Yoga in Markham

Named after the word tula, which signifies balance, Tula Hot Yoga was created to promote guests' inner and outer harmony and well-being. After a Pilates or hatha- or flow-yoga class—available in a hot or temperate studio—patrons can indulge in spa treatments ranging from herbal body wraps to Ayurvedic facials and massages. Each location evokes a soothing, nature-inspired look, characterized by wood flooring and water fountains. The studios' radiant heating panels, natural cleaning products, and organic spa products also speak to a desire for balance with the earth.

Tula Hot Yoga has built a loyal local following for both its yoga classes and spa services. The Tula West location made a list of Best Health magazine writer Kat Tancock's favourite yoga studios. Studio director Isabel Lambert's "meticulous approach" to sugaring was praised by Fashion Magazine in 2010, and the establishment was voted one of the Best Spas in Toronto in 2009 by readers of BlogTO.

Heat seems to emanate from Fireflow Yoga’s cozy confines. It could be the soft lighting or the warm tones of the hardwood floors, but the studio’s teachers swear it’s the energy flowing through the students in their signature Ashtanga classes. Here, yogis of all levels rehearse poses that summon sweat while they stretch and strengthen muscles throughout their bodies. The instructors, each of whom possesses at least three years of teaching experience, also lead classes for specific populations such as athletes and moms-to-be. The staff keeps its routines up to date by regularly welcoming renowned master yogis to the studio to share their sage knowledge of body-mind alignment and what sound a tree in the forest makes when performing downward dog.

After class, students can peruse the studio’s boutique, which teems with sporty, stretchy fashions created by indie designers. Though most classes are designed for adults, the studio hosts kid-friendly activities such as yoga-themed birthday parties and play sessions filled with animal-inspired poses.

When Bikram Choudhury shattered his knee, his rehabilitation quest led him to therapeutic yoga. As he followed his regimen, he substantively tweaked it, inventing his own eponymous yoga style: a series of 26 poses executed in a hot yoga studio. At Bikram Toronto East, the certified instructors are not only well-versed in Bikram’s style, its therapeutic benefits, and human anatomy—they have also trained under Bikram himself, studying for more than 500 hours with him and his staff. This experience pays off as a majority of the studio's classes heavily feature Bikram's sequences of repeated poses. Aiming to share Bikram's teachings with as many students as possible, the studio also offers donation-based classes and kids’ sessions.

Within Asana Body Mind Hot Yoga’s cozy studio, overhead panels generate the heat that makes students sweat in temperatures of up to 40 degrees Celsius. Since each panel warms only the students and their mats—rather than the air itself—the heat can better penetrate their skin, encouraging healthy perspiration to oust bodily toxins.

Employing the skills he learned while studying in the Indian province of Kerala, studio director Jason Campbell leads yogis through series of poses during a variety of hot-yoga classes, helping them hone their internal rhythm and stretch their bodies while building peace of mind. Jason and the other instructors walk students through each pose and adjust their postures as needed as they bend and sway atop springy cork floors designed to minimize the impact on joints and keep students afloat on the sea of sweat. To encourage a sense of community within the studio, students are encouraged to socialize after class, and staffers serve shots of nutrient-rich wheatgrass juice upon request before and after each session.

Each member of Bikram Yoga Canada’s talented team of instructors possesses a sage yogic know-how borne of their participation in a 10-week certification course taught by Bikram Choudhury in California. Over the course of this rigorous program, the posing pedagogues learned the essentials of heated movement modality, spending hours stuffing their brains with wisdom ranging from yoga philosophy and anatomy to a detailed study of each pose. While the world-renowned course provides the team with an unshakable foundation, the instructors—firm believers that learning is a never-ending endeavour—undergo re-certification every three years to ensure that they remain abreast of current practices. With this impeccably trained and passionate staff at the helm of every sweat-inducing class, Bikram Yoga Canada offers students of all experience levels a chance to experience the physical detoxification afforded by stretching sessions within their balmy studio. During each class, the instructors put their hard-earned teaching skills into practice as they lead pupils through a series of 26 postures, known as asanas, designed to warm and stretch muscles, ligaments, and tendons while melting away tension and the frozen dinners stored in the hearts of pupils.

Instructor Linda Summers strives to instill within each of her students the important life lessons that yoga has taught her—to slow down, celebrate each day, and embrace the goodness in every living thing. Linda has been carving out a healthy lifestyle for two decades through her work as a personal trainer, Pilates instructor, and spin instructor, but it's been her decade of yoga practice that has truly shaped her outlook on life. Over the years, Linda has studied under many notable yogis, including Baron Baptiste and Twee Merrigan.

Now she shepherds aspiring yogis of all levels along the path of physical, mental, and spiritual discipline—which leads the traveller toward wisdom and away from the lies crooned by late-night infomercials—through small Vinyasa and Hatha yoga classes. During these classes, Linda teaches her students to marry controlled breath with a flow of athletic and remedial postures as she gently adjusts their forms. Her studio's earthy walls surround students in tranquility as she inspires them to feel the strength and vibrancy that yoga has taught her to realize within herself.