It’s no secret that working out is one of my top priorities. It is also not a secret that I have a love of yoga. However, while most yogis only belong to one studio, I maintain a regular practice at two yoga studios! The reason behind this unusual decision is that the two yoga studios offer very different things to my practice. Y7 is not your average yoga studio. Rather than play peaceful flute music in a bohemian atmosphere, Y7 has an edgier approach to yoga.
Y7 is a New York-based yoga studio that was established in 2013, and has expanded to include two Los Angeles studios in addition to their eight New York locations. Just recently, Y7 ranked 80th on the 2018 list of America’s fastest-growing private companies by Inc. 5000. I firmly believe that all things happen for a reason, and Y7 has certainly earned this honor in my eyes.
Y7 is unlike any of my other yoga experiences. Where most yoga studios make you feel like a little hippie, Y7 makes me feel like I’m way cooler than I actually am because they bring an urban edge to yoga that you wouldn’t expect. They have adopted a black and white color scheme and minimalist aesthetic. They grace their Instagram feed with the hashtag, #weflowhard and adorn the walls of their studio with words such as “A Tribe Called Sweat,” “Poser,” and my personal favorite, “Namastizzle.” This is not your ordinary yoga studio, but it is one of my favorites.
When it comes to the yoga, Y7 instructors lead the class through one hour of intense flows in a mirrorless, candle-lit room that is heated to ensure you work up a sweat. There are three primary flows throughout class, and you do each flow three times. During the first round of a flow, the instructor breaks down the motions and the breathing patterns, taking the whole class through the movements very slowly. I personally find this round to be the most difficult, for it truly tests my strength and patience. The second round is taken at a faster pace. The instructor doesn’t dwell on the details as much, but rather focuses on the connections and transitions to smooth out the practice. The last round is my favorite. During the third round, the instructor turns up the music and everyone moves through the flow at their own pace, as fast or as slow as they wish. In this round, there is no right and wrong. No one is obligated to follow the same flow we had done in the previous two rounds. In fact, I have seen a lot of yogis use this round to practice their handstands and inversions. I love to use this round to test my memory of the flow and to do my best to move through the poses as effortlessly as I can. This pattern is repeated for the other two flows the instructor will walk you through, and I promise you will be a sweaty mess by the time you are done.
And did I mention that this whole thing is done to hip hop music? Y7 plays everything from Cardi B to Drake, Missy Elliott, and Snoop Dogg, often going outside of the rap and hip hop genre into include other artists like Ariana Grande, Beyoncé, Janet Jackson, and Outkast. Hip Hop Wednesday and Hip Hop Sunday are regular themes each week, and I often look forward to the next mashup of artists. Practicing yoga to contemporary music instead of flute music makes the practice feel more relatable. Although traditional yoga music definitely still has a place within the world of yoga, Y7’s choice in tunes is more current. This causes the practice to feel like it isn’t stuck in a different century, but rather like it was specifically tailored for the modern individual, making it appealing to young urban adults like myself.
If you are interested in giving a cooler, edgier yoga studio a shot, I highly recommend Y7. I have only been attending this studio since May, but the quality yoga and amazing instructors keep me driving out to West Hollywood about twice per week for class, despite LA’s infamous traffic. I absolutely love the unique spin this studio has on yoga and the contribution that it makes to my overall practice of yoga. I’ll end this post, just how we end class: Namaste.
xx
Emily
