Moksha Yoga Thornhill is bougie and sometimes there are dogs

Last week I ventured to Moksha Yoga Thornhill. It's tucked away on Glen Cameron Road and parking is a bit difficult, but you can park on the street there. The outside of the studio is painted brick, with a huge Moksha flame. When I walked in, there was a guy with two dogs. I already knew it would be great. They had a spacious entrance area, a little shop and lounge area and two studios - one heated and one unheated. My schedule aligned with the unheated Pilates class, though they also have a heated Pilates class at other times. The Moksha studio I usually attend doesn't have Pilates classes, and I've only done a Pilates class once before so I didn't really know what to expect.

Fun fact, Moksha Yoga is a franchise and each studio is individually owned and operated, so each studio has a little bit of a different vibe, but all of the ones I've been to have one common thread - the smell of patchouli.

The class was taught by Jaime. The props we used were a blanket and two blocks. Note to self, it's a good idea get two blocks of the same size...Ok, so I was like um why do we need a blanket? Quickly I found out it was to be used as a weight on the arms. You're probably thinking blankets are so light, what kind of weight is that? They're actually very heavy when you're lying on your stomach, arms outstretched, pulsing your arms with the blanket on top. The class was full of moves like that, pulsing, core work. It's interesting to do a slower type of class because I've been doing HIIT so often. Jaime incorporated some yoga postures in the class, but she constantly reminded us about keeping proper form and squeezing certain muscles. Again, similar to the power yoga class, it was much less of a meditative class and more so a workout class. I kind of wish that I sweat more though? By the end of the class, I wasn't feeling like dying and somehow I felt that I didn't get enough of a workout.

From this experience, I can without a doubt say that I prefer heated classes. When I'm doing unheated yoga, I find that it's easier to lose focus and let your mind wander. It's a bit more comfortable, but uncomfortable at the same time. It feels like I could be doing this in my living room with a YouTube video.

Overall, Moksha Yoga Thornhill is a lovely, large studio with many different types of classes to choose from that can fit anyone's schedule. They also have a full service spa, called OM Spa on location. So you can get your yoga on and then your nails did. How convenient.