Putting the Yoga back in yogagrrl

First let me say that traveling with my Droid Eris was AMAZING. I used apps like OpenTable and Foursquare to find great places to eat and – in the case of Foursquare – frequently got great tips from locals and/or other visitors. I also updated Facebook with my photos as we went and there’s practically a vacation blow-by-blow on my twitterfeed. While it made my husband a little crazy, it was super helpful to have Googlemaps tied into that Foursquare app to make sure we were moving in the right direction. Google on the phone helped us track down good music and food and figure out which tourist stops to avoid. It was made of awesome and win. Don’t worry, though – the phone hasn’t COMPLETELY replaced the Spouse.

Before we left, I did some internet research on yoga studios that would be close to where we were staying. I found about four that sounded like they’d be a good fit for my needs and one of them had a pretty sweet intro deal. Being on budget and in a new city, yoga deals are important. I can go on about this ad nauseam but I think yoga is an oddly interpersonal form of exercise, one that can be shaped entirely by your teacher/instructor and your reaction to him/her. Just because you don’t care for a particular teacher or class doesn’t mean the studio won’t be a good or even great fit for you – it just means you haven’t had a chance to find out yet. For this reason, having a deal on classes or even free classes for new students is an incredibly valuable resource for studios – it gives you a chance to sell how awesome you are.

For those reasons, I made my first stop at Urban Yoga Spa. 1. Love their site. Clear, concise and no pictures of hot bods to make you feel self-conscious about showing up. Especially love that you can turn the music off, as it’s my least favorite thing about the site. 2. No woo woo. When you read the class descriptions, you get a sense that it’s going to be a thorough, energetic and relaxing experience. No chanting required. 3. Even though I was just in town for a visit, they gave me the unlimited yoga for a week for $25 deal. I wasn’t sure they would since I’m not local but it was a sweet deal and it’s what decided me on their studio for the week.

I am not generally a fan of hot yoga. Rather, I like hot yoga up to a certain temperature. My ideal max temp is about 85 degrees (Forrest-style) and Urban Yoga Spa is a little hotter – 90-105 degrees. I have mentioned before that I sweat like a center for the Detroit Lions; it’s hot enough there that I started sweating the minute I walked into the rooms. That said, I didn’t find the temps at UYS to be unbearable. Don’t get me wrong, it was HOT but not to the point that I felt uncomfortable, light-headed or any of the other stuff you don’t want to have happen. In addition, the rooms were clean and avoided that whole ‘stank’ that can sometimes happen with a hot yoga place. One studio is full of mirrors and the other doesn’t have any – in case that matters to you.

First class was 90 minute Hot Hatha. I didn’t wear my glasses, what with the sweat, and I think the teacher was maybe Amber? I don’t remember if she introduced herself or not. As I frequently forget that when I teach, I’m not casting any stones. It was a solid 90 minute class.

• Things I loved: Clear and concise verbal cues, modifications starting slow and getting harder, encouragement to take breaks, encouragement to ENJOY the class and laugh/smile, logically formatted classes so that no one was trying to do headstand at the end of class when their arms are cashed, SUPPORTED BACKBENDS. Omg, y’all I was SO HAPPY about that. Wheel is a pet peeve of mine, especially in mixed-level classes.

• Things I didn’t love: Savasana was weird. As if it was supposed to be an unguided on-your-own relaxation, except that as soon as the instructor was out of the room people started packing up and leaving. Not sure about you, but it’s hard for me to stay focused when 15 people are packing up their stuff and leaving because it’s pretty much impossible for that to happen quietly. As far as negatives go, this one ain’t that big.

Second class: Hot Hatha Hour with Bret (if I remember correctly). Very similar in structure and content to the 90 minute Hatha class. Same great directions, same unwillingness to take the class so seriously. The class was a bit pared down to fit the hour but still a nice, thorough workout. I remember the savasana being a little more directed or maybe it was just that everyone didn’t pack up as soon as the class was over. Loved it.

Third class: Power Vinyasa Hour with Drew.

• Things I loved: Dude. If I had my own place, this is how teachers would teach. Drew – like the previous two instructors – had GREAT verbal cues, kept it light and encouraged smiling and taking it as easy or hard as you wanted/needed. Same practical class structure and super helpful adjustments.

• Things I didn’t love: Nothing. Really great class.

By this time I was wearing out my yoga clothes where wearing out = sweating ALL THE WAY THROUGH THEM. I had to take a day off to wash and let dry my yoga pants, as I’d brought less of them than shirts for some reason. Clearly wasn’t expecting to want a full week of hot yoga.

Foursquare told me that Restorative on Friday was a great class but that I should get there early. Getting there early was DEFINITELY a good tip.

Restorative with Jennifer:

• Things I loved: It was a nice solid stretching class, low key, relaxing.

• Things I didn’t love: The verbal cues were a little… odd. Several times I had to look up to figure out exactly what we were doing – and this stood out only because I hadn’t had to do that in any of the prior classes. Because of that, I’d say maybe not the best class for a beginner. Also, a little woo woo. I don’t mind woo woo, when I’m in the mood for it/the class is billed as such. Other than that, when I’m not EXPECTING yoga philosophy I generally don’t love it. *shrug* Your mileage may vary.

Studio in general:

• I loved that they had very reasonable water/mat rental/towel rental prices. Totally forgot to bring water with me to the first class. Whoops.

• I loved that I saw people of all sizes, shapes and ages in every single class. You can tell from the instruction in the individual classes that everyone is encouraging of making yoga accessible to EVERYBODY. That’s my biggest thing and it was fantastic.

• Everyone was very friendly. The person who was working the desk at my first class made a point of talking to me when she saw me in a different class that we were both attending. It was a really nice welcoming atmosphere.

• Music! There was music in each class, a kind of nondescript and low key new-agey thing that was totally non-intrusive.

• Chanting – there really wasn’t any some optional Oms at the end of a couple of the classes and I totally appreciated how the instructors were VERY CLEAR that they were optional. Also done in a matter-of-fact and non-woo woo sort of way so as to be generally appealing. Well done.
• They have donation classes on the weekend. I love that. Yoga accessibility is really important if we want to help people improve their health and well-being. It sounds corny but I believe it to be true. I love when studios not only say it, they back it up. If you’re not convinced you want to try a week of yoga there, definitely hit a donation class. You won’t regret it.

Honestly the only thing I didn’t love was the heat and that – along with any aforementioned nits – is  MY PERSONAL experience. There are people who love the super hot classes, I’m just not one of them. There are people who love woo woo, when I’m not expecting it I’m not one of them. I actually enjoy a good Om or two but I’m not much for chanting in classes so this stuff suited me fine. I’m a sucker for great direction and safe classes – both of those things were in spades here.

If it tells you anything, I recommended this place to no less than three locals while I was in town.