Yoga by candlelight: is this London's most relaxed fitness class?

Klaudia Balogh puts Virgin Active’s new calm yoga class to the relaxation test
Klaudia Balogh6 February 2017

When taking a yoga class, the question: “Could I ever fall asleep?” often crosses my mind. Although, it hasn’t happened so far, I got very close to it on Thursday night. So close I might have even drifted off for a minute or two.

Trying the Calm by Candlelight yoga at one of London's Virgin Active gyms brought together a combination of elements that allowed me to relax like I have never been able to in a fitness class.

The Class

Lit candles around the room paired with dim lighting and soothing music quickly set the mood for the 60 minute yoga practice. At first, I was surprised at all the props that were set out for us to use: bolsters, blocks, mat and a blanket. It was quite a setup, but it turned out that each one was helping to make one pose after the other as comfortable as possible.

Following the deep voice of the international yoga instructor Patrick Beach, it was easy to get lost in time and space even if just for a little while.

As Virgin Active’s global yoga ambassador, Patrick helped create a programme that welcomed everyone, no matter if you are a yoga newbie or pro. One of the new classes of 2017, “Calm by Candlelight” is meant to help restore the body and refresh the mind through postures that focus on stretching, recovery and breath work.

What it entails

It all began with Patrick leading us into being fully aware of every breath we took. And from then on, it was one pose after the other, but very slowly and steadily.

If you’re used to the Vinyasa yoga, this may be a bit slow for you. It was more of a floating than flowing experience.

With each pose, the focus was on letting the body melt into the stretch. There were no rushed moves, but rather holding each pose for at least five minutes.

Some people were bending more than others, but Patrick assisted us all to make sure everyone felt comfortable.

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Amy Bonifas took this class for the first time, and said it was one of the calmest she has ever tried. After having an intense week at work, this class helped her to let it all go for a bit.

“I was just trying to clear my head of anything I was worrying about and just be here,” she said.

Patrick said this is exactly the purpose of the calm practice. “It allows you to hold poses for a longer period of time, letting them marinate into your system,” he said. “And what that does — things begin to release, your mind begins to wander, going to all these different places. It helps you completely relax. So often we are so tied up in our regular lives that taking a little bit of self-care is very beneficial.”

Patrick Beach, International yoga instructor, Virgin Active global yoga ambassador.His journey into teaching yoga began with stretching and practicing handstands every day, he said.
Klaudia Balogh

The Verdict

Relaxation accomplished. Although I didn’t fall asleep in class, I slept like a baby that night. Holding each pose was relaxing and helped my body release lots of tension.

However, transitioning from one pose into another was a different story. There was one I particularly struggled with. Having sat back between my heals leaning back and resting on the bolster was rather challenging.

Once I found the position I could hold for a few minutes, sitting up didn’t go as I expected. Patrick would say: “And now slowly, rise up.” But my body would go: “I don’t think so.” It took my mind a second to convince my body to move and come out of the stretch.

We finished up the class by laying down, tucked under the blanket. As Patrick was guiding our thoughts from sandy beaches to snowy mountains our minds drifted off to a worry-free place where we all felt comfortable and relaxed.

Klaudia Balogh is a freelance health and fitness writer. Follow her on Twitter @ByKlaudiaBalogh

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