Across from the UNI campus, you have the opportunity to get Zen, sweaty and flexible. No, not at Sharkies.
Balance Yoga is a new establishment on The Hill, which offers a way to move your body. As winter approaches, you have an opportunity to get stronger, sweatier and drink down a nice dose of calm.
Owner Kara Yahn, a former UNI track athlete, saw a niche for Balance on The Hill and has already achieved considerable success.
When asked what clients can find at Balance, Yahn replied, “Flexibility, strength, a cleanse … the “hot” yoga is to imitate a warm, Indian environment … Wintertime, this is the only reason I can do [Cedar Falls Winters] is coming to 100 degrees and sweating it out.”
Balance Yoga currently employs nine certified instructors, who actively attend workshops to better serve clients coming to Balance. Many have bachelors and master’s degrees in their respective fields of study outside out of yoga instruction.
With all the hype, I had to try out Balance Hot Yoga for myself. Right as I walked in the door, I was welcomed and the atmosphere was classic Iowa hospitality. Once I got myself ready, I headed into the Quiet Room where the practice takes place.
It was hot—but nothing more than a humid July evening —and the room was settling and relaxed. The room eventually reaches one hundred degrees over the course of the session.
If anyone tells you yoga is easy, don’t believe it. Don’t be fooled just because you think you’ve got the downward dog down, Balance will tame that ego a bit.
Over the course of two sessions, I wrangled myself into many positions, the names of which I can not pretend to know. The “warrior two” is one stance with which to be reckoned.
It was the first time I had been directed to move in both a terse and fluid manner while maintaining stable breaths. The end result was wonderful. It is simultaneously cathartic and a rush.
If you hit Main or The Hill a little hard the night before, Balance Yoga serves a sweet deal.
“It is great for a hangover, though,” Yahn jokingly noted.
At any rate, it’ll keep you from looking like an extra off The Walking Dead on those precious weekend afternoons.
There’s an added benefit for athletic performance too—for you lifters and weekend warriors out there.
“We’ve actually had a lot of the sports teams, we’ve had the basketball, swim and softball teams here; and the coaches have found it great for their athletes,” Yahn said.
And hey, if Panther coaches see it fit to attend, what other kind of persuasion do you need?
If you finish a tough test, have some time before class or are tired of the WRC, Balance provides a new option for UNI students. Yahn offers a free first session for newcomers, so you have nothing to lose… except for a bucket of stress and a little sweat.
