Why You Must Try MISFITSTUDIO
Trying to “fit in” is never much fun-- especially when it comes to group fitness. This Queen West movement studio, with a new second location at 88 Ossington, provides a welcome departure from the norm for pegs of all shapes.
The redbrick building that houses MISFITSTUDIO at Queen and Tecumseh used to be a church. We scampered up its steps one Saturday morning in early spring in search of a different form of enlightenment.
Amber Joliat, the studio’s magnetic owner, teaches a class called “Fusion” that blends yoga, pilates, and dance in a fluid hour of sweat, music, and release. There is no other class in the city quite like it, as far as we know— nor is there another atmosphere quite like MISFITSTUDIO’s.
The studio is on the third floor. As you climb, chalkboards accompany you. “Be moved,” one of them invites. Cozy and unpretentious, the upstairs space opens with a few change rooms, a wall of coat hooks, and a sofa where early-comers and lingerers drink herbal tea from ceramic cups.
Amber is there, chatting with regulars. Everyone seems to know each other, but not in a you’re-on-the-outside way. We get the sense that this community was formed here, and newcomers are quickly folded in; that not unlike a church, this structure provides a place for people to gather, and to feel connected.
We lay thick mats on the floor of the larger of the two studio rooms, and take in the space. Arched stained glass windows are the light source and focal point. Exposed brick walls are lined with neat stacks of props. Incense burns, fresh flowers sit in mason jars, and a golden Elvis bust keeps watch from a mantelpiece, where he is surrounded with Hindu deities and plant life.
Amber begins the class with a brief talk. The theme is finding the courage to take a risk, and make a change in our lives. Amber is a natural orator, and the room is rapt. One woman dabs at her eyes as a particular message hits home. Already, we heed the chalkboard’s advice.
The class, like Amber herself, moves organically, rhythmically. It starts with core work that builds to a crescendo, and then loosens. Though it is tough at times, the hour is paced for pleasure, not for punishment. Every motion has a countermotion. Effort, release. Strength, lightness. Intensity, playfulness.
Never taking herself too seriously, Amber does all of the movements with us, showing us how much fun they can be. “Imagine if you never got to sweat!” she exclaims at one point, as we’re swan diving up and down, weighted balls in our hands. At another point we are encouraged to “toss those suckers!” (the balls) from high above our heads. They land with satisfying, staccato thuds.
Later, we’re throwing ourselves down at the waist, our torsos skimming our thighs, arms rushing down, and exhaling loudly. Amber’s hair whips forward as she gives in to the motion. “Five more!” she calls. Then, six exuberant body waves later— “okay, one more!” We whoosh through the air with a definitive “PAH!” The moment we stop, so does the music. It had been so perfectly timed we hadn’t noticed it was there. With the sudden silence, time is suspended. We are all in the room together— 20 of us, our mats close— and yet we are completely alone with vibrating limbs and still minds.
If a great workout, for you, goes beyond the utilitarian— if it provides a release, an opening, a relaxing of coils otherwise tightly wound— then we highly recommend MISFITSTUDIO. It gets the job done (our thighs were still jelly, hours later), but that’s far from all. Even if you’re not yet a full-blown “Misfit”— even if you come from another part of town, don’t have a single tattoo, and dance more like Elaine than like Amber— you will let go, at least for a moment. You will, if you let yourself, move and be moved.
-GHJC
MISFITSTUDIO is located at 761 Queen Street West, on the 3rd Floor, and at 88 Ossington, on the 2nd Floor. A drop-in mat class is $20, a 5-pack is $95, and first-timers can try a two-week intro package for $45. Check them out on Instagram @misfitstudio.
