Our employees like to go to classes- it’s kind of what they do. In the interests of finding out what else is going on in the market, we thought we’d get them to write about their experience- both the good and the bad. We do this because we want you to know about everything going on out there.
And to be honest, even if it means you don’t come in to one of our classes, we’d prefer that you heard it “straight from the horses mouth” and got some good, impartial advice. This is the first post in this series, so thanks Laura for putting it together.
If you’ve had a similar experience then please let us know- either via the comments section or get in touch directly. Enjoy!
Location: Triyoga’s Soho branch, 2nd floor, Kingly Court, W1B 5PW. Studio 1.
Class attended: Vinyasa Flow Open level, on Friday 6th January 2012, 12.45 – 14.15
Teacher: Cassandra
Cost: drop-in cost is £15, block of 5 is £60 and block of 10 £110. Cards have a 3 month expiry from date of purchase.
Reviewer: Laura Gatward
What I liked about the class: The room is bright, with lots of natural light, and spacious. If you like props Triyoga has blocks, bolsters, straps, blankets etc. There is no need to book as all Triyoga’s classes are drop-in. Cassandra had us silently ground in seated meditation and then we began with a couple of pranayama (breathing) exercises which I really liked. Once we started moving she demonstrated a lot in the class and led a fluid and flowing sequence. It was relatively slow-paced, which I like as this allows you to really follow the breath. Throughout the class there was nice background music.
Cassandra invited those that knew what to do and wanted to, to go further in certain poses, and had us try some challenging arm balances and then handstands (against the wall) at the end. She emphasised the loving kindness with which we should approach all the poses and reminded us to stay focussed in the precious, present moment. She clearly teaches intuitively, from the heart and from moment to moment. I suspect that she arrives at class with no pre-thought or plan as to what she is going to teach but just allows the class to spontaneously unfold depending on the energy of the room and the aptitude of her students. She has 10 years’ teaching experience so no doubt has a wealth of possible material at her disposal! Thus it was a playful and yet challenging class which gradually evolved. Cassandra also said a couple of things that really struck a chord with me and that made me very glad to have attended the class. I felt as though these teachings were specifically for my benefit, although due to their generality and the number of other students present, perhaps not!
What I didn’t like about the class: Triyoga is very popular so the changing rooms are crowded and the class was pretty full. This meant that there was no individual attention or correction and no hands-on adjustment which can make the experience quite impersonal. The teacher led and we followed and thus I was glad to have my mat near to Cassandra, rather than at the far back corner!
