Finding inner Zen has never been so hot — literally.
At upwards of 105 degrees and 60% humidity, 50-minute sessions at Yoga Pod really bring the heat. Yoga Pod is a high-intensity Pilates studio specializing in hot yoga, with two locations in Gainesville.
The storefront double doors open up to a bright and lively lobby, where colorful printed yoga leggings and mats line the walls. Down the hall, classes take place behind frosted windows set aglow by soft pinks and purples that illuminate sun and moon embellishments carved into the glass. Instructors warmly welcome yogis of all levels to enjoy and find comfort within the space. It is clear they are passionate about their work and its role within the community.
Yoga Pod’s CEO, Alex Jarboe, co-owns the Yoga Pod Collective along with his wife, Rachel, and business partner, Dan Carbonell. Together, they run a unique studio offering yoga, Pilates and the new APEX program.
APEX is exclusive to Yoga Pod’s location on N.W. 16th Boulevard.
This revolutionary style of exercise has been catching fire for the past several years. The program employs a unique full-body cable machine. The time under tension model using APEX delivers maximum-level results in under an hour. An added bonus: The program is low impact and high intensity.
“It’s extremely beneficial, especially because it’s a complement to the more traditional modalities of exercise,” Jarboe said.
The team at Yoga Pod is passionate about bringing the community together to challenge their mind, body and heart. The team’s latest program to help meet this goal is the APEX class.
While bodies become toned using APEX, the mind and the spirit shape up as well. Like running, cycling or weightlifting, APEX targets and strengthens particular muscle groups. However, its extremely low-impact, efficient, simple design is what makes it unique. It is so easy to use, you can do it with your eyes closed — and that is not just a metaphor.
“This gives you the ability to have a comprehensive experience that you wouldn’t necessarily get with other exercises. You can’t close your eyes while riding a bike,” Jarboe said.
In addition to APEX, Yoga Pod offers small twists on more traditional yoga sessions. In heated vinyasa, for example, participants breathe, stretch and sweat their way through relaxing and detoxifying vinyasa poses. Yin yoga uses long holds to increase flexibility, build strength and dissolve stress. A well-rounded, holistic approach to exercise is central to the Yoga Pod mission.
So, what is it about Gainesville?
Jarboe, who hails from Boulder, Colorado, chose the town for its distinctive differences and surprising similarities. Carbonell is no stranger to Gainesville, either. He holds two degrees from the University of Florida.
“The unique nature of the springs and how the area provides that outdoor activity is different from Colorado, or even anywhere else in Florida,” Jarboe said. “Having that in our backyard is really a rejuvenating aspect.”
Jarboe and his wife Rachel, a Florida native, shuttle back and forth between the two cities often. He jokes that the Yoga Pod headquarters is somewhere between both Boulder and Gainesville.
“They both have a progressive orientation when it comes to really good food, really good art and really good culture,” Jarboe said.
After shutting down completely in March of 2020, the studios reopened softly in June. Yoga Pod was back providing the public reprieve from the stresses of life.
“Our primary focus is to take care of our teachers and our students. We’re uniquely positioned in a really heavy medical community, and we have so many nurses and doctors and medical staff who come to our studios,” Jarboe said.
For Alex Jarboe and Co., bringing heat and breaking sweats are just part of the job.
By Ryan Walsh / Photos By Madison Rae