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.