Lululemon not only sells tough and trendy yoga gear, but the stores also offer free classes designed to inspire practice, build community, and teach yogis the correct way to do asanas, and develop a daily online yoga habit.
Test-drive a stretchy hour on the mat, courtesy of the store that gives it up for yoga, no purchase necessary.
How to Find a Class
Check your local Lululemon online yoga store to see what type of classes are offered and when they meet. Most locations offer classes seasonally, while others hold them year-round.
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When and Where
Use the Lululemon online yoga store locator to find the locations nearest you and check the website calendar of events for scheduled yoga classes. Many stores have a weekly class. Since the class is in the store, which moves racks and stands to clear a space, you’ll typically see a one-hour yoga session on the schedule before the store opens for the day, or in the evening after closing.
For example, the West 75th and Broadway store on Manhattan’s Upper West Side offers Namaste at Nine, a yoga class from 9 to 10 a.m. on Saturdays. In Palo Alto, a Sunday class at 9 a.m. in the Stanford Shopping Center serves up Digital Detox, an all-level yoga flow class. Both are free. Not all stores have classes year ’round so refer to the calendar or call the store to see what’s on offer.
Types of Classes
Lululemon online yoga looks for top-rated local yoga teachers to run the free classes. Since students are drop-ins, an experienced teacher will present a multilevel class to engage everyone from beginners to advanced yogis. If a class is targeted at a particular level or special interest – such as hot yoga – that information is included in the online class description.
The Lululemon website includes a list of popular yoga styles: Aerial, Anusara, Ashtanga, Bikram, Hatha, Hot, Iyengar/Restorative, Kundalini, and Yin yoga. The classes you’ll find will depend on the facilities and local teachers; however, you’re unlikely to see an aerial yoga class, and Bikram-style hot yoga usually requires a dedicated studio for heat control. What you will find a lot of are Vinyasa, Hatha, and Yin yoga sessions – styles that can work for all levels and not intimidate a novice.
Prep for Poses
Yoga relieves stress, and the experience of a community yoga class at Lululemon is as stress-free as the store can make it. No special preparation is necessary.
Advance Sign-up and Gear
No advance registration is required. Just show up a few minutes before class starts, sign a waiver at the door, and choose your mat. You’re welcome to bring your own mat, of course, and many people do. However, if you are traveling or don’t yet have a mat, no worries. Lululemon has the mats and, if the class requires them, yoga props such as blocks and straps.
What to Wear
The stretching and poses depend on correct alignment so your clothing should be as stretchy as you want to be. Baggy isn’t a great look because the teacher will want to check your position, and a body con or slightly loose outfit is best for that. Just be sure you can move and breathe, and that you’re not swathed in yards of cloth. You will sweat, so clothes that wick away moisture will be more comfortable. Synthetic fabrics designed for running, workouts, dance, or yoga won’t restrict your Cow Face pose or your Downward Dog.
More Than a Shop
Lululemon devotees swear by the brand for reliable performance and style-setting comfort, and they consider the hefty prices an investment. A free class taught by a respected local teacher is a bonus. Some yogis make it a part of their regular practice, keeping an eye out for new collections or the latest yoga bag. If you have the self-control to resist updating your yoga gear collection every week, free yoga turns that brand devotion into a bargain.
You’re rocking your second round of the 26-pose sequence in hot yoga…and then you’re not. The one-legged squat and twisted arms of the eagle pose, or the out-flung leg and arm configuration of your glorious triangle pose suddenly defeat you, and you scramble to recover your balance on the sweat-slicked surface of your mat. You need a new mat.
Non-Slip, Non-Skid, No Kidding
The right mat for sweaty yoga, hot or not, is an investment in your practice and your bodily integrity. You skid out of pandangusthasana (toe stand pose – you, balanced on the toes of one foot), and you’ll be in corpse pose way before the end of class. Not good. But a yogi can drop some serious coin on a simple accessory that rolls up after class to sit in the corner. So, get a grip. Get a good mat. But fill your Sahasrara, the top of your head, with the skinny on the best slip-free yoga mats out there to avoid a frustrating and expensive mistake.
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