CorePower Yoga

If you’re looking for an immersive spiritual experience, this ain’t it. CorePower is a big-box franchise with studios in 24 states. They have 28 studios in Colorado alone! There’s a new podcast called Yoga is Dead. Yoga is Dead is a revolutionary podcast that explores power, privilege, fair pay, harassment, race, cultural appropriation and capitalism in the yoga and wellness worlds from Indian-American hosts Tejal + Jesal. Their first episode is titled White Women Killed Yoga. I can’t help but think this studio is exactly what they are referencing. I’m attaching some of their tips on allyship here (cause y’all need it).

I went to a Saturday morning class in LoHi and the studio was all abuzz. There was at least one other class starting and ending around the same time. It was pretty hectic but the studio is extremely well organized, bright and modern. This was one of those studios with scary stock images of thin people incorporating weights into their practice so I decided to take a beginner friendly class to start. Also, even with the abundant schedule, there are only a few options on ClassPass so my choices were limited. It looks like you really have to plan ahead (not my bag) if you expect to make it in during a busier time. This was a small class of 8 in an appropriately sized room.

There was one male and a few older women so overall pretty diverse; the more advanced classes didn’t seem to have that same level of diversity. The class was as advertised, an unheated and beginner friendly foundations class. Good for beginners, not very memorable for me.

I didn’t feel like I had a grasp on what CorePower was really about so I took a C2 – CorePower Yoga 2 class Monday afternoon. This class is heated and the flow is faster than C1. This was my first class with a plus size instructor so I was super hype! I thought I’d be in for some great modification suggestions and hands on assists but none of that happened. It felt very impersonal, a little clinical. I’d say there were 20-25 people in class, mostly fit, with around 7 men. It was a great workout but I didn’t feel that sense of community and mindfulness that I usually feel leaving a hot yoga class.

As for the actual workout, it was a ton of legs and balance work. There was an extended sequence all on one leg – one legged tadasana, standing figure four, crescent lunge, shiva squat, standing split, and dancer to half pigeon. There was no waterfall, bridge, or wheel. I’d say right around halfway through class we did a core workout with crunches and some leg lowering drills.

Listen, I’d definitely go back if I need a good workout in a pinch but this felt less like yoga and more like a group personal training session. Take it for what it’s worth.

Recommendations: C2 – CorePower Yoga 2 for a hot and sweaty workout; don’t expect much mindfulness.

Notes: 60 min

What to Wear/Bring: Yoga Mat, Full Sized Towel, Water