Day 22: 1st day -Thi Personal Trainer Lite

I downloaded Thi Personal Trainer Lite on my iphone. There are many workouts and options. Today I started on the Beginner Weight Loss #1. The workout incorporates cardio and weights. You do cardio for 5 minutes then weights for a few minutes then cardio for 2 mins then weights, etc etc. There are 27 steps to the whole workout. I went up to step 12 and got really tired. Yes, I am very out of shape. I will keep on working on it till I complete all 27 steps.

Hari Om Yoga

I ventured out all the way to Langley for yoga today. Hari Om Yoga is on 200th and 64th Ave. I made it to the 1pm Flow class. I walked in and saw their selection of Lululemon clothing before I saw the front desk. The front desk is on the left. I was directed to the door which lead me upstairs. Upstairs was the bathroom, changing rooms and the yoga studio. Because I got there when the class was going to start, I felt a bit rushed. I got their so late because I got lost. I am not in Langley very often. The yoga studio is behind a physiotherapy clinic so it is a bit challenging to find. I took off my shoes and socks and put them on the shoe shelf before I headed into the yoga studio.

The yoga studio is very beautiful. One wall was a floor to ceiling mirror. One wall had a very large window. The window looked out to some trees and rooftops. It was nice to look out to trees. I felt closer to nature.

I had an excellent experience at this yoga studio. This was the first male teacher I have worked with. He is a good teacher. Eventhough he didn't do all the poses with us, I understood his instructions. The main difference between this class and other classes I have been to is that this class had more strength poses. It was difficult for me. I don't think I am very strong. There was only 11 people in this class. I think this is a good size class. We aren't bumping into each other. Once we are done our class, downstairs by the check in desk is some complimentary decaf tea.

Yogacara

Today I finally made it to a 5:30pm yoga class at Yogacara in Kits.





The class is called 5 Tibetans. There are 5 moves that get your blood circulating and strengthening your muscles.Each move you can do up to 21 times. The first move you stand up straight with your arms out and spin around. I managed to do it 21 times. As you may know, I get motion sickness really easily. After the 5th spin, I was already getting dizzy. When I was done, I was feeling really sick. I pushed my limit and finished the 4 movements. I only did about 5 of each movements. My head was spinning. We ended like all the other yoga classes, 5 minutes of meditating.

My overall experience was ok. The atmosphere was really nice (as you can see in the video). The teacher was really nice and patient. There was only 3 of us in class. I would go there again for another class. I wouldn't take the 5 Tibetans class again.

Flow Wellness - Yyoga Downtown

I have some friends who also bought the Passport to Prana. Because one of them works in downtown, we decided to go to Flow in downtown. Flow Wellness Center is located at the corner of Smithe and Burrard. It is above the Salai Thai and Winking Judge Pub. We went to the 6pm Flow class.

The entrance is located on Burrard St. We had to walk up 3 flights of stairs to get to the studio. At the top of the stairs is the check in desk. On the immediate right is their yoga store where they sell yoga clothing and books. Past the check in desk is the Shoe Room. The Shoe Room is where you are supposed put your shoes. I have never seen a shoe room before. It is a room that is about 4 feet by 7 feet. One wall is floor to ceiling shelving for shoes. Tonight it was filled with shoes. A sign that it is busy here tonight. Past the yoga store is a cafe where you can refresh and rejuvenate. We didn't get a chance to try it out. We check in and put our shoes in the shoe room then head to the Earth room for our yoga lesson.

It was an ok overall experience. The room was so packed that the instructor didn't have her own space to do the instruction. We had to listen carefully to her instructions. I would estimate there was about 50-60 people in the room. I think there was too many people for my liking. She played some R&B music. It was good music, but I am used to more relaxing spa music. It was hard to hear her instructions over the music. I have been to yoga a few times and I am familiar with some of the poses. I feel bad for my friends. They haven't been to yoga in a long time and there is no instructor to watch. We had to depend on our neighbours to see if we were doing the poses correctly. The highlight of the class was the attempt to do a headstand. There was only 2 people in class who did the headstand and where doing various poses on their head.

Yyoga - Richmond

I'm on a roll! Today I visited Yyoga in Richmond. Yyoga seems to have the most selection of yoga classes. It offers classes thru out the day. Most of the other studios offer classes in the mornings or late in the afternoon close to 5pm. I went to a class at 2pm.

It is a beautiful place. As you walk in on the left is the shelf for shoes. On the right they sell yoga clothing. As you past the yoga clothing is the check in desk. The ladies there are very friendly. My hatha class was in the Sun room. After I checked in, I went towards the bathroom. The long corridor towards the bathroom is long and white. It made me feel as if I was in some sci-fi movie. When I got to the bathroom, it was pretty amazing. It is so large and clean. There are small lockers in there for you to lock up valuables. The sinks are like the ones in new houses. There are also a few shower stalls. There are also blow dryers. I really understand if the rate is a bit higher at this place. You really get what you pay for.

I really enjoyed my experience. My yoga teacher is really nice and attentive. I guess it helps that there were only 5 of us in class today. It was really easy to understand her when she explained how to do the poses. Her transitions were simple and smooth. The Sun room is a pretty large room. It had soft lighting. She played relaxing music. She didn't have it playing continuously and it was kinda disturbing that she stopped to change the music a few times. One side of the room is floor to ceiling mirrors. I felt the mirrors were really helpful. I could see how I was doing the poses versus how the teacher was doing the poses.

Kerrisdale Yoga

Today I finally got off my ass and went to a yoga studio! I was going to go to Radha Yoga and Eatery today. They had an open house. I was going to go in the afternoon to their seminars on chahkras and how to interpret your dreams. I was running late and I don't like being late for classes / seminars. So I decided to put my new iPhone to use and see if there were any classes available within the next hour. I found Kerrisdale Yoga. It is quite a distance away. It is located on W 46th Ave and West Blvd in Kerrisdale. There is a limit of 12 participants in the class. Today there was only 10 in the class. The yoga room is very small. It has yellow walls. Yellow isn't a very calming color for me. It felt claustrophobic. For some poses we were even bumping into each other. The teacher put on relaxing music for us.

Overall I didn't like my experience there too much. The teacher made us do the same poses over and over. The transitions from pose to pose was very awkward and not smooth. The atmosphere wasn't very relaxing for me. I went to Bonsor one time for a pilates class. It was very relaxing. She had the relaxing music. She lite some candles for some ambiance.

I would not come here again. Thank god for the Passport to Prana pass, I only have to go there once.