Vinyasa Yoga with Adam David is my favorite yoga class taken at a gym thus far (I try to take the 5pm class on Mondays at 19th & Broadway). I don’t really love slow-paced yoga classes like the traditional way taught at Shivananda in Chelsea, so the fast-paced nature of this class is just right. Also, he plays somewhat ‘fun’ music, e.g. salsa and hip-hop.
Although the class is just an hour, it’s a perfect way to end a rough Monday back at work/school. David takes the class through the sun salutations, warriors 1, 2 and 3, reverse warrior and many beginner poses, but he also incorporates some more advanced poses, like headstands. He is the type of instructor who helps you improve poses, for example, when I’m doing bridge, he works with me to stand up and then eases me back down to the floor. Some instructors don’t bother to correct your positioning and I always like to know if there is a way to improve my practice.
I love Adam and his class, but I really don’t like the yoga studio — it’s small, humid and doesn’t make me feel relaxed and comfortable. Also, there are these halogen lights that almost burn through your skin (they need to be turned off!). I think that a yoga studio at a gym should be dedicated to the practice of yoga; otherwise, it just feels like another sweaty gym class. However, Adam does teach at the SoHo Equinox (Tuesday and Saturday mornings) and that studio was designed for only yoga and is amazingly beautiful.