want us just to memorize it - she wanted us to feel it ourselves in our bodies, let our bodies memorize and our brains just go.

I couldn't see myself in a mirror. But you know, I'm sure if I could, I wouldn't have been embarrassed. It felt good. I've written recently about how my husband and I have been going out dancing; obviously this dancing is pretty different, and certainly something to be kept more private than in a big club with random strangers, but the relaxation and release in your body is the same. It's nice to feel graceful and light - such a change from the way we typically go through our days.

I wore my heart-rate monitor during class to see what kind of workout it would be. I didn't burn many calories (around 200) - which for me is the equivalent of a half-hour of easy running. So it's definitely not cardio (though it has cardio elements, of course). Given how my arms and back and abdominal muscles feel today, I put the workout in the core and functional strength category - which really is one of the best workouts busy moms can do. We don't need to bench-press 100 pounds; we need to be strong and flexible and ready for anything our kids and our lives throw at us.

And you know, when I got home and showed my husband the dance and a couple of the things I learned, he liked it. I mean, he REALLY liked it. Angi told me that many of her clients tell her their husbands have no problem watching the kids when their wives are at her classes; I can definitely understand why!