Highgate YYoga

Back to YYoga! This chain is popping up everywhere! You can't deny the studios are gorgeous. I made my way back to my hometown of Burnaby to check out the Highgate location on Kingsway. This area of Burnaby used to be pretty run-down and dingy, but with new developments over the past couple of years, the Highgate area is really an urban hub. I decided to pop in to a power class before I went off to teach my own class downtown.

What: Highgate YYoga

Where: 315 - 7155 Kingsway, Burnaby BC

When: May 13, 2010, 4:00pm-5:15pm

Class: Power Yoga

Teacher: Joe

Drop in rate per class: $15-20

Comments:

Space:

Once again, YYoga never fails to have beautiful yoga spaces. The main studio was large and bright with nice lighting. There were two studios, quirkily named "this" and "that". The second one was really small and I'm not sure what kinds of classes usually get offered there because it could fit maybe 10 people. There was a nice space for post-class chatting over tea by the front desk entrance area which was nice. Really nice changerooms and shower areas too!

Atmosphere:

This place had a calming and soothing atmosphere. Lots of dark colours on the walls contrasted with natural textures throughout. It had a great vibe and the people were really friendly.

Teacher/Class:

Joe was an older teacher and clearly looked like he had been doing yoga for decades. He was very tall and brought about a presence that you don't really get from petite female teachers. He opened his power class by reading some verses from a yoga book (I can't recall which one or the author) and taught us about the bandas (physiological locks where we suck our stomachs in while holding our breath). The room was quite warm and I got sweaty pretty quick. He got us to go through some vinyasas and then proceeded to lead us through a ridiculous series with lots of binds and intense stretches. It was cool to try something new and challenging, but a lot of people weren't able to go there and not too many modifications were given. I appreciated the fact that he shared a lot of his wisdom throughout the class and got us to think beyond the postures and towards and connectivity with something bigger than our bodies.

Rating: 10/10 I would recommend this studio to everyone. They offered more variety than other YYoga studios (kundalini, power, hatha, hot, yin, etc). It was a beautiful studio with a great atmosphere.