Studio: Thunderbolt Power Yoga

Class: Gentle Heated Power Flow

Instructor: Laura

So when I woke up on Thursday, I felt that all-too-familiar nagging pain. I’d pulled a muscle behind my knee in my spin class. Frustrating!

In order to keep being active, but also not over-do it, I decided to try some yoga.

I signed up for one of Thunderbolt’s heated classes. I’ve never taken part in any heated yoga, so I was nervous. I anticipated sweating buckets, struggling to breath, gasping for life. Turns out I was being a tad dramatic (imagine!)

The studio is located off of Roswell Road in Buckhead. There’s plenty of parking, so no worries there. Once I signed in, Laura gave me a quick tour of the studio. It’s small – with one studio, two bathrooms and two locker rooms for guys and girls. The yoga studio itself is small and intimate, and has lots of inspiring quotes on the wall. I’ve read a lot of complaints about the classes being “crowded.” Having done Yoga to The People in NYC (look them up if you’re ever there!), I was used to a jam packed class. My class at Thunderbolt wasn’t very full – everyone had space. They also have stickers on the floor you can align your mat with, so that helps out a lot.

Remember my fear of drowning in my own sweat on my mat? I definitely over-estimated it, as the studio was heated to “85-90 degrees”, but it honestly felt regular temperature to me. I run very cold, so it may feel warmer to others. It felt downright pleasant. The class moves you through gentle flows of warrior poses, triangles, some balance work and many,many down dogs.

While you won’t get a huge burn out of this class, you will get a wonderful stretch. I felt much more relaxed afterwards. There’s also plenty of positive affirmations, along with music, to guide your mind along. Laura comes around and gives individual adjustments (if that’s not your thing consider that your heads up!). Then, at the end, she hands out deliciously cool towels.

The quick and dirty review:

Rating: A

Studio: Shabby-chic decor with plenty of amenities in the locker rooms/bathrooms. Provides blocks and mats, but I believe the mats cost $ to rent.

Instructor: Laura did a good job of setting a calm energy for the class. Great instructor! At TB, the instructors walk around during class, so if you need to watch someone, head to the back!

Class: A peaceful way to add some flexibility back into your life. Calms and steadies you, but don’t expect to “feel the burn” as they say.