At a Glance:

Website: http://www.y7-studio.com
Address: 8335 Melrose Ave, Los Angeles, CA
Length: 60 minutes
Price: one class/$15
Sweat: high
Energy: medium

“Started from the bottom now you’re here”—I’ve seen the stairs donning that quote grace my Instagram feed hundreds of times. Turns out, that ever-so-popular NYC yoga tribe decided to head west for a special Thursday through Sunday pop up at the end of August. Y7 teamed up with Rebecca Minkoff’s new Melrose store opening and hosted classes in the back multipurpose space—complete with a heater to really give add the “hot” to the yoga.

Pre Sweat

The store is absolutely gorgeous, dressed in all while with high ceilings, crisp lines, and the cutest clothes, shoes, and accessories. Not to mention that the dressing rooms are equipped with technology and can literally provide you with details on each item you try on. The back of the store houses a 750-square-foot room named “Minkoff Projects” that will be used by various art, music, and tech pop-ups, including Y7 Studio. After checking in, I was offered a bottled water or rose alkaline water. I headed to the back room, kicked off my shoes, and laid out my mat. They had mat towels and face towels—both were very very necessary—and candles lined the room.

Sweat

While most studios play music intended to make you feel zen, Y7 sits on the opposite end of the spectrum, dropping hip hop beats all throughout class. We started with a warm up and then flowed right into the vinyasa sequences. The instructor would slowly lead us through a sequence a few times and then crank up the tunes letting us take control of our flow to reflect our breath. We did a total of three flows with poses including three-legged dog, warrior one, reverse warrior, chair, plank, and a decent amount of balance work. Since I’m not a yogi, I found it a little different to remember each part of the flow but tried to keep an eye on my classmates for hints. The sweat came quickly and didn’t ease up, so it was wonderful when it was time for the cool down and savasana.

Post Sweat

Shop around the Rebecca Minkoff store! There’s an entire section dedicated to athleisure fashion with cute leggings, tanks, and sports bras. If you’re in the moon for coffee, check out Alfred around the corner or Beaming for a protein smoothie. You really can’t go wrong around here.

Tricks of the Trade

• The pop-up was temporary in LA, but you can still visit one of the three studios in NYC. Fingers crossed that they will make the west coast a permanent home soon!
• Y7 heats their studios between 80 and 90 degrees so you will SWEAT. Plan on bringing a change of clothes or going straight home afterwards.