The Wandering Yogi helps put good intentions into action
Feeling the weight of the holidays literally pressing down on you? Maybe it’s time to find a new—or, in the case of mid-40s desk jockeys like me, any—fitness routine. But if your jaw starts to clench just thinking about the range of gyms or the plethora of yoga practices out there, the Wandering Yogi might be your ticket to fitness flexibility in 2010.
The brainchild of Base Lounge co-owner and Bellyfit founder Alice Bracegirdle, the Wandering Yogi is a $25 passport good for one visit to each of the 10 participating downtown fitness centres—including Base Lounge, Capital City Boxing, Body Dynamics, Crossfit Zone, Lynda Raino Dance and a clutch of yoga centres (Hemma, MokSana, Yoga Shala, Moksha and Yoga Together)—between January 1 and February 28. “It’s like a sampler pack for Victoria’s best studios,” says Bracegirdle. “It’s all about educating people who don’t have a regular fitness routine and getting them to try something new.”
But the Wandering Yogi is about more than just getting fit. “It’s also a community- and wellness-awareness building event,” Bracegirdle continues. “Essentially, there’s a bunch of us small studios that wanted to get together and educate people as to what we’re offering; at the same time, it unites us as studios and reflects our individual niches in the market, but not in a competitive way.” More than that, the Wandering Yogi will also be benefiting a local charity, with all the proceeds from passport sales going to KidSport. “KidSport is an awesome charity that basically helps low-income families get their kids into various sports, dance and fitness activities—fun things they can’t otherwise afford to do.”
No surprise, January is the busiest month of the year for anything in the fitness line. The trick, says Bracegirdle, is helping people find a groove they’ll want to stick with. “It can often be very intimidating for people going to a new yoga or fitness studio,” she says. “There’s new language, new movements . . . I’ve been really encouraging the studios to make everything very welcoming, from their websites to their instructors. That way, people who aren’t used to that environment can feel very comfortable, ask whatever questions they need and have a positive experience.”
With 200 passes already sold in advance of the January 1 start date, it seems like the Wandering Yogi is the right idea at the right time. “People can get locked into the same thing, the same classes. We want to encourage people to step out of their routine and they might be surprised by what they find—they might love boxing or hot yoga or Bellyfit or whatever. But you really have to enjoy whatever activity you choose; if it feels like drudgery, if you dread it, you’re just not going to stick with it.”
When I mention a recent stat noting Victoria is one of Canada’s fittest cities, Bracegirdle doesn’t seem surprised. “That would make a lot of sense to me. For there to be a yoga studio across the street, down the street and there to be five fitness studios literally within two blocks of my own studio—and all of us staying alive—that’s gotta say something about Victoria. And that’s just the downtown area; there are fitness clubs in every possible section of this city.”
Ultimately, however, Bracegirdle feels having a healthy fitness relationship can only help in all aspects of your life. “The world is a pretty stressful place these days, but even with the economic downturn and all of these money panics, the yoga and fitness industry continues to grow. People recognize they need to stay healthy, and know that doing so will help them better deal with these incredible challenges.” M
The Wandering Yogi runs January 1 to February 28, with $25 passports available at Base Lounge and lululemon. See yellowyogi.com for a comprehensive class list and event calendar. And tune into Monday’s blog over the next two months, where I will be chronicling my own Wandering Yogi experiences. Yikes!