Australian Yoga Journey - Melbourne Yoga Studio Review & Yoga for Jet lag

Northern Territory, Australia

Me and my yoga mates down under!

My epic Australian yoga journey will start in Melbourne and last for eight weeks. It will include a life changing 4000km road trip deep into the outback from Sydney to Darwin.....oh and a month in beautiful Bali; any sensible yogini seeking all things yoga, health and wellness would, especially seeing as it's so close to Darwin (2.5 hour flight). I'll be documenting and sharing my journey in three blog posts over the next few weeks. Here's a taste of what's on offer to inspire your desire for travel, exploration, wellness and adventure:

1. Melbourne yoga studio review - Review of Melbourne's best yoga studios  - Yoga for jet lag
2. The wonder of the outback  - Dream time stories - Yoga philosophy - The story of an epic journey
3. Beautiful Bali - The yogic art of self care, love and surrender in Bali - Yin yoga explained

So come and share my Oz yoga journey with me; learn more about yoga philosophy, yoga practice and styles, aboriginal dream time, the art of self love, yin yoga and yoga for jet lag...... and much more.

I am lucky enough to have yoga students all over the world, and this blog post  is especially for my lovely Melbourne lot! Or for those who fancy travelling to Melbourne in search of yoga classes - you never know! 

So, I arrived in Melbourne on new year's day with crippling jet lag feeling really discombobulated after a 24 hour flight and such a dramatic change of climate; from a deep dark UK winter, to the height of summer in Melbourne. December 2015 had been challenging for me and I fancied a kick start to my usual personal practice so went in search of all things yoga; I was keen to see what Melbourne had to offer so I visited and reviewed two very different yoga studios.

Yoga Studio Review 1 - Breathe Pilates and Yoga Studios - 289 Little Collins Street, Melbourne

Breathe Studios, Melbourne

This spacious, serene, top floor yoga and Pilates studio offers a wide array of classes for all levels. Clean, airy and white washed throughout you'd never believe you were nestled right  in the middle of the CBD, and only 5 minutes from Flinders Street station. The studio sells itself as 'Melbourne's favourite yoga and Pilates studio' and I can see why.

I received a first rate welcome here. The receptionist was expecting me; I had conveniently booked online an hour prior to arrival with yoga studio app while having lunch in the nearby National Gallery of Victoria. I was greeted with fresh olive leaf tea and a gargantuan puffy sofa to sit on - lovely!

I felt really comfortable here. The atmosphere was very serene and relaxed; sometimes, especially if you are a beginner, it can be intimidating entering a yoga studio for the first time. The changing rooms however were disappointing after such a wonderful foyer area! They were small, a bit sweaty smelling and without lockers - hey ho you can't have it all.

The studio was well equipped, spacious and had no mirrors, which some people prefer. As a yoga teacher I always prefer having a mirror to check my alignment, but it's such a personal thing. I took a 75 min open level flow class, which was a mixture of flow combinations and then Hatha poses at end. It was really well paced and the flow combinations, including the fallen angel pose which I really enjoy were terrific. We performed spinal twists, cobra poses and inversions which are all great for jet lag (see links at the end for more information on yoga for jet lag). The youngish teacher was superb at offering options for varying levels; it's hard to get it right especially in an open level class. The musical accompaniment was pleasant but too low in volume to be fully appreciated which was a shame. The relaxation at the end of the class was ample to sooth my jet lag. At the average price of $25 per drop in class  it offered a well executed and well rounded class. If you have 2 weeks to spare then $33 will buy you unlimited classes for 14 days which is phenomenal (introductory offer only); by far the cheapest I have seen in these parts.

Despite being mainly a pilates studio the yoga was good; and I was concerned about this at the onset. It really is somewhere to 'breathe' in the busy city centre! If like me, you combine every outing with a potential yoga class, then this is the studio for you being so close to Melbourne's cultural area and Flinders Street Station. Check it out here!

Yoga Studio Review 2 - One Hot Yoga - 36 - 48 River Street, South Yarra, Melbourne

One Hot Yoga Studio, Melbourne

One Hot Yoga Studio, Melbourne

One Hot Yoga Studio, Melbourne

One Hot Yoga was a somewhat different experience. The introductory blurb on the studio website stated the following: 

"One Hot Yoga is a contemporary studio that separates the core teachings of yoga from the cultural practices that have historically surrounded it, such as offerings, chanting, Sanskrit, mystics, deities and gurus. Our name reflects our accessible, evidence-based approach."

I must say I was a bit concerned about their claim. I was taught that yoga is a way of life, and 'yog' in Sanskrit means to join or to connect, so anything that aims to 'separate' raises suspicion for me. Yoga originated in India, and its core teachings are so utterly entwined with the culture; in my eyes it would be impossible to separate the two. I'm guessing that in doing so they are aiming to create a yoga identity for the 'urban-hippies' (as I like to call us - yes it takes one to know one!) riding on the glorious wheel of anything wellness related (with eastern spiritual origin of course), but with western packaging - for the hip and sophisticated crowd of South Yarra that perhaps take comfort in more scientific, as opposed to 'new age' approaches. But hey, it's all semantics really and the proof is in the pudding.

The studio is located in a warehouse in the backstreets of south Yarra. It's a very cool location and a wonderfully designed space; this studio has attitude. It's slick, designer and minimalist, with polished grey concrete floors and sexy sultry lighting. I wasn't surprised when I discovered that the whole concept was the brainchild of an architect and yogini couple. The changing rooms are also great; spacious, luxurious, stylish and comfortable with big lockers - always a plus.

My welcome  here was somewhat perfunctory, and a little intimidating, however there was a queue of people behind me waiting to roll out their mats and begin pre-class stretching so I'll forgive them for this. I attended a lunchtime warm yoga flow class at $25 drop in (for a 2 week introductory unlimited trial you'd pay $50), which offered lots of opportunity for twists and satisfying stretches to aid my jet lag (click the link below for more information about yoga for jet lag). The teacher offered lots of great warrior combinations which really helped to ground me after 24 hours on a plane. The class soon ended with a short but sweet sivasana. 

Overall I enjoyed the class, but it felt a little impersonal and more like a demonstration than a class; again perhaps this a personal preference. I guess some folk enjoy being able to 'switch off' and 'internalise' during their lunch break yoga class, however, I would like to have sensed that the teacher was quietly tuning in a little more than she did. When I teach, my multi-sensorial antenna are always 'pinged' up, and seeking information for my feedback-class-modification-student-needs teaching loop - gasp. The timetable as a whole looked pretty good, and consisted of their signature slow hot flow yoga class, power flow, and yin - all, either hot or warm!

One Hot Yoga is definitely worth the visit if you like hot yoga, and just simply just for its architecturally luxuriant surroundings! I only attended one very short lunchtime class there, so it's hard to get the big picture here. The studio is trendy and modern, albeit a little self aware, but it's perfect for a winters day in Melbourne when you need a dose of yoga and warmth. Check it out online here

 The second installment of my Oz Yoga journey will document my 4000km road trip across Australia. It will cover yoga philosophy and aboriginal dream time in the magical Australian wilderness where the land is all. Join me for this magical journey and learn about ancient yogic scripts and Australian dream time stories.

If you are interested in learning about yoga for grounding and jet lag, then look out for Margate Yoga Collectives* new timetable of events and classes, or my blog Mounira Almenoar - Yoga Health Wellness. You can also take a look at this article and this one too.

I'm off to put another prawn on the barbi. So long for now! 

Mounira x

Outdoor yoga in Melbourne