Despite the fact that I’m rarely motivated to try a new-to-me yoga class—especially at one of the many big-box-style studios popping up everywhere with their sleek cubbies and branded tank tops—I recently stepped outside my comfort zone to take a class at YogaSix. Billed as a modern yoga boutique, the brand has opened more than 200 locations across the U.S., quickly becoming la plus grande franchise de yoga aux États-Unis, et s'est étendu à l'international à Allemagne et Japon . In a post-pandemic time when many independent studios have closed their doors, that kind of growth is hard to ignore. So while I prefer practicing yoga at small, independent studios, I signed up for a restorative class at my local YogaSix to see what’s drawing so many people in. Having practiced an array of yoga styles for more than a decade, I wondered whether this modern, chain-studio version of yoga could possibly work for someone like me.
Pour beaucoup, je ne peux que supposer que le format structuré, la marque de studio cohérente et le sens de la communauté qui s'accompagne d'un habitué pourraient plaire à quelqu'un de nouveau en yoga ou à la recherche d'un point d'entrée à faible barrier. Il y a une accessibilité inhérente à entrer dans un espace familier, quelle que soit la ville dans laquelle vous vous trouvez. C'est l'attrait d'une franchise, non? Vous savez à quoi vous attendre, peu importe la ville ou le studio.
Le yogasix n'offre pas de cours de yoga traditionnels (ils ne le prétendent pas non plus), mais plus d'un style de fusion qui est devenu populaire dans de nombreux gymnases et studios. J'ai choisi de prendre une restauration Y6, qui est décrite comme une pratique pour libérer des groupes musculaires majeurs de tout le corps et se déroule dans une pièce chaude. J'évite généralement le yoga chauffé comme une préférence personnelle, mais j'étais curieux du choix du studio d'ajouter un environnement chaleureux à un style de yoga connu pour ses mouvements relaxants et lents.
Despite my initial panic when I started to sweat before class even began, I tried to keep an open mind. The room was dark, which was ideal, but when dramatic neon blue and green stage lights turned on, the room felt more like a nightlife venue than a yoga studio to me.
Pourtant, il semblait rassurant et accueillant que l'enseignant avait déjà mis en place les accessoires pour chaque élève avant notre arrivée. Yogasix a sa propre version d'un Boîtier, qu'ils appellent un oreiller. Il est en forme de renforcement, mais il est également très doux et pas aussi robuste qu'un faisceau typique. Lorsque je l'ai utilisé sous mes jambes à Savasana, il a offert moins de soutien que je ne m'étais habitué pour mon bas du dos. L'enseignant nous a également donné des taies d'oreiller veloutées à les mettre sur eux, ce qui a apaisé mon monstre de germe intérieur. (Dans la plupart des studios, vous faites simplement la paix avec le fait que les accessoires ont vu beaucoup d'utilisation - et probablement absorbé beaucoup de sueur. Essayez de ne pas trop y penser.)
For the majority of the class, the vibe was a hybrid between a stretching class and physical therapy, except when it turned into a workout class, in which the teacher cued reps of Chair Pose. She mostly offered verbal cues, which were a little too vague to follow without a visual demonstration. There were very few variations offered and, more than once, I found myself lingering in limbo because I didn’t want to do the stretch as she showed it, but I didn’t know what else to do with my body.
She did, however, make an intentional effort to cue students to breathe multiple times throughout class, which I appreciated. She guided our awareness to specific areas of the body—like the ribs and belly—where we could direct the breath. Her prompts to notice where the breath is in different poses helped me deepen my stretches and relax more fully into each posture.
In the Y6 Restore class I attended, the teacher put her hands on me to adjust my leg in Reclining Hand-to-Big-Toe Pose without asking. I was surprised and disappointed, as in recent years, there’s been increased awareness surrounding student consent when it comes to a teacher’s hands-on adjustments. Different studios tend to handle the matter differently. Some have strict policies, whereas others leave it to the teacher’s discretion. In my class, when the teacher later returned to offer an adjustment, she did ask for consent beforehand, and when I said no, she respected that.
While in Corpse Pose at the end of class for Savasana, Etta James played loudly while the teacher handed out cold lavender-scented towels for our eyes during the final resting pose. (I don’t mind Etta, but this felt out of place to me.)
For a week following my class, I received several texts, calls, and voicemails from both a wellness advisor and the yoga teacher at Yoga Six asking me if I was interested in continuing my yoga journey with them. I’m not used to that level of follow-up after a first class and it turned me off to the experience. (I usually practice at small, independent studios where that kind of post-class outreach isn’t the norm.) After the fifth time I was contacted, I opted to block the number. Ultimately, this wasn’t the type of yoga class I want to take again.
Of course, this was just one class at one YogaSix studio with one teacher. I can’t speak for the entire brand or the experience someone else might have in a different class or city. But I can say that, for me, this version of yoga—highly structured, branded, and studio-lit—felt worlds apart from what originally drew me to the practice.
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Pourtant, je reçois l'appel. Ces types de studios offrent une expérience familière et reproductible, peu importe où vous êtes. Et peut-être que c'est le compromis: quelque chose de plus accessible, même s'il est moins personnel et loin de ma pratique préférée. Peut-être que l'avenir du yoga fait de la place pour les deux - pour l'approche boutique plus bourdonnante et les traditions plus silencieuses qui nous font revenir à nos tapis pour des raisons qui ne peuvent pas toujours être marquées.
