CorePower Yoga Comm Ave

BostonYoga

CLASSES

Review:

mm
byKelsey Schachter, September 26, 2016

If yoga class were a drink, C2 at CorePower Yoga would be a margarita with a spicy rim. CorePower Yoga is known for its trendiness, whether it be the music or the athleisure clothing for sale in the lobby. Regardless of your yoga experience, you are going to sweat, which is why we highly recommend taking the front desk up on their free towel offer with your first class. To get the most out of C2 the key is to be aware of your body alignment. Basically don’t cheat the revolved triangle pose just to touch the floor.

RUNDOWN

WORKOUT

C2 is the trademark CorePower Yoga class. It’s about 98 degrees in there and will make you melt almost as much as Nick Lachey did your heart back in 1999. Class starts out with setting an intention for your practice and then quickly moves into Sun A. This a warm-up flow transitioning among easier poses, such as mountain, backbend and chaturanga. Two flows of Sun A is followed by Sun B, where the first sequence is slow but each poses is held for multiple breaths increasing the difficulty. You’ll move through strengthening and balance poses, such as chair, crescent lunge, warrior 3, standing splits and more. The real challenge is moving seamlessly from one pose to the next. In typical yoga fashion, every posture and movement is optional, with the instructor offering varied adjustment suggestions to the class.

After completing three Sun Bs on both our left and right sides, the focus moved to core work. This is usually no more than one song in length but depending on the instructor can run the gamut of burning to a short break. Post abs comes more complex poses tailored to help you move into the “fun pose.” The instructor demos a pretty advanced pose, typically an inversion of some kind, and then the class has about three minutes to play around with it. This is nowhere near enough time to perfect a pose like fallen angel, but provides some much needed guided practice. If you’re looking to get upside down, you’ll need to do put in some work on your own time.

With the 50-minute mark in sight, half pigeon is cued, and the next 10 minutes are dedicated to restorative stretches and a savasana finish. Be prepared to have your head/neck/legs massaged by the instructor at this time. Personally we don’t mind this mini kneaded relief, but if touching isn’t your thing, make sure to raise your hand when asked at the beginning of class.  

INSTRUCTOR

Finding the right instructor at CorePower is EVERYTHING. At CorePower Yoga on Comm Ave, we love Allison B. for her relaxed yet equally peppy nature. Also on our fave list are Shauna, Jenna H. and Chad. These ladies and gent can both tell and show you how to move into poses, and they seem genuinely thrilled to be teaching yoga. Plus, their taste in music (Chainsmokers, Kygo-type genres and the occasional throw backs) doesn’t hurt either.

SPACE

All the rooms at CorePower Yoga Comm Ave have wood floors and the walls are covered with mirrors, which is a little controversial for the yogi world. Some think having the visual is helpful for alignment, others think it’s super distracting and visually everyone looks different in postures so it shouldn’t matter how you look. You decide for yourself what you prefer. There is only one room in the studio which has windows and the lighting is usually dim with the shades are drawn.

The retail space in the lobby is hauuuuge. They have everything you need and some things you don’t need but definitely want.There are racks and racks of must have apparel with brands like Alo, Alter Ego, lululemon and Spiritual Gangster. They also sell jewelry, mats, beauty products, and anything else your heart desires before or after a yoga class. The locker rooms are quite spacious, which is a pleasant surprise around town. There are lockers (bring your own lock), five showers, towels for purchase, shampoo/conditioner, lotion, Q-tips, hair dryers, brushes, straighteners, deodorant, hair spray, and tampons; the only things missing are plastic bags for your sweaty clothes.

CorePower Yoga Comm Ave

1119 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, MA 02215
Brookline Yoga $$

CorePower Yoga Comm Ave

Brookline Yoga $$

1119 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, MA 02215




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