Despite the fact that I’m rarely motivated to try a new-to-me yoga class—especially at one of the many big-box-style studios popping up everywhere with their sleek cubbies and branded tank tops—I recently stepped outside my comfort zone to take a class at YogaSix. Billed as a modern yoga boutique, the brand has opened more than 200 locations across the U.S., quickly becoming a maior franquia de ioga nos Estados Unidos e expandiu -se internacionalmente para Alemanha e Japão . In a post-pandemic time when many independent studios have closed their doors, that kind of growth is hard to ignore. So while I prefer practicing yoga at small, independent studios, I signed up for a restorative class at my local YogaSix to see what’s drawing so many people in. Having practiced an array of yoga styles for more than a decade, I wondered whether this modern, chain-studio version of yoga could possibly work for someone like me.
Para muitos, só posso assumir o formato estruturado, a marca consistente de estúdio e o senso de comunidade que vem de ser regular aqui pode atrair alguém novo no Yoga ou à procura de um ponto de entrada de baixa barreira. Há uma acessibilidade inerente a entrar em um espaço familiar, não importa em que cidade você esteja. Esse é o apelo de uma franquia, certo? Você sabe o que esperar, não importa a cidade ou estúdio.
Estilo masculino dos anos 1960
O Yogasix não oferece aulas tradicionais de ioga (nem afirmam), mas mais um estilo de fusão que se tornou popular em muitas academias e estúdios. Optei por fazer uma restauração Y6, que é descrita como uma prática para liberar grandes grupos musculares de todo o corpo e ocorre em uma sala quente. Normalmente, evito o yoga aquecido como uma preferência pessoal, mas fiquei curioso sobre a escolha do estúdio de adicionar um ambiente quente a um estilo de ioga conhecido por seus movimentos relaxantes e lentos.
Despite my initial panic when I started to sweat before class even began, I tried to keep an open mind. The room was dark, which was ideal, but when dramatic neon blue and green stage lights turned on, the room felt more like a nightlife venue than a yoga studio to me.
Ainda assim, parecia reconfortante e acolhedor que o professor já havia estabelecido os adereços para cada aluno antes de nossa chegada. Yogasix tem sua própria versão de um reforço, que eles chamam de travesseiro. É em forma de reforço, mas também é muito macio e não tão resistente quanto um reforço típico. Quando o usei debaixo das pernas em Savasana, ele ofereceu menos apoio do que eu estava acostumado na minha região lombar. O professor também nos deu castros aveludados para colocar neles, o que amenizou minha aberração interna do germe. (Na maioria dos estúdios, você apenas faz as pazes com o fato de que os adereços viram muito uso - e provavelmente absorveram muito suor. Tente não pensar muito nisso.)
penteados cacheados masculinos de comprimento médio
For the majority of the class, the vibe was a hybrid between a stretching class and physical therapy, except when it turned into a workout class, in which the teacher cued reps of Chair Pose. She mostly offered verbal cues, which were a little too vague to follow without a visual demonstration. There were very few variations offered and, more than once, I found myself lingering in limbo because I didn’t want to do the stretch as she showed it, but I didn’t know what else to do with my body.
She did, however, make an intentional effort to cue students to breathe multiple times throughout class, which I appreciated. She guided our awareness to specific areas of the body—like the ribs and belly—where we could direct the breath. Her prompts to notice where the breath is in different poses helped me deepen my stretches and relax more fully into each posture.
In the Y6 Restore class I attended, the teacher put her hands on me to adjust my leg in Reclining Hand-to-Big-Toe Pose without asking. I was surprised and disappointed, as in recent years, there’s been increased awareness surrounding student consent when it comes to a teacher’s hands-on adjustments. Different studios tend to handle the matter differently. Some have strict policies, whereas others leave it to the teacher’s discretion. In my class, when the teacher later returned to offer an adjustment, she did ask for consent beforehand, and when I said no, she respected that.
While in Corpse Pose at the end of class for Savasana, Etta James played loudly while the teacher handed out cold lavender-scented towels for our eyes during the final resting pose. (I don’t mind Etta, but this felt out of place to me.)
For a week following my class, I received several texts, calls, and voicemails from both a wellness advisor and the yoga teacher at Yoga Six asking me if I was interested in continuing my yoga journey with them. I’m not used to that level of follow-up after a first class and it turned me off to the experience. (I usually practice at small, independent studios where that kind of post-class outreach isn’t the norm.) After the fifth time I was contacted, I opted to block the number. Ultimately, this wasn’t the type of yoga class I want to take again.
Of course, this was just one class at one YogaSix studio with one teacher. I can’t speak for the entire brand or the experience someone else might have in a different class or city. But I can say that, for me, this version of yoga—highly structured, branded, and studio-lit—felt worlds apart from what originally drew me to the practice.
cabelo cortado em coque masculino
Ainda assim, recebo o apelo. Esses tipos de estúdios oferecem uma experiência familiar e repetível, não importa onde você esteja. E talvez seja o trade-off: algo mais acessível, mesmo que seja menos pessoal e muito longe da minha prática preferida. Talvez o futuro do Yoga dê espaço para ambos - para a abordagem mais agitada da boutique e as tradições mais tranquilas que nos fazem voltar aos nossos tapetes por razões que nem sempre podem ser marcadas.
