YYoga South Granville

Although the Passport to Prana is done until October, it doesn't mean I've stopped trying out new studios... for cheap. I friend gave me a pass for one free class at the brand new YYoga studio in the South Granville area of Vancouver (at Broadway and Granville). Here are my impressions...




What: YYoga South Granville

Where: 201-1627 W Broadway, Vancouver BC

When: Aug 18, 2010 10:00am-11:30am

Class: Flow

Teacher: Chris

Drop-In price per class: $15-20

Types of classes offered: flow, hatha, power, anusara, core, pilates, yin

Space:

YYoga never disappoints when it comes to the beauty of their studios. All of the studios have lovely spaces that make you feel like you're at the spa. There was a large yoga studio complete with bamboo floors and nice lighting. The shower/changing area was also very nice, but felt a little cramped compared to other YYoga locations. There were only 2 toilet stalls in the women's, which had a bit of a lineup after class. Also, the toilet stall doors didn't have any locks, which was both embarrassing and annoying (yes, I opened the door on someone). Other than that, the space was really nice. I also appreciated the complimentary lockers and infrared sauna.

Atmosphere:

See above. Super spa-like. Super swanky.

Teacher/Class:

I went to a Flow class, which can be a bit of a toss-up because sometimes you get vinyasa, sometimes it's all power, sometimes it has a hatha (slower) flavour. Chris' class was very distinctly Ashtanga. I say Ashtanga instead of power because he did some quite advanced asanas and jump-through. I think only 2 or 3 people in the whole class could even attempt some of the poses (deep folds with binds, crane, etc). His teaching style was very focused on alignment and bone placement (like, where the femur should be). Sometimes I feel this kind of detailed instruction to be a bit too technical and loses the essence of the pose. Nonetheless, he definitely had a lot to offer in terms of the mental side of yoga and told us some cool little anecdotes to get some bits of philosophy across. Kudos to him for that. A couple things that I didn't like were 1) the fact that he didn't give a great deal of modifications (even though there were definitely beginners in the class) and 2) he didn't mirror his poses (which is one of my pet peeves). His pace was also quite fast, which left me feeling like I was always behind and a bit rushed.

Rating: 9/10. A great looking studio right in the heart of South Granville. Minus a point for not having locks on the toilet stalls and making me embarrass some poor woman while she did her business.

Bikram's Yoga North Vancouver

The last week of the Passport to Prana is now upon us! I really can't believe I managed to make it to this many yoga studios in a mere 3 months, but here I am towards the end of my yoga sampling journey (for now anyways). So after exhausting most of the hatha studios out there, I went back to ol' Bikrams for a class. I hadn't done Bikram's for a couple of months and before that for over a year, so I wasn't quite sure how my body would react to the heat and intense stretching, but I managed to get through it alright.


What: Bikram's Yoga North Vancouver

Where: 856 West 15th Street, North Vancouver BC

When: July 27, 2010, 9:30am-11:00am

Class: Bikram's Hot Yoga

Teacher: Marcus

Drop-In price per class: about $20

Types of classes offered: Bikram Hot Yoga

Space:

Not far from Capilano Mall in North Van, this studio is in a accessible location for most people. The studio is on the second floor of a business complex and boasts quite a large yoga room. The floors of the room were lined with some soft faux wood stuff, which gave it a good look. There wasn't much else in the area of decor, but the shower/changing areas were clean and had all the necessary amenities. The only thing I would make a comment about was the fact that there was nothing to block the front door of the female change room, which meant that if you opened the door, you could see right into the changing area and see people's bare bums from the hallway. Also, there was a vanity and sink right in front of the door, which made it an awkward place to stand.

Atmosphere:

The place wasn't deluxe but did have a friendly vibe. There was some nice yoga artwork on the walls, which gave the place a playful atmosphere. Whenever I go to Bikram's studios, there is sort of a seriousness about the place when you enter the yoga room, but everything seemed alright and the people were friendly.

Teacher/Class:

I hadn't been to a Bikram's class for some time and I kind of forgot how intense the dialogue can get at times. Marcus was a good teacher but tended to speak super fast most of the time. At times he got into this monster truck announcer voice (you know, a la "Sunday, SUNDAY, SUNDAY!!!" which was a bit annoying to me. He had some good insights about yoga but of course was parroting the Bikram's dialogue which tends to be very demanding and not so accommodating to people with limitations or beginners. I've already given my rant about what I think about hot yoga as a whole, so I won't repeat it here (see review for Westcoast Hot Yoga). After the 90 minutes I did drench my mat with sweat and feel completely worked. I managed to not feel like throwing up this time so I must be doing something right with all these yoga classes I'm attending. I did make the mistake of not drinking enough water before the class, so I felt pretty dehydrated for the rest of the day. If you go, make sure you eat properly the night before and drink drink drink! (water, that is).

Rating: 8/10 A descent studio if you're into the hot yoga. Just make sure you know your body when you're practicing and don't let any teacher force you to do anything your body doesn't want you to do.

YYoga Northshore Elements

This week I ventured over to beautiful Lynn Valley in North Van to check out yet another YYoga installment. It was, as usual, absolutely stunning and the lovely location made the experience extra special.

What: YYoga Northshore Elements

Where: 231-1233 Lynn Valley Road, North Vancouver BC

When: July 20, 2010, 9:30am-11:00am

Class: Flow

Teacher: Chloe

Drop-In price per class: $15-20

Types of classes offered: Hatha, Anusara-Inspired, Kids Yoga, YHot, Flow, Power, Core, Pilates, Yin, Beginner Classes


Space:

Located in Whistler-style Lynn Valley Village, this studio was placed in a lovely valley with mountains in the background and gave off a real "BC" feel. The studio itself did not fail to live up to YYoga's reputation for premiere spa-like facilities. There was a large reception area with a little shop and beautiful changing areas. I always liked the fact that YYoga had complimentary lockers. It does make a difference for some people. The main studio was very large and had an awesome view of the mountains. There was another one a couple doors down (I don't think it was connected to the main areas) that had a lot more props and Iyengar-style ropes hanging from the wall and such. I loved the bamboo floors and the lighting in the space. There was also an infrared sauna, which was mint! It was deluxe.

Atmosphere:

I got a great vibe from this studio. It didn't come off as pretentious as the downtown YYoga locations. I consider the North Van yogis as people who just really live a "BC" life. In other words, North Van has a lot of outdoorsy people with families and good jobs that appreciate the finer elements of life. I saw a lot of these people here. All in all, the atmosphere was very spa-like and the front desk staff made sure you were well-taken care of.

Teacher/Class:
I attended a Flow class, which pretty much translates to a mix between hatha and vinyasa and power. Chloe was an excellent teacher and her style was very focused on proper alignment and engagement of the muscles. I liked that she started out by talking about the concept of a "higher self" and how yoga is really just a metaphor for life. It was refreshing to hear about these concepts in a new way. Her class was pretty advanced, and I was surprised there were so many men around me who were super strong and flexible. I learned a few new ways to get into more advanced poses and took away some great sequencing ideas. It was a 90 minute class and I can't really think of a pose that we didn't do. It was packed chock full of warrior sequences, balancing poses and long holds/stretches. Definitely a class that leaves you feeling invigorated and proud of yourself. It was awesome!

Rating: 10/10 If you live in North Van and have a car (it's kinda hard to get here by transit), this studio is one of the best. It's got everything you need for the full yoga experience. Plus, there's awesome coffee shops and boutiques in the same complex for post-yoga chilling.

Semperviva Sea

Tonight I completed my tour de Semperviva by checking out my fifth and final Semperviva location. I guess you could say I saved the best for last, because the Sea studio has by far the best view out of any yoga studio around.

What: Semperviva Sea

Where: 200 - 1333 Johnston Street, Granville Island, Vancouver BC

When: July 19, 2010, 7:15pm-8:30pm

Class: Hatha

Teacher: Diana

Drop-In price per class: $18

Types of classes offered: Hatha, Vinyasa Power, Ashtanga, Yin, Kundalini, Mom and Baby, Prenatal

Space:

Located on beautiful Granville Island, this studio has the most amazing view overlooking False Creek. It is located at Pier 32, close to Emily Carr University and is pretty easy to get to from most places. The studio has a nautical charm with high ceilings made of wood beams and has a cool, rustic feel to it. It's on the second floor and there's a sweet balcony you can go out on before or after classes to catch a glimpse of the spectacular view. The interesting thing about the space is that it's a split level and there's a raised area where the mats are facing inward. I recommend practicing in the far left hand corner near the window on this level - it has the best view! Haha it's all about the setting here. There's really nothing that can beat yoga by the sea. The studio had most of what you needed - a small but clean washroom down the hall, a changing stall, closets and shelves for belongings. The floors were carpet in the main studio, but I'll let that one slide seeing as it was well cared for and clean.

Atmosphere:

You just feel very alive when you practice here. The smell of the salt air and the sounds of boats going by is very soothing. The space had a community feel and people were very friendly and seemed truly happy to be there. I've actually done a teacher training in this studio and it was the perfect setting for learning and sharing. There is a feeling of liberation and ease that resonates in the place.

Teacher/Class:

After last week's not-so-hatha class in Richmond, I was happy to go to a class that was very relaxing. Diana was a great teacher and she spoke with a soft and soothing voice. I loved that she gave lots of modifications and options for beginners. The class was very slow-paced and almost felt like a Yin yoga class. We did hold certain yin poses for quite a while and there were many moments of just silence and breath. In the 75 minute class, she didn't guide us through very many poses, but rather spent a lot of time doing preperatory work to set up some key hatha poses. I really appreciated the linkages she would make between the action being created in one pose versus another. It was a very mellow class and I didn't mind it one bit. I think I fell asleep during savasana....and probably snored too!

Rating: 10/10 The location can't be beat at this studio. Of all the Semperviva studios, this is by far the best!

YYoga Richmond

Yesterday I took the Canada Line down to Richmond to check out my 4th YYoga studio. YYoga, as always gets gold for decor and setting that spa-like atmosphere, but unfortunately last night's class left me feeling underwhelmed and unsatisfied.

What: YYoga Richmond

Where: 102 - 7731 Alderbridge Way, Richmond BC

When: July 12, 2010, 7:00pm-8:00pm

Class: Hatha

Teacher: Alex

Drop-In price per class: $15-20

Types of classes offered: Hatha, YHot, Flow, Power, Yin, Meditation

Space:

If you take the Canada Line skytrain here, it's a short 15 min walk from Lansdowne station. The studio is located in a business park that inst the most esthetically pleasing, but the exterior is just the exterior, right? The studio had a great front entrance lobby area, with a few tables for pre/post yoga tea and chatting. There were two yoga rooms, named sun and moon. The studio I was in was closest to the front desk, but the changerooms were located down a long, fluorescent pink lit hallway. It was a bit odd to have to walk up and down such a long hallway in bare feet, but I guess that's just how the space had to be laid out. The other studio was bigger and could be accessed directly from the changerooms. There were of course lovely fixtures and amenities and the bamboo floors looked super new. You can basically expect beautiful, professional spaced at any of the YYoga locations.

Atmosphere:

Super zen, lots of bamboo and clean edges. Very spa-like. The front desk staff were super nice and welcoming. With the large tea-room, it looked like a great place to hang out with your fellow yogis/yoginis.

Teacher/Class:

Ok- rant warning. Very seldom do I have bad things to say about a class, but there were so many things that I just couldn't ignore about this one. I went to a 1 hour hatha class led by Alex, who I later found out turned out to be the studio director. He was super charming and funny. The class was packed full of women with the exception of one guy, and Alex brought a light-hearted approach to a class of giggly women. He even spoke Chinese at times (he's not a native speaker), which brought out even more giggles.

Anyways, on to the class itself. We started with some core work and that was all good. His style was definitely workout-oriented, but he did say he was mainly a power/vinyasa teacher so it's par for the course. However, he didn't do a great job of cueing and did no demos (which is understandable given the lack of space in the packed room), which left some people confused. We then went into some standing warrior poses and I started to notice a pattern. He would do one side of a standing warrior pose, then come to tadasana (mountain), then the other side, the back to tadasana, then another warrior variation, then the other side, then back to tadasana, then another... this kept on going on for a while, and, needless to say, I was bored out of my mind at the end There was no flow, no balance between strength and relaxation, no sun/moon, no ha/tha. He was teaching a hatha class like it was a Bikram's hot class! I might be biased to my style, but I hate it when a teacher teaches one side then the other right after for the entire class. Where's the flow and creativity in that? I usually don't make a fuss about classes being boring, but this class was also not taught safely. Towards the end of class, he got everyone to face away from the front of the room and do halasana or plough pose. If you don't know this pose, it's an inversion where you kick your legs up over your head and rest your feet on the floor above your head. It's usually paired with shoulder stand. When you're upside down like that, all your weight is coming down on the neck. If you move your head in this pose, you could potentially seriously harm your spine. So you can see why I was so shocked when he told people to bring their legs up over their heads and rest their feet on the floor behind them. With no demo and unclear instructions, people were moving their heads like crazy to see what they were supposed to do. He started telling them not to move their heads once he realized people were unsure of the pose. He also failed to note the necessary precautions for inversions, like how you shouldn't do it if you have high blood pressure or eye/ear infections or if you're on your period. In a room packed full of women, I'm sure some were menstruating.

So after all that, came savasana, corpse pose. A good savasana can usually save a class and mend any aggravations that might have arisen, but even the savasana sucked this time! Not only was it too short, but all you could hear was loud talking from people waiting outside in the lobby. It was super distracting and I could not fully relax. There was no help from the instructor to tell people to keep it down. There was no music to drown out the talking - it was just a bunch of noise. I thought it was quite rude that a bunch of yoga practitioners would not clue in to keep it down if they knew a class was ending. So all in all, not a fun class. I was so disappointed that I actually met with the teacher after to give him my constructive feedback. Of course, it was just my luck that he happened to be the guy who ran the place, so I can pretty much count on never getting hired at Richmond YYoga! At least he was open to hearing me out and thanked me for the feedback. I'm glad I had the balls to tell him in person. I think safe yoga is so important and I always feel the need to call out unsafe teaching when I see it.

Rating: 8/10. Awesome studio, sucky class. This class doesn't represent the other teachers and classes there, so my review is mainly based on this one experience.

Maa Yoga & Wellness Studio - Maa Sea

This week I took another jaunt over to North Van to check out a studio in beautiful deep cove. I heard some great things about this studio and I gotta say that my friends were right! AND there was bonus awesomeness when I found out that lovely prenatal guru extraordinaire Teresa Campbell was teaching it. She led my prenatal teacher training at Semperviva a few months ago.

What: Maa Yoga & Wellness Studio - Maa Sea

Where: 489 Dollarton Hwy N, North Vancouver BC

When: July 8, 2010, 9:30am-10:45am

Class: Yin/Hatha

Teacher: Teresa Campbell

Drop-In price per class: $17.86

Types of classes offered: Hatha, Vinyasa, Hot, Hatha Core, Yin, Kundalini

Space:

Absolutely gorgeous! The location was beautiful too - steps away from breathtaking views of Burrard Inlet. There wasn't one thing about this studio that I didn't like. It had beautiful decor - similar to the YYoga studios, but a bit more personal. There was a nice open reception area with goodies for sale. The changerooms were fit for the pages of a magazine. They weren't huge but had everything you needed, including showers. I liked how they were labeled "goddesses" for the women and "gurus" for the men. The yoga space was the piece-de-resistence - a large room with spacious high ceilings, hard wood floors (laminate) and beautiful sheers in the back of the room. I really loved this space! ... and as a bonus you can add a soothing massage at the end of your class in the serene massage room beside the yoga studio.

Atmosphere:

It's amazing what a few bamboo shoots and lotus candles will do to a space... oh and nice tiles and fixtures too! The atmosphere was spa-like - very calming and peaceful. I loved being here! I can't say anything bad about this place!

Teacher/Class:

I'm a bit biased because I'm friends with Teresa and I think she's probably the hottest yoga teacher in town. Needless to say, I loved her class! It was a hatha/yin combo, which was an interesting mix of long holds (yin) and energetic flowy hatha poses. There's style is probably the most empowering and feel-good yoga out there. I've been to her prenatal classes (no, I wasn't preggers - just getting a sense of that style of class) and she focuses a lot on empowering women, encouraging self-love, acceptance, creativity, losing inhibitions, booty shaking, etc. A lot of these themes came out in her class today and it felt so good to practice with such a positive voice guiding you through the poses. I felt invigorated and empowered - it was awesome! ... and the walk down to the beach after wasn't too shabby either.

Rating: 10/10. Simply the whole package when it comes to yoga studios. If you're ever in Deep Cove, it's definitely worth checking out!

Yogapod

This week I finally made it across the inlet and ventured into the wonderful land of North Van. Much like Kits, North Van is an affluent, outdoorsy community - it's no surprise there are lots of yoga studios there. This week I tested out Yogapod, a studio located steps away from Lonsdale Quay and the Seabus.

What: Yogapod

Where: 101 - 260 West Esplanade Street, North Vancouver BC

When: June 30, 2010, 9:30pm-11:00am

Class: Core Essentials

Teacher: Hope

Drop-In price per class: $15-20

Types of classes offered: Hot Foundation, Beginner, Vinyasa, Anusara Inspired, Tragically Hips, Core Essentials, Bhakti Shakti, Shakti-Pod Groove, Prenatal, Mom and Baby, Kids Yoga, Karma Classes

Space:

This studio was beautiful. The front entrance had a little boutique that sold yoga wear, books, mats, etc. There was a cute tea room/waiting area outside the main studio. I always love seeing tea rooms in studios - it gives it that community feel. The yoga space itself was quite large and spacious. It definitely was built with large classes in mind. The floors were carpet, which I didn't love, but maybe it was that sanitary carpet that they have in the hot yoga studios. I am always partial to hardwood floors in yoga studios, though. Anyhoo, there was a nice scent in the main studio - the first time I ever noticed the aroma of a studio. I could see that some people could be bothered by it if was any stronger. In terms of amenities, there were beautiful washrooms and changing area. The only thing missing were showers. Usually, I don't mind if there are no showers and the studio only offers hatha/vinyasa/yin/etc, but this studio had tons of hot classes! Even the class I went to (Core Essentials) was in a slightly heated room and I was sweating my butt off by the end of it. If you take transit like me, going home all stinky and sweaty can be a bit annoying/embarrassing.

Atmosphere:

I loved the esthetic of this place. You could easily call it "girly" with the bright pink walls, but it had other touches that just made it a cut above the rest. There was a water fountain in the hallway with "Namaste" written in the tiles and a drain covered with rocks, giving it a waterfall-like appearance. The tea room was very calming and had a wall with announcements and info to look at. There were also photos on the adjacent wall, giving it a community vibe. I really felt welcomed here.

Teacher/Class:

The class I went to was called "Core Essentials" and was taught by Hope. It was taught in a slightly heated room, which I didn't mind at all. I absolutely loved her teaching style! She had excellent flows and paid particular attention to setting up the alignment properly. I later found out she did her training in Anusara - go figure! The thing I liked the most about her class (in addition to the ab-busting exercises) was her choice of wording - she had this vocabulary that just complimented the poses so well. And man did she ever pack in a lot of poses in that one class! I can't believe how many poses we did in the 90 mins! It was a total body experience and left me feeling like a million bucks at the end.

Rating: 9/10. Great studio and location. Lots of interesting classes to try out as well. The only thing that would have given it a 10/10 would be if it had showers. Still a great studio to try out if you're ever on the North Shore!