I tried hatha yoga for the first time in Tofino. This is what I learned.
Back in August of 2020 I visited Tofino with one of my closest friends for a long weekend getaway. It was so, so needed after the wild twists and turns the year was taking. We intended to have an active yet relaxing weekend, and that is exactly what we got! We went kayaking, had delicious food (Tacofino can’t be beat!), drank great wine, read interesting books, drank coffee by the oceanside, had beach bonfires, hiked through the forest, chilled in the hot tub and I did a lot of yoga.
One place I did yoga was at Coastal Bliss Yoga in Tofino (not sponsored) which is located just off the Pacific Rim Highway near the Tacofino food truck. I chose to do a Hatha class with Coastal Bliss because I had never tried Hatha Yoga before but had heard so many good things about the practice. And, since I absolutely loved the class, I want to share my thoughts with you all in case you’re thinking of visiting Tofino and taking a yoga class. Keep reading to discover what I learned!
Please note that I don’t have my own images from the class since it would have been pretty inappropriate to take photos of the room while others were in it. However, I have found a couple of images from their social media pages that accurately represent my experience there. Also, this post contains affiliate links so if you purchase items through these links I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. As always, all opinions are my own!
Image courtesy of Coastal Bliss Yoga Tofino.
Borrowing a mat at Tofino’s coastal bliss yoga studio
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Image courtesy of Scoria World.
Going into the class, I didn’t have my usual cork mat (similar to the one shown) because I forgot it at home and didn’t bring it to Tofino - darn it! - and hadn’t called ahead to reserve a mat or make alternate arrangements (like buy a cheap one to use for vacay etc.), but the studio was kind enough to let me borrow a mat. They have a limited number of mats to loan out so I highly recommend bringing your own as I’m pretty sure I just got lucky that day.
Also, I forgot a hair tie for this class, but not having a hair tie actually worked out pretty well for me because as my sea-salt-filled hair fell around my face during my practice, it provided a sort of aromatherapy experience. Not only could I smell the cedar from the room, but I could also smell the ocean, courtesy of my salty locks. Maybe some people wouldn’t have liked that, but I loved it.
What I wore to the hatha yoga class
As I almost always do, I wore a cardigan and socks into the studio and took them off when I reached my mat. I do this for two reasons: to help me stay warm before class so my muscles don’t seize up, and to protect my feet from any yuckies on the studio floor (I doubt that there actually are any, but just in case).
I also wore my sustainable Girlfriend Collective Paloma bra, Terrera Lounge Pants and PACT tank top. Shop my outfit below.
Image courtesy of Girlfriend Collective
Image courtesy of Terrera
Image courtesy of PACT Apparel
The Coastal Bliss Yoga Studio
Speaking of smells and the previously-mentioned cedar room, this was one of the first things I noticed about Coastal Bliss Yoga’s Tofino studio: their beautiful and calming cedar-walled room, which provided a light but grounding scent to enjoy during the class. This element was one of my favourite things about the class!
The studio feels both open and airy and intimate and private. I suspect this is for two reasons:
First, because it’s a one-room studio on the second floor of a building that sits right in the middle of the bustling area that houses the famous Tacofino food truck and a few other popular tourist attractions. And second, because the studio has a lot of big, bright windows that let in tons of natural light. The windows also let in happy ambient sounds from the hustle and bustle as people came and went from the shops and restaurants in the area.
The room can probably hold around 20 people, but I think our class only had eight to 12 if I remember correctly, in order to maintain a safe physical distance for COVID safety.
Image courtesy of Coastal Bliss Yoga Tofino.
What we did during the hatha yoga class
During the class, we did a breathing practice where we breathed in one nostril and out the other while the instructor guided us through a mindfulness practice and asked us to really notice which side of our body was tense and which was relaxed.
She then spoke about the idea of one side of our body being related to the divine feminine, and one side being related to the divine masculine. I should note that she acknowledged this language was a bit outdated, but let us know she was using it in the spirit of explaining the idea of some certain practice (unfortunatly I don’t recall the name of the practice she was referencing).
Anyway, the instructor told us to meditate on whether or not we were holding space for both the tenderness and strength that is necessary for a full life, based on which side was more tense and which side was more relaxed (the divine masculine represented strength and divine feminine represented tenderness). She suggested we consider whether or not we related to the teachings of this practice and ask ourselves why or why not.
I found this simple meditation surprisingly helpful and spiritual.
Within the last few years I left the religion I grew up with, Christianity, and didn’t think I would ever find myself gravitating towards any type of meditation or spirituality again. However, I actually enjoyed it this time (I usually feel a little annoyed when yoga teachers start talking about spirituality, but just put up with it and try to get something out of it whenever possible).
During class I actually felt a little emotional, which is a big deal for me. Yoga is the one place I consistently experience emotion as I am usually kind-of blind to my feelings and experience “emotion” as physical sensations: my arms hurt when I’m bored or out of alignment with my life, my neck stiffens when I’m stressed, I get a headache when I’m upset, stressed, worried, etc.
She then guided us through a series of strengthening and stretching poses that were just the right amount of challenging.
Image courtesy of Coastal Bliss Yoga Tofino.
How I felt after the yoga class
My biggest takeaway was that I felt incredibly grounded after my Hatha class. I remember leaving class believing I was in and aware of my body, in and aware of my surroundings and incredibly in-tune with the world around me, and it was all good things I was taking away from the world as it entered my body, bounced around in my consciousness and left again.
On a practical level, I felt that I got a great workout but still had enough energy for the rest of the day, which is how you want to feel after a Hatha class in my opinion.
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