Celeb Trainer Taryn Toomey Teaches The Class in Vancouver to Launch Lululemon Collab

by Joy Pecknold July 11, 2017

There are fitness classes, and then there’s The Class. Billed as a cathartic mind-body experience, it’s the brainchild of Taryn Toomey, a former Ralph Lauren executive turned yoga instructor, and counts Jennifer Aniston and Christy Turlington Burns as fans. To suit the one-of-a-kind workout, Lululemon collaborated with Toomey, a long-time ambassador, to create an 11-piece collection, including bras, tights and tanks. Available online in North America and in a limited number of stores in Canada–Vancouver’s Robson Street and Toronto’s Queen Street stores—the brand departed from its black and bold mainstays to work with a palette of ethereal pastels, such as dusty mauve and misty moss.

To celebrate the collection’s launch, the New York-based yoga instructor flew to Vancouver for the weekend to teach a couple classes, and we dropped into one at Turf in Kitsilano. So how was it? A sweaty non-religious church service or therapy session might be the best analogy. Toomey, tall, husky-voiced and fond of dropping the occasional f-word, had the room repeat movements beyond what’s comfortable, encouraging connectedness in the body and opening of the heart. There’s shaking and yelling in the midst of the movements as a form of release. The trainer acknowledged that what’s she’s asking for may sound hippy-dippy and esoteric, but her no-nonsense vibe suggested otherwise. Give into it and reap the rewards, in other words. Before taking her class, we’d heard that it’s not uncommon for people to start crying, and as our class culminated with Coldplay’s “Everything’s Not Lost” it’s safe to say that salty sweat wasn’t the only thing running down a few faces.

Shop our fave Taryn Toomey x Lululemon pieces below.