For your convenience we've put all our classes at both locations on this page.

The classes offered at Downward Dog are founded on the principals of vinyasa yoga, where movement is coordinated with breath and intention. All of our instructors have completed our Teacher Training program, where the emphasis is on building a yoga practice from the ground up. We firmly believe that finding strength and inspiration on the yoga mat is only attainable in an environment where individual needs are balanced with the demands of the practice. Please read below for more information on our regularly scheduled classes as well as special offerings such as Kids Yoga and Guided Meditation.

Intro to Yoga (Pre-registered)

Levels I-III of our Intro to Yoga program explore the practice of yoga in a slow, safe and comprehensive manner.  Level I focuses on the basic foundation of sun salutations. Level II introduces alignment and stability in standing poses, while Level III sheds light on seated postures and inversions. Smaller class sizes at each level allow for more individual attention, assists, and questions. For those with little or no experience, or students looking to reconnect with the fundamentals.  More info on these classes is available here.

Prep

We offer classes at every level beginning with Prep. We recommend that anyone in the beginning stages of practice start with this level.

Levels 1-3

Every level is designed to prepare you for the next. We encourage you to find the class level that feels most suitable. Level 1 focuses on fundamental actions - sun salutations, strengthening standing poses and seated poses that enhance flexibility and core strength. Level 2 classes build on these postures and introduce students to deeper levels of practice. Level 3 students should be comfortable with the Primary Series.

Mysore (Self-Practice)

The Mysore program was first established at Downward Dog in 1997 and is the longest running program of its kind in Canada. In a Mysore room, you practice according to the pace of your own breath, moving through postures with your individual strengths and restrictions in mind. The teacher, meanwhile, provides guidance and adjustments tailored to you alone. Detailed, hands-on assistance will help you to avoid misalignments that can lead to injury. This style of instruction builds on the traditional Ashtanga approach first established by Sri K. Pattabhi Jois in Mysore, India.

Discovering this type of independence in yoga can have a profound, beneficial impact on your practice, providing a deeper understanding of yoga in relation to your individual body type. While in a led class, instruction is provided to the group as a whole, self-practice - or Mysore classes - allow students the freedom to work within their own unique boundaries while working one-on-one with an instructor whose adjustments are informed by compassion, respect and intelligence.

Click here to view a brief video - a window into Mysore (Self-Practice) class.

Special to Downtown....

Ashtanga Current (Level 1/2)

This class is a flowing Ashtanga/Vinyasa class, set to a rhythm that drives the practice by encouraging a deeper connection to the pranic current and rhythm that flows outside and in. With some original music composed by Swaha (Marla Meenakshi Joy and Ron Reid) and other fantastic musicians, this class will challenge your weaknesses and embrace your strengths!

Ujjayi Pulse (ooo-j-eye-ee pulse) (Level 1/2 Thursdays, Level 2 Sundays)

This class combines vinyasa yoga with a steady rhythmic flow. The live drumbeat helps to energize the practice and provides a method for aligning breath, bandhas and movement.

Yoga Jam (Level 2)

A yoga class devoted to the spirit of improvisation. We will find new and exciting ways to energize our practice by exploring unique variations and novel ways of combining and transitioning through postures. See how the unexpected can yield exhilarating results.

Power Pulse

Power Pulse is a multi-level, one hour class designed to reinvigorate body and mind. Vinyasa flow sequenced to music allows for an upbeat, high-energy practice perfect for those with busy schedules. This unique class is sure to put the bounce back in your step - only $12/drop-in.

Free Class

This Level 1 class will be taught by graduates from our teacher training program.

Special to The Beach...

Yoga for Runners

This class targets muscles and joints most affected by repetitive use. Appropriate for runners, endurance athletes, or those who feel particularly challenged in their hips and hamstrings.

Kids Yoga (Ages 4-11 yrs)

A fun-filled yoga class just for kids! Children will explore yoga through breathing exercises, yoga poses, partner yoga, games, music, science experiments, eco-awareness activities, relaxation, and creative arts projects. Each class will explore a new theme, building an understanding of yoga practices.

Teen Yoga

This yoga class for teens is instructed by a graduate from our teacher training program, and focuses on building strength and stamina in such a way that encourages students to tune into their bodies and escape everyday sources of stress and fatigue. $5 drop-in fee.

Yoga For Every Body

This hour long class is designed to support people of all ages and physical stages.   The slower pace of the class will have an emphasis on alignment, using props and modifications for joint support in different poses.  Balanced strengthening of muscles, breathing and meditation will complete the experience.  Even if you have arthritis or are working through an injury, you don't have to abandon the deep healing benefits of a yoga practice.  This class will teach you how to work with the body you have with loving care. For people with time constraints, this is the perfect class to get centered between work and family time.

Price: $12 or Monthly pass

Escape from the Everyday....

Restorative

Restorative yoga supports the practitioner with props in various poses, facilitating a deep release of stress, calming and quieting the mind.

Yoga Nidra

Yoga Nidra brings an incredible calmness and quietness, allowing insight to surface. In Yoga Nidra we set a resolution, or in Sanskrit, a sankalpa for ourselves. The seed of this intention when spoken internally at the beginning and the end of the practice gets planted deep into the unconscious where it motivates changes in behaviour and lifestyle situations that support our deepest heart's desire for healing to unfold. One session of Yoga Nidra is equal to approximately 3 hours of sleep in its ability to rejuvenate. Most of us when we sleep never really relax and truly let go into the deepest recesses of our unconscious and our connection to creation. The practice provides the pathway within to remember this connection leading us to wholeness. Yoga Nidra is suitable for all levels and only requires the inner desire to discover relaxation and wholeness.