Moksha Yoga

In the Markham area, I’ve usually been going to the Highway 7 Moksha location, which I love. The Birchmount location has a lot of similarities, especially since the instructors appear to work at both locations. (See my Hwy 7 review!)
Anyway, the benefits are:
genuinely challenging classes, that are still accessible to beginners,
a bunch of variety of classes,
and great instruction.
This location is a bit more cramped though, and like all Mokshas, it’s not all that cheap.

The studio itself have been consistently clean which is a great thing. The heat is quite intense here but there are cooler spots by the side door on the wall away from the windows. There are also spots where you won’t be able to see yourself in the mirrors. They also have blocks and wraps to use if you need them.
The changing rooms have hooks for your bags and jackets and they also have punch code lockers for everyone to use, but it can get crowded. I never had an issue with the street parking.
I usually went to the 8.30pm basic classes on Monday and Tuesday with Rima and Denise. They were both very nice. Denise always like to focus on doing the flows correctly and safely. I took 1 moskha flow class with Rima and it was quite challenging for me but the class size was much smaller only 6 people when I went on a Monday night.
The classes started out much smaller when I started but now the studio gets really really packed, now they have tape on the floor to align your mats to, packing in as many people as possible in a class.

I’ve been here for a little over a month now because the other Moksha I was going to got a little too far for me and a little too crowded. I must say that I’ve been very impressed with Moksha Unionville (aka Birchmount) thus far.
Moksha Unionville is the little sister of Moksha Markham — I believe they are owned by the same group of people because if you purchase classes (except for the Founder’s pass — more on that later), you can use it at both locations. Moksha Markham is literally 3 minutes down the road.
The whole architecture of this place is beautiful (likely because it’s new: D) but the reception area has a fountain with filtered water and a drink fridge stocked with «Boxed Water» or coconut water if you forgot to bring something to drink. They also sell a small variety of clothing and yoga mats/​towels. There’s also a very convenient hair elastic bowl — in case you forgot a hair tie (which I admit I have done a couple of times!) and I really am quite thankful for that!
The changing rooms are clean and I’ve been very impressed with the cleanliness of the showers. I frequently try to not use public showers but there have been a couple of times where out of desperation, I sucked it up. And I actually don’t mind using the showers here! Changing rooms are quite clean as well. They do have lockers for you. Sometimes, the lockers do get jammed though — but do not fear… they have a master key :).
The studio itself has large windows for natural lighting during the day and bright lights that can be dimmed for during the evening. Because there are these beautiful, large windows, you may not want to lie so close to the windows during the winter — I did one time and didn’t get the «hot experience».
Finally, the classes (the most important part) are fantastic. Every instructor is so different and I enjoy each of their classes. While I don’t deliberately pick instructors (I work around my schedule mostly), I do really quite enjoy Maryday’s calm demeanour, Rima’s classes that let you take things further, Lyn’s super kind encouragement, and Jocelyn’s frequent adjustments that make me feel the deeper stretches that I need.
In terms of parking — I haven’t had any problems parking. Parking is on the street. Apparently, there is also a 2 hour parking pass you can get to park on 8200 Birchmount Rd.
Like every Moksha, they offer 5, 10, and 20 class passes. They also offer a yearly membership (you pay the whole year all at once), a couples monthly membership, and an individual monthly membership. Recently, they’ve also introduced the Founders Pass, which is only useful if you frequent this location only. You cannot use the Founders pass in the Highway 7 location (Moksha Markham) but it is cheaper than the regular monthly pass by about $ 20 ^-^.

I have taken 2 classes here only, so this review focuses on the venue. The studio is new. There is a good quantity of shoe boxes and benches outside of the reception area. There is only one heated yoga room, and currently there is no non-​heated classes, unlike the studio in Markham. They might offer non-​heated class in the future if there is sufficient demand. The studio is spacious and has good ventilation. The times I was here, it didn’t smell bad. There is a filtered water fountain in front of the studio. The floor of the studio is a well made laminate that looks almost like vinyl. Or maybe it is vinyl that looks like laminate. Either way, it looks like it can withstand high humidity and won’t warp. The mirror wall is big, and there is natural light coming in through the big windowed wall. It is a pleasant environment to practice yoga. The lady washroom is spa like — nice basins, foam soap, lots of number lockers. There are 2 washrooms compared to one in Markham location. The shower stalls look really pretty. I didn’t use it, so I can’t comment on water pressure and temperature.
Students have to park on the street. Parking can be a headache for the busier classes.