Walking into Tower Yoga the smell of sage fills my nose, I look down and feel some funky-textured flooring, and hear music playing. Finally. A place to come together and practice your well being of mind & body. I definitely think Tower District has been needing a place for this. It’s in a great location (on Wishon next to Goldsteins) and I am so grateful I can come to this sacred spot and feel welcomed by such an incredible community and teachers. Backstory: I met Jameson and Kellee at another studio while taking their classes and became extremely attracted to their teaching styles. They have such a beautiful energy surrounding them and it definitely shows in the way they teach and encourage you in each class. I remember taking a class of Jameson’s – his was the only class I’ve ever taken where I actually cried after releasing so much energy. I mean, THAT is the kind of yoga you want, right?! Kellee is amazing because she challenges me and seeks to help find understanding all kinds of human experiences. She is so knowledgable and also shares very intimate readings, poetry, and quotes that resonate with me and inspire me to just be a better human.
I thought I’d take my introductory week of yoga to explore different classes and break down my experiences at each class. Each class offers something completely different and energizing. Some are heated and some aren’t. I personally prefer the heated classes just because I’ve grown accustomed to them and enjoy sweating it out.
Monday – Hot Vinyasa Flow (w Jameson)In this class I completely tuned in and focused on releasing everything from my work day. Jameson always has great flow sequences for students and you can definitely count on getting a workout in. In this heated class flexibility increases in your body with each stretch. The heat makes it that much easier to do so. I felt completely energized after. Not to mention my skin is SO soft the day after a hot yoga class. Does anyone else notice that?!
Tuesday – Yoga For Healing (w Karen)This was a very gentle class (non-heated) that I enjoyed mainly because I found my meditation here. If your like me, sometimes it’s hard to find a space at home where you can really hone in on a quiet space. You will find in Karen’s class that she encourages students to not do a posture if it doesn’t feel good, she encourages you to do what you feel is best for you at that moment. During the end of class she asked us to lie in a position laying down. I stayed upright with my legs crossed. Within those couple of minutes I became aware of the sensations of my breath and what it sounded like. It’s actually kind of hard to describe what meditating “feels like” but once you do reach that point, you will know. I freaking live for those moments.
Wednesday – Hot Yoga Express (w Jameson & or Kellee) I really like the idea of Hot Yoga express because its during the middle of day in the afternoon where the community can come during a lunch break to get a quick yoga sesh in. Yes its hot, but they have showers…pretty ones! So that eliminates your problem of staying sweaty. Unless you want to. That’s cool too. This class is only 45 minutes. I found this particular flow as a quick energizer in the middle of my day. Sometimes that's all you need to continue your day of being a bad ass. Check out what an express class looks like here!
Thursday – Yoga en Espanol (w Janel!) THIS CLASS >>>>>Janel is amazing at making you feel like you’ve been practicing yoga for a century. She is so talented and always recognizes her students as warriors. This class is taught in all spanish. As a spanglish speaker, I was challenged to remember my spanish during the postures, that way I wasn’t cranking my neck in a downward dog to see that we had moved to an upward dog position. Overall it was all fun. The best part about it was the music!! The latin and tropical beats set the tone perfectly. She offers community classes for these so keep your eyes peeled for her next espanol offering!
Friday – Chill Yoga//Yoga Beatz (w Jameson & Kellee) After being sick for 2 and a half days, (weather change ALWAYS gets me) I brought my tissues and crawled out of bed for the Chill Yoga class with Kellee. This class is more of a restorative session where you release tension & create new oxygen in different parts of your body. After sneezing my brains out for two days my shoulders and back felt so tense. This class it helped because we stretched different parts of the back. I instantly felt the melting away of tension. Yoga beats was a fun class with a DJ playing live sets of funky music. We played, danced, hopped around for a whole hour. Felt completely ALIVE in this class.
Saturday – All Levels Yoga All levels yoga is exactly what it sounds like. I found this to be another calming session where I was free to do what my body felt like. Although this was a non-heated class, I definitely broke a sweat 10 minutes into my flow. Kellee does a great job at giving modifications for students who are at different levels! This class is for everybody, so GO! PRO TIP: (Did I mention your first week is FREE?!) See their website for details on monthly prices- and keep a look out for Community classes! These are discounted classes for drop in prices of 6$ YAY!!
When I do get the opportunity to take some time out of my busy week for some yoga I am completely and fully for it. Its amazing to know that this community has the power to develop through this connected energy. Again, I’m so very grateful to be able to practice at this peaceful place for my own personal development. We have the POWER to practice right here and allow our community to grow and flourish. We need yoga in our lives, people. Lets keep practicing and sharing our experiences!
