The Three Jewels Tibetan Heart Yoga

A couple nights ago I tried out Tibetan Heart Yoga. I was very curious about this style because I had never heard of it before. Three Jewels doesn't offer classes very often (just three evenings a week for yoga and one for meditation in addition to periodic workshops). I wasn't quite sure what to expect, but needless to say, I was pleasantly surprised.

What: The Three Jewels Tibetan Heart Yoga

Where: 2 - 2275 West 10th Avenue, Vancouver BC

When: June 14, 2010, 7:00pm-8:30pm

Class: Tibetan Heart Yoga

Teacher: Jonie

Drop-In price per class: By donation - Suggested donation $12

Types of classes offered: Tibetan Heart Yoga, Meditation

Space:

Three Jewels is located behind the London Drugs on Broadway between Yew and Vine. Luckily, I talked to a teacher before driving there because I wouldn't have been able to find it without much circling around. The entrance is in the alley and the studio is on the second floor. There were signs in the alley, thankfully. Once you got up the stairs, a beautiful space opened up for you. It had lovely hardwood floors and a really cool slanted ceiling with a big skylight. The space wasn't huge, but it could fit maybe 15 people or so. There were only 4 people in your class. There was a closet nook with lots of mats and props, which was nice. I forgot to check whether or not there were washrooms, so unfortunately, I can't comment on that aspect of the studio. The teacher told us that they will be moving out of that space at the end of the month and are currently acquiring a new studio, so don't come to this location after June 30th!

Atmosphere:

The big skylight really gave this space a cool vibe. There weren't too many decorative elements except for a floor lamp emitting soft light, but I felt the space didn't really need too much. The hardwood floors were nice enough. During our class there was a thunder and lightning storm, which set a certain stillness and serenity about the room. With rain pitter-pattering on the roof and bolts of lightning illuminating the space in flashes, I felt super still in the calamity, especially during our opening meditation. It was really cool.

Teacher/Class:

Tibetan Heart Yoga is a style that was adapted from Tibetan Buddhist practices and traditional styles of yoga. The current style originated from a couple of spiritual teachers in New York and was created to share the teachings of the Gelukpa order of Tibetan Buddhism, which began about 500 years ago, and is the tradition of His Holiness the Dalai Lama. The class that I attended was an adaptation of one of the series of 8 yoga flows that characterizes Tibetan Heart Yoga.

Jonie taught a great class. It started out with a long 20 minute meditation where were practiced a "giving and taking" visualization to help a loved one be rid of their suffering. It was very powerful and left me feeling a little bit funny at the end - not sure how to describe it. One thing's for sure: I couldn't feel my legs at the end! They had gone completely numb! Moving on to the rest of the practice, we did some vinyasa-like flows and variations of sun salutations, along with some warrior asanas and energetic flows. Jonie's teaching style was influenced by a lot of classical styles, such as hatha, ashtanga-vinyasa and even anusara. The thing that made it Tibetan Heart Yoga was a continual reference to practicing compassion and thinking about our loved ones through the challenging moments of the practice. It was a great class and her hands-on corrections were very helpful.

Rating: 7/10. I loved the class and the philosophy behind this style of yoga. However, it was hard to find a class time that worked for me, as they only offered four classes a week. Hopefully their new studio will offer more classes at different times.