gyms in toronto

Toronto gyms are now offering free online classes on Instagram

As public health officials encourage people to stay home, gyms and wellness studios have been the first to see the fallout of social distancing.

On Sunday, yoga studios and gyms began shutting down operations temporarily in an effort to reduce the risk to the public.

As quickly as they closed their doors, many gyms and meditation studios pivoted to offering online videos on Instagram Live and IGTV as a way to leverage their platforms for social good, and connect with their local community.

Hoame meditation studio, which closed its doors on Monday, will offer daily programming on its Instagram page instead.

You can participate in three daily meditations, one of which is mindful movement, panel discussions, mental health tips, and chats with energy healers. The full list of daily programming can be found on their page.

Misfit Studio is continuing to offer modified versions of its popular classes on Instagram Live: Get Lifted at 8 a.m. and Get Released at 7 p.m.

Parkdale’s spin studio 6ix Cycle is switching to mat classes on Instagram starting at 5:45 p.m. daily. Have a mat and booty bands on hand, and get ready to sweat!

Tune into Fit Factory’s Instagram Live classes for an intense workout at 12 p.m. and 5:30 pm.

Sweat and Tonic is currently filming workouts for a selection of online classes. Meanwhile, they’ve started rolling out morning meditations on Instagram. Keep an eye on their IG stories for more classes.

Barry’s is continuing their intense workouts via Instagram Live starting at 12 p.m. with HIIT classes featuring Barry’s Canada CEO Joey Gonzalez.

BOLO is offering daily live IGTV classes from their studios starting at 5 p.m. There’s less boxing, but way more strength training.

FitSquad is offering live workouts Monday to Friday at 12 pm led by Nike Master Trainer Jennifer Lau. If you’ve ever been to one of her classes, you know you end up in a puddle of sweat. Don’t expect to be let off easy just because you’re doing the workout at home.

FitSqr, a new gym that was due to open in Yorkville next month, is pivoting to online classes. They’ll be running 30-minute HIIT classes every day at 10 a.m. EST.

Oxygen Yoga fitness is going LIVE on Facebook, and soon Instagram offering yoga as well.

F45 Training will be making at-home workouts available soon via Instagram Live. Stay tuned on their page for further information. Lift Corktown is going Live on Instagram every day at 10 a.m. for some heavy Crossfit workouts.

Queenie and Jonathan Phair, a husband and wife duo are offering different styles of yoga over IGTV and YouTube, putting out at least 1-2 videos a day. You’ll have access to Power yoga, beginner and advance yoga and Yin poses.

One Academy is moving its community online. Every morning, at 6:15 a.m., you can find expert trainers motivating you with total body exercises across the One Academy Facebook page. The workouts can be completed at home, without any weights.

For a slower pace, Lara Farks is a yoga teacher at the popular yoga studio Chi Junky. While in lockdown she’s offering live IG yoga classes at 7 p.m. for Yin yoga classes.

Power Yoga Canada has moved their classes to IG Live and Facebook Live five times a day starting at 6 a.m. until the final class at 8:30 p.m.

Lead photo by

Hector Vasquez


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