ohmygosh, this place is wonderful.

I am so pleased with the atmosphere, the staff and the classes. I have been doing yoga off and on, and I love that they have tons of beginner classes.

One of the main reasons that I chose this particular studio was that it was conveniently positioned to the Rosedale subway station. I had no clue what to expect as I have never heard anyone mention the place before; in the years I have been running in Rosedale I have never even seen it which is weird as it is apparently located right on Yonge Street.

For some reason I was convinced that 889 Yonge would be a very crunchy granola-esque yoga studio. I don’t know why, but the name seemed to say to me ‘bring your Birkenstocks’ (which I don’t own). I soon learned that you shouldn’t judge a studio by its name.

889 Yonge is truly a beautiful space. I think I fell in love with it upon entering the front door. As soon as you walk in you are greeted by some very friendly staff who really make you feel comfortable.

One of the things I appreciated about this studio is that they showed me around (unprompted). It was nice to actually know where everything was located, so I didn’t have to wander around aimlessly trying to guess where the bathroom or class was. I realized as I did the tour of the studio that the owners must be women- there were just so many feminine touches around! You were given slippers to walk around in, there was a library of yoga books to read, a tea garden to relax in prior to or after your class (try the tea it is delicious), environmentally friendly tampons in the bathrooms and hair elastics in the change room! The ladies change room was also one I would actually consider using. Normally I tend to get in and out of these places as fast as I can and shower at home. I got so caught up in the place itself that I almost forgot what I was there for…a yoga class.

The yoga class I took was called fundamental flow and was taught by Kim McBean. I honestly didn’t really know what to expect. I assumed it would be kind of similar to any other yoga I have attempted. The 75 minute class was quite challenging for someone like myself (beginner and terribly inflexible), but as a whole I enjoyed the challenge. The class itself is pretty athletic in style as the sequences were done quite quickly and there were a lot of planks. I found that the teacher did try and challenge us with poses that we may not normally get a chance to do until a more advanced level. One of my biggest discoveries in the class came when we were in the standing pigeon pose: my left side is way more inflexible than I thought…a lot more.

Yoga at 889 Yonge is membership based, but drop ins are welcome for $20 (you also don’t have to rent a mat as they have spares!). They also have a beginner’s yoga workshop series ($120 for four classes) that they offer frequently. Oh and I almost forgot the two best things about this place: they have a shop where they sell great lines of clothing and they have a spa!

PS: There appears to be a $28 mani/pedi place next door.