◊ THE CLASS: Express – Find Intention ◊
WHAT YOU NEED
OVERALL REVIEW
We’re into this one. For a lot of reasons.
One being that The Quiet Company is one of only a handful of studios that are providing a dedicated space for quiet meditation and reflection in Toronto and This . Is . Important (more on this later). And two, bc they’ve been a travelling studio for the last year and a half doing pop-up mediation workshops in cool-ass places like The Health Hut and Trinity Bellwoods and that was literally so successful and awesome that they NEEDED to open a studio. And that wasn’t even the founder and guided meditation guru, Emily Thring’s, original vision so that says a lot. This simple, calm space in the heart of King West’s hustle, is full of subtle shout-outs to local artists and the selection of the pure products and decor that are used and sold in the space is v intentional. Even if you’re the newest newbie of newbs to meditation, Emily and her team of skilled zen masters, er, meditation teachers will help you learn the ropes and the result will be thought provoking without being overwhelming. Hey look, if taking 15 minutes out of your day to stop into a place like this will bring more happiness, balance and less stress to your life why would you NOT?! Leave your pre-conceived notions at the door and just sit on a cushion and give it a go.
LOCATION
511 King Street West, Suite 302
The Quiet Company (such a great name) is so tucked away on King West, if you walk to quickly, you’ll miss it. Located right beside the Spice Route west of King and Spadina in the officey building at 511 King Street, you’ll feel like you’re going to your dads’ lawyers office when getting in the building more than a “fitness studio” (which it’s not really since they’re marketing themselves as meditation first and foremost). Take the elevator or stairs to the third floor, and you’ll see the giant Quiet Co logo on the door around the corner. Full fruits for this location because although it’s in a surprising choice of a building, it’s still so central and accessible for all walks of life. Note – since the King West pedestrian pilot project is still happening, parking is a bit of a bitch, so don’t even try it. Be a good member of the environment and take transit or walk.
CLASS SCHEDULE + PRICE
The Quiet Company offers drop in classes, workshops and courses to help you explore meditation, movement and the “art of being human”. Direct quote. So good. As they continue to suss out what their community needs and experiment with different classes, the schedule will change but, for now, the chief focus is on 15, 30, and 55 minute guided meditation classes. They will always have a theme, such as Find Stillness, Find Your Heart, Find Intention, and Find Mindfullness and there are 30 minute versions or “express” 15 minute ones. There are also Movement classes, which are often 55 minutes and integrate yoga with meditation, and specialty classes like Find Reset with Sound, which explores sound meditation with crystal bowls. Yah, thats a thing. One thing’s for sure though, all classes are centered around meditation and even the movement classes will be of the restorative variety and be hella zen, slow and chill. There are only 1-4 classes held daily, with the one usually being on a Sunday, and during the week slots are more frequent. Although this is pretty common for studios who are just getting their start, we do wish we saw a bit more classes being offered because we could see how some of the times wouldn’t work for people. Example, after work classes starting at 5:45. Most TO peeps are lucky to flee the confines of the office pre 6 o’clock.
As far as pricing goes, it’s all pretty freaking reasonable. The 5 Class Pass at $88 is worth purchasing if you’re planning on meditating for the 30 or 55 minute sessions, otherwise, the 15 minute drop-ins are only $15 big ones. One thing we’re kinda into is how they’ve structured their memberships. Well aware of the clientele they’re targeting/live around, they’re offering a “daytime membership” for $60/mth which means you can go unlimited times but between the hours of 7am-5pm, Monday to Friday. Kinda smart, guys, and everyone working in this area SHOULD GO. We’re probs going to say this a lot in this review, but we are HUGE proponents of meditation, ESPECIALLY for all of you hustlers working your tails off 9-5 and NEED A BREAK. Just do us a solid, and instead of checking your phone for 15 minutes, take that time for yourself and zen TF out. Do you KNOW how much more this could do for your mental well being?! Anyway, back to it. If the “daytime membership” doesn’t suit you, you can go for the “practice membership” which offers eight classes a month that can be taken anytime, or the “unlimited membership” which is exactly what it sounds like. Ok, so before we move on from the pricing section we want to address one thing. You may be thinking, why would I pay {insert amount here} for meditation classes when I could pay the same amount for an insane sweat session at Ride or tone my arms at Barreworks?! Ok, hunnies. Lets have a chat. First of all, those intense workouts have a place and we’re (obviously) huge fans, but it is so so important to balance the physical and mental intensity in your life. Taking time and even spending $$ on your mental health is JUST AS IMPORTANT as your physical health. KAY!?
Drop-in:
- Intro Deal – 3 weeks unlimited for $45 (valid for 21 days)
- Drop-in (15-Minute Session): $15
- Drop-in (30 or 55-Minute Sessions): $22
- 5 Class Pass: $88 ($17.60 per class)
Memberships:
- Daytime – $60/month
- Practice – $108/month
- Unlimited – $165/month
Note – teachers and students get a 15% discount, and memberships include a 10% discount to the retail store and workshops
VIBE
The vibe at The Quiet Company is undoubtably chill. As it should be. We would have some serious issues if a meditation studio wasn’t hella relaxing. Once you enter the studio from the lawyer office style hallway, it opens into an open concept foyer with a sign-in desk, coat rack and shoe area (as shoes are to be taken off right away), a little retail shop that includes Kotn collab T’s, and a mini seating area adorned with a wall hanging tapestry from Paloma Bedding. Walking past the sign-in desk, there’s a water station just outside the one washroom and the main studio that takes up the majority of the total space. The studio is broken up into two parts, with one side intended for the movement classes, and the other for meditation. The entire studio can be closed off from the main lobby with a giant wooden sliding door, which is nice for the switch over of classes and being able to tune out chatty Kathy’s in the lobby. In terms of the aesthetic and decor, its very earthy, neutral, and simple with every single piece having some kind of deeper meaning. The rug, for example, in the main part of the meditation studio is from Mellah Moroccan Rugs and was brought in straight from Morocco, the art above the water station is from Toronto Ink Company and was Emily’s first call when she knew she was going to do a studio. Although the pieces that are currently there are for sale so probs won’t last long, they’re each made with pieces that the artist found in Toronto, like nuts from Trinity Bellwoods, or rocks from the waterfront for example. Cuteness. There is also the faintest inscription on the white wall in the studio (photo above) that says “give to yourself, you are sacred, choose love” but it’s like finding a treasure at the end of a hunt once you actually make that out. In terms of amenities, there isn’t a ton of extras like what we are getting used to seeing, but considering its a meditation studio, there’s no real need for a shower. There aren’t any lockers for instance, so you would just keep your things with you in the main studio, and there’s no need to bring mats or meditation cushions, unless of course you want to bring your own. TQC will provide meditation cushions, blocks, floor chairs and regular chairs if you prefer to not sit directly on the floor.
AMENITIES
- Filtered water
- All equipment and mats provided
- Retail boutique that includes TQC Palo Santo Kits, Sage Kits, Ritual Kits (that include crystals and palo santo and sage sticks), a scrumptious citrus + sage bath soak which is a collab with Gold Apothecary, and “trust yourself” and “choose love” T’s and sweatshirts from Kotn
- One washroom
INSTRUCTOR
Emily Thring is the founder of The Quiet Company and has one of those most calming and zen energies I’ve ever met. After the first time I met her I felt like I had to chill TFO and stop talking so fast and laughing at everything – my exuberant personality was a sharp contrast to her articulate unhurried communication. And then there’s me.
Anyways, Emily is a certified Pilates instructor and she came to the practice of meditation while trying to “calm an anxious mind and understand her own heart”. Something 99% of us could benefit from. She has recruited some of the best teachers in the city to teach at TQC, and they all have a slightly different technique and approach to meditation but all will help you find a happier, more balanced version of yourself. Emily’s guided meditation teaching style is very…helpful. Best word to describe it. If you feel any trepidation towards meditation or feel like you “don’t know how to do it” Emily’s approach and the way she guides different breathing techniques, a 15 minute or 20 minute meditation will fly by and all of a sudden you’ll realise you just “did it”. She leaves space for silence and will leave time at the end for questions or sharing, but there is absolutely no pressure to do either if you’re not feelin’ it. Full fruits for Em, without a doubt.
LEVEL OF DIFFICULTY
WAY HARD | HARD | MIDDLE OF THE ROADSIES | CHILL | HELLA CHILL
This is, obviously, a very hard one to judge for level of difficulty since meditating can be SUPER hard one day, easy peasy the next and every person will have vastly different experiences. So we’re being all Switzerland and giving it a Middle of The Roadsies but a full pineapple because of the structure and flow that Emily guided us through. To start, Emily explained a few common seating positions with the cushions, either in an angled cross legged position with the circular cushions flat to the ground, or with the cushion standing sideways and having it support you as if you were kneeling on your shins. They also have seated cushions or chairs if you prefer, but at the end of the day all that matters is that you’re comfortable and can sit relatively still for 15-30 minutes. She’s also super chill about people needing to move around during meditation, they aren’t sticklers for you getting in one position and having half the practice be about self control and not brushing off that annoying hair that’s tickling your arm. After we were all sorted, Emily guided us through three different breathing sequences, my favorite and the most memorable being “box breathing”. This technique can heighten concentration and be a powerful stress reliever, so already we’re fans, and it’s also super simple to wrap your ahead around for even the most novice meditators (me).
Step 1: Slowly exhale, get all the oxygen out of your lungs.
Step 2: Inhale slowly and deeply through your nose to the count of four.
Step 3: Hold your breath for another slow count of four.
Step 4: Exhale through your mouth for the same slow count of four.
Step 5: Hold your breath for the same slow count of four before repeating this process.
Get it? it’s like an imaginary breath box. Pure fun. After 15 minutes of breathing like said above steps and other similar techniques, the time was up and it felt like we had just closed our eyes. The thing about this kind of exercise is that it gives your brain a freakin rest from thinking, worrying, stressing and buzzing about all of the other things that are going on in your life. It gives you the opportunity to focus on what it feels like to just BREATH. How simple. And if you get distracted and your brain starts to go off on all the things, even the practice of letting that go, not getting mad at yourself for it, but just noticing that your mind has wondered, and “bring it back to the breath” is ALL that meditation is. And it’s amazing how refreshing it really is. Like a mini brain nap, which also sometimes turns into an actual nap. But in the spirit of being kind to yourself as you practice meditation, it’s allll good.
To try this class or anything else on their schedule, see TQC’s schedule here.
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