Our first feature studio is Moksha Yoga Victoria. Part of the Moksha Yoga International family, the Victoria studio offers a unique twist to the hot yoga scene. Their mission is simple, "We are a group of independent hot yoga studios committed to ethical, compassionate and environmentally conscious living, and believe that the benefits of yoga are limitless and accessible to all."
Moksha Yoga was founded by Ted Grand and Jessica Robertson and is built on the "7 pillars":
- Be healthy.
- Be accessible.
- Live Green.
- Sangha Support
- Reach Out.
- Live to Learn.
- Be Peace.
While most of the 7 pillars are fairly self-explanatory "Sangha Support", for me, needs a little more explanation. Sangha Support is about building community. Helping people step out of the busyness of their lives and connect with others in a meaningful way.
Similar to Bikram and Asthanga yoga, Moksha follows a set series of poses. That said, no two classes are exactly the same, each instructor brings their own flare and can chose to include or skip a pose or two. The basic format remains the same in each class:
- savanasana,
- intention setting,
- standing series,
- seated series, and
- final savanasana.
The intention setting is where the instructors' personalities can really shine through as they impart words of inspiration to use on and off the mat. For example, one class I went to the intention was strength. Pilar, the instructor, spoke of finding our inner strength to not only face the challenges of the postures in class but taking that inner strength with us to face the challenges of our daily lives. A good reminder that yoga can be lived on and off the mat.
As with any style of yoga the instructors undergo specific training. The Moksha teacher training includes a one month intensive followed by an 11 month correspondence component giving instructors a total of 500 hours of training. At Moksha Yoga Victoria there are Moksha instructors and non-Moksha instructors. Only Moksha instructors can teach the classes designated as Moksha however there are other classes offered, such as Hot Flow, Yin, Boarders, that may or may not be taught by non-Moksha instructors.
So what should you wear?
Depends on your comfort level but keep in mind this is hot yoga so less is best. A few good options are:
Tonic Shiva Tank
Tonic Elements Gather Short
Karma Evelyn Short
For more options check out the Hot Yoga section of our website.
