The Search for Prana

Yoga is many things; challenging, relaxing, welcoming and intimidating.  Whether you’re an advanced yogi who just moved to Toronto and want to find a studio for you, or can barely touch your toes but want to learn what it’s all about, Passport to Prana Inc. has got you covered.

The Passport to Prana not only gets you access to a wealth of yoga studios in Toronto and the GTA, it gets you into them for less than a dollar each; so try them all if you can, but it pays itself off in about three classes.  Most studios charge between $10 and $18 for a first session, but the Passport to Prana is a measly $30, and comes with intuitive customer service and over 40 studios for you to choose from.  Some studios that offer a first-timer discount will honour that later even if you’ve been there before with a Passport, so if you like a studio and return, you keep saving.

Let’s say you’ve never set foot on a yoga mat before, you really want to try it out, and you don’t know where to go.  Passporttoprana.com lists the studios on its roster and links you to their websites. They’re organized by region, so you can find the one closest to you, and go from there. Because yoga is a very individualized experience, you aren’t bombarded with promotional material or user reviews right away, but are free to browse studio websites and find a fit that is most comfortable for you.

My history with yoga is brief and mainly introductory, so I’m not the best base of comparison when it comes to where to go, but I can say that I’ve had an amazing experience with the Passport to Prana.  Not knowing much about yoga and being unfamiliar with Toronto outside of my Annex neighbourhood and university campus, I didn’t know where to go or who to trust when it came to working on my skills and even trying out hot yoga. A friend’s parent told me about the Passport and I thought “why not.” Trying out a new studio every couple of days rapidly widens my perspective and helps me familiarize myself with the different styles of yoga much faster. I meet excellent teachers who praise Passport to Prana’s initiative, and find myself in new neighbourhoods I wouldn’t typically visit.  On one hand, the overall experience is excellent, while on the other, I learn to judge what type of studio I would want to practice in regularly.  Most studios love to help, and will answer any questions you might have, from membership to environmental initiatives.

Passport to Prana Inc. is motivated to bring the joys and benefits of yoga to any and all who want to try it out. Four years ago it began as a project between eight studios, and has branched off to include the whole of the GTA. While it is only offered in Toronto right now, it plans to expand to Ottawa and Vancouver later in 2009.  The company’s goal is to bring together a community of yoga enthusiasts and showcase it to the world, encouraging professional teaching, environmental awareness, and building relationships between individuals and their bodies, minds, and spirits.

You can buy the passport online or at any participating studio, and are given a swipe card and an online profile with your account. Your profile documents what studios you have visited and which ones you have yet to discover.  The best part is that you have until February 2010 to swipe through all of the studios, so take your time!