I really don’t know why I only managed to visit QiYoga recently for the first time. Objectively, it’s got all the right parameters to make for the best “afterwork” yoga place for me: minutes away from the office, broad and diverse offering, not too big, AND recommended by Irina, one of my favourite teachers!

So finally I made it: booked a Thursday lunchtime class, and headed to “Core Yoga with Diana”. In the online schedule it’s the one class that doesn’t have an extensive description, just a reference to Diana’s website, but I guess one can guess where the focus will lie.

Apart from me, another 8 yogis spent their lunch break in the studio. Great setting, as it’s got lots of windows, is light on the deco and feels very far away from the hustle and bustle of the city center (see for yourself at the bottom…)

Diana started the class with a brief warm-up in plank position, and only afterwards “officially” opened our session with a brief meditation. She reminded us that it’s the Chinese New Year, and prompted us to use this as an opportunity to set intentions for the future, and more immediately, for the class. I definitely intended to improve my core power, and got my wish fulfilled in the class 😉

We got a lot done in our available 60 minutes: we practiced our balance, stability, toe stands and forearm planks. I liked how Diana devised mini-flows which we repeated 2 times, second time at our own pace – I enjoyed this brief benchmarking exercise, also good for memory and coordination. We finished with a really welcome relaxation, certainly deserved after the strong core practice.

I had a chance to chat with Diana after class. She strikes me as a very experienced teacher and practitioner, who understands and respects the spirituality of yoga practice but can nicely adapt her style to the class and group. Lunchtime classes on a workday generally have a very limiting character, focusing more on the body than the mind, yet she did a fantastic job of disconnecting us from the daily grind.

On my way back to the office I was thinking: This is great, I’d love to put some more core yoga at the core of my day!

At any rate, I’ll be joining more of Diana’s classes and dropping by QiYoga more often – stay tuned and/or come with ♥