yoga Archives - Sweet Potato Bites

I’ve had a complicated relationship with yoga over the years. I always loved yoga and my body definitely reaped from its benefits, but I had a hard time finding a studio that I could call home. When I lived in LA, Liberation Yoga was my go-to for a while but when I moved to back to Orange County 5 years ago, I found myself bouncing from studio to studio but never really feeling a connection. Until I stepped into EKAM Yoga.

EKAM Yoga is a small studio located off PCH in Newport Beach. The studio is small with just one room to practice in, but the warmth and friendliness you feel when you walk in can’t be beat. One of EKAM Yoga’s main objectives is to foster a strong sense of community in all of their classes which I love.

When I practiced yoga in the past, I always would go maybe once a week, maybe skip a week here and there and then go again, but since I started taking classes at EKAM, I’ve been craving my weekly yoga sessions. I’ve even been going 2-3x as week, which is totally unheard of for me. But honestly, I feel SO much more grounded and relaxed after practicing at EKAM, which I love.

I also think that yoga has been a great compliment to running and crossfit. I love the intensity of those workouts and I think having yoga to balance that is great. Besides, a lot of the vinaysa classes have been kicking my butt!

If you are an OC local, I can’t recommended EKAM Yoga enough. The instructors are lovely and the classes are appropriate for anyone at ANY level (believe me, I’m not flexible at all and I feel comfortable there). And if you are not in OC and haven’t found your “yoga home” yet, keep looking! The right studio is out there and when you find it you’ll be so grateful that you did.

Have you heard of Class Pass? It’s an online fitness membership that gives you access to a variety of fitness studios for a monthly fee. You can check out as many studios as you want, and can attend each one up to 3x each month. Class Pass just started in Orange County and I recently had the opportunity to try it out for a month.

One thing I noticed right off the bat was how easy it was to schedule and book your classes. You can filter by date, location, or class and then just click schedule on the one you want. Class Pass will automatically add a reminder to your Google calendar, and you have up to until 12 hrs before class to cancel (canceling any time after that will result in a $20 cancellation fee).

Since I already do a lot of crossfit and running, I wanted to use Class Pass for things I wouldn’t normally do like yoga, barre, and spinning. Here are the classes I took:

Spinning at YAS:

One of the things I liked about YAS was the fact that it you didn’t have to rent shoes or pay for any extras which was nice. However, I found the class to be a bit lackluster and the instructor not the most motivating, so it was a bit of a disappointment.

Vinyasa Flow at EKAM Yoga:

I’m definitely NOT a yogi, but I love the way my body feels after a good yoga class. The environment at EKAM yoga was warm and inviting, and I loved how my legs felt looser after the class. I’m definitely planning on returning to EKAM Yoga in the future for some more classes.

Spinning at Full Psycle:

I’ve taken Full Psycle classes in the past and LOVED them. I don’t spin there too often due to budget, but every time I go to class I get a killer workout. The leaderboard can be a bit intimidating at times, but all the instructors are super motivating and deliver a kick-ass workout. Plus, I love how they send you your stats after each class.

Pure Barre:

A few years ago I was all about the barre, attending classes 3-4x a week. Then I got more into running and crossfit and barre kind of fell by the wayside. It was fun to return to a barre class and revisit that all-too familiar thigh shaking feeling when you are pulsing in low squats.

Overall I really enjoyed my experience with Class Pass! In the future I’d love to give it a go again, mainly because it got me back into yoga again which was much-needed.

Interested in checking out Class Pass for yourself? Here are a couple of ways:

You can try a 1-week trial of Class Pass for only $10.

You can sign up for your first month for $100*.

If you are interested in checking out new fitness studios or just looking to shake up your routine, then I highly recommend Class Pass! It’s the perfect way to start spring off on the right note.

*Affiliate links included. Thanks for supporting Sweet Potato Bites!