Baptiste Power Vinyasa (All Levels) - Portland Power Yoga

Ally and I with a post-class glow

Now THIS is a yoga class I can really get behind...

 

Starting with the nitty gritty... drop-in costs $10.  But ten bucks doesn't just get you a spot in their heated room, they also provide (for first time visitors) a mat, a towel, blocks, a packet of an electrolyte supplement for after your workout, and "yogi toes", which, hilariously, I thought was going to be some kind of strange footwear but silly me, it's actually a special non-slip towel for your mat.  The facility also offers showers, bathrooms, and very friendly, not-at-all-snobby staff.

 

I had the privilege of speaking with the instructor, Kristy, who is an absolute doll, before class.  When I told her I had taken Bikram before, she described PPY's brand of Vinyasa both vaguely and perfectly: it is similar to and yet NOTHING like Bikram.  Sure, both rooms are hot, but you can actually breathe and function at PPY.  You don't feel suffocated like you do in Bikram.  Both styles have static poses, and even a couple of the same ones (see: "Eagle"), but this particular yoga-style also overs a flow or movement between poses, which is repetitive like the chorus is in a song. Let me explain that a little: you do a couple static poses, or a verse, and then the flow, or the chorus.  The chorus is then followed by a different verse and then back to that same chorus.  Although at first a little confusing, the sequence is first introduced slowly then sped up and repeated throughout so by the end of class, you know what's coming.

 

The class was fun, the instructor was positive, interactive, down-to-earth... but what truly stands out was the way I felt as I was leaving class.  I was completely drenched in sweat but I did not grimy, beat up, dizzy, nauseous.  Instead, I felt stretched, energized, and just, well, happy.  Although my sample size is small, I have never left any yoga class feeling that great.  I cannot recommend this studio highly enough.  My first was definitely NOT my final visit.
 



From the Portland Power Yoga Facebook page