First time at a reformer class & didn't know what to expect. Viv was very informative &…read moreprofessional, taking the time to engage & make sure my form was correct. As a beginner I would definitely recommend attending Viv's class as she is incredible at what she does & makes the class enjoyable while ensuring a good workout. I was sceptical if it would be for me due to injuries but with the right coaching I didn't have any issues. I will definitely be a regular & I am looking forward to my next class. Thanks Viv

Yoga Hub is a mecca for Dublin yogi's! Located just off Camden Street you'll find these happy…read morepeople amongst the shadows of the ugly and dark Camden Place alleyway. Don't fear however their upbeat smiles and attitudes will make it totally worth the effort. I've been practicing yoga for a while and have been meaning to check this place out so I decided to take a flow 2 class. This is a little bit more advanced but as with most places the instructor gives variations to all the poses and blocks, straps and cushions are there for everyone to use. Just note that you should bring your own mat or you'll have to rent one for 2euro, so definitely worth the investment if you want to become a regular. The class itself was great, nice and warm so sweated out those pores (they offer hot yoga too). The instructor shows the poses and then walks about the class to assist. Afterwards I decided to indulge in the vegan restaurant... So glad I did! Nice little range of salads and full meals. Pretty reasonable prices to match! Yoga hub is v expensive on a class by class basis so you really want to buy the monthly membership if you want to get into your yoga practice here but definitely worth the experience to try the odd class here and there also.

I don't often give 5 stars, however on this occasion it is more than justified…read more The class was pitched really well, and the instructor Ann was on top of her game. She promotes gentle yoga, with a bit of fun thrown into the mix. All those who were there really enjoyed it. I would have no problem recommending a visit. Looking forward to my next class

From the owner: Yoga/pilates and Somatic Movement. Pregnancy yoga On Saturday morning and Womens' only pilates/yoga…read moreclass on Friday at 11:30am (this class is suitable also for post-natal ladies and babies are welcome up to crawling) Yoga/pilates and Somatic Movement class on Saturday morning at 9:00am in Wildgeese Martial Arts Centre, Magennis Place, Off Pearse St. Gentle yoga and pilates in Yoga Dublin Studio Rathfarnham Village (behind AIB)

Excellent takeout brunch. I had a scrambled egg and cheese croissant. My companions shared a…read morebreakfast burrito which I also sampled in the interests of research. We took it all to the bank of the nearby canal and watched the world go by. Excellent and highly recommended.

Cute spot. Menu is manageable (I hate long menus with a billion options). I got the hot chocolate…read moreand turkey, stuffing, cranberry, bacon sandwich. The sandwich was tasty, nice and warm. The hit chocolate was just too sweet despite requesting no sugar or powder. Seating is tight but staff was friendly and the food wasn't too long of a wait.

Absolutely a gem I was so excited to find this beautiful…read moreyoga studio but disappointed it wasn't until the last days of our trip. Jeanette was wonderful instructor, Paul immediately greeted me and showed me around and the class had such a good vibe. I took the calm class and felt it was a great stretching class at a gentle pace.

Huge fan of this place. Who knew that such a tranquil haven existed within the realms of Temple Bar…read moreof all spots? Once you ring the buzzer and push the gigantic door, it's like stepping into a serene little atrium. Lots of trees, beautifully designed apartments with carved in wood and green-tinged copper, and the sound of wind chimes blowing. Once inside Samadhi itself, that feeling of calm continues. It's a small and quirky little studio - I doubt you could fit more than 10 people in a class to be honest. It feels a little more like doing yoga in a home than a churned out chain which some larger studios can tend to feel like. Now I'm not a regular, I've only been here and there on a Sunday morning, but each time I've had a different teacher and each time they've been wonderful - very aware of their students and situational variables, adapting to them, and not sticking rigidly to a prescribed script (another bug bear of mine) If you haven't been, I'd suggest doing just that - head along on a Sunday morning, and float out of there, and sure treat yourself to some brunch afterwards - get your day kicked off beautifully.

I am not a Buddhist nor am I particularly interested in becoming one. Like a lot of religions and…read morephilosophies there are aspects that I really like and it's always good to get different perspectives, I feel it enriches my experience of life. What I fundamentally do believe in is the power of meditation. I have been meditating for nearly a year now. It was always something that interested me but like anything you have to really want to do it if you are to practice. I wanted to do it because I just felt that my mind was in fifth gear the whole time and yet I didn't feel I was achieving much nor was I really taking stock of what I should be doing. So that self-help excerpt aside, if you are curious about the practice I encourage you to give it a go. There are different types of meditation so don't fret if this one does not suit you just explore more. This is all about the Mindfulness of Breathing and the Metta Bhavana. The centre gives courses every so often in meditation, just check the website. You really should do the course to understand it more. Every Tuesday they have a free drop in for anyone regardless of whether you have experience or not. The first hour is meditation and then questions. Then a tea break. The second hour is a Buddhist teaching and discussion, you don't have to stay for the religious part. It's free but you can leave a donation. Meditation is hard and it's not a quick fix to any issues you may be having BUT keep at it and you will notice changes, I know I have as have my friends. I look forward to it everyday. But like anything the more you practice the easier it becomes, that's not to say that you won't have difficult days too - that's just what being a human is like! The downsides to the centre is that the meditation course can be very busy and therefore the room is hot. It's located in a very rough part of Dublin so there is a lot of outside noise but honestly I think it's great experience in learning to tune out noise as unless you live in a field you will always have to deal with urban noise, they did say however that they plan on putting in sound proofing. The centre also does morning yoga and meditation groups if you like rising very early!

From the owner: Meditation classes: learn to meditate, mindfulness and loving kindness meditation practices…read more Practical and accessible courses, suitable for beginners and those with experience. Buddhism classes: learn more about Buddhism. Be part of a vibrant Buddhist community in Dublin City. Yoga classes: come and do yoga with our great teachers.

Very authentic and tranquil centre. Enjoy a regular massage here. Very attentive staff and prices…read moreare amazing for the service you receive. I'd absolutely recommend it and have to many friends and family.

From the owner: The Samadhi Centre offering authetic Ayurvedic treatments, consultations, oils and teas and yoga…read moreclasses. Ayurveda is the art of living in harmony with the laws of nature. It is a science of life and longevity. This method of living emphasizes prevention over cure, without neglecting cure. Ayurveda balances and rejuvenates us, reducing our susceptibility and empowering our immunity to prevent disease from developing. See our website for all treatments and products available. True joy, happiness and beauty can be achieved when we take the time to be ourselves, to discover who we are.

Very clean, huge & great selection of classes, very helpful & very friendly staff from all…read moredepartments within, sometimes I notice staff are afraid to make on the spot decisions probably for good reason but can be frustrating to members or guests and I find the members very friendly and some very funny. Since they introduced the Keiser Spin bike in 2015 I have increased my Power/Watts/FTP by over 33% in less than a year (spin class watts was 200/220 Watts now 330/353 Watts per 45 min spin class) with a max Keiser display calorie burn of 800 - 880+ per 45 min spin class, I have learned how to recover in a very high tempo while on the road by using the spin classes. Every time I think I have peaked and it's impossible to get any more power I get a new number :) and because it's the gym it's not weather permitting and more consistent in the winter months which gives a better output for the new year as I can keep an eye on my levels in the spin classes. I Unknown to the instructors use different instructors for different aspects of my training for cycling, Katarina - technique(which gets extra watts for the same effort) and heart/cadence/power zones, Dave, Ryan and Mauraid - Power with huge watts for long periods(The Hurt House Class, help me to hurt others on the road), Alan - Cadence with Power Training, this proves it was within me to improve, I just needed someone to kick my ass pushing me to my limits while training to get me there, and while on the road cycling, I amaze myself with my well earned gains and I do say to myself while raising my bidon "CHEERS one escape", my only complaint is the spin room could be a bit colder and maybe a little more technical as I know the training staff have the latest know how to be, their list of qualifications go on and on" IMPRESSIVE". The gym equipment WOW, plenty & the variety is huge, you won't be waiting, EVER. Swimming pool, Sauna, Steam Room(probably the best in Dublin) and Jacuzzi are all excellent. A big plus is the management are very approachable & do listen, which is an art lost in modern times with businesses and their customers. I have been in this gym for many years so I know that the people who own it, reinvest and give me the impression they adapt to its customers as I do get the impression the P.T. make the decisions on the classes, so it's a case of the people who are in the know are making the decisions, I make this comment strictly from observation and experience. I know I am NOT a member of a one hit wonder. As far as the cost goes you have to ask yourself the question, do you want a hostel or the shelbourne hotel, at what level of fitness do you want to get, are you happy with being fit or do you want to be super fit, one escape gets 5* from me. Yes it's more expensive than the rest but when I look at my gains, "WELL WORTH IT" and an investment in my future health, my resting HR is now 45-50 at 43, it used to be in the 70's in the days of bad diet, smoking 30-60 a day and no exercise with XXL clothing in my early 30's and the belief on bad health, sure it only happens to everyone else. It's future is an ICON for Dublin, and a standard that other health clubs/gyms can only strive to try and achieve. If anyone knows of a better gym in Dublin I would like to know where it is because I have been around jumping in and out of them in Dublin city and I can't find one. Sure they get things wrong and make mistakes, the gym and staff aren't perfect but they are getting by far more things right than wrong.

Ok this is more of a 3.5 than a 3, but I have to talk about the reception staff here. Surely…read moreensconced within the 'receptionist' role, is a warm RECEPTION for your guests? Those who pay the bills? Each time I've come in here, I've had one gripe or another. Either they are too busy chatting amongst themselves to say hello or goodbye, or they're just not super arsed in being friendly. I get that they're busy, but this is not a cheap gym by any stretch of the imagination so it would be nice to be received with a bit more courtesy. I arrived today at 1.42pm to register for spinning class at 2pm. They say that registration opens 15 mins before each class, so despite being there and ready to go, the receptionist turned to another spinner and I telling us we'd have to wait to register. Now this isn't some high tech scenario on a computer that literally doesn't open til the set time - it's jotting your name down on a piece of paper. I would like to say in full disclosure that the receptionist was tending to someone else at the time, but if she had enough time to turn to us and tell us we'd have to wait til quarter to for signing our name, surely she'd have had enough time to pass us the registration paper. Thankfully which is what another staff member did, once he heard the comment from his colleague. It took him about 0.2 seconds to pass us the sheet. A bit of common sense wouldn't go astray in situations like this. I'm still a major fan of this gym and most of the staff so far have been great, but it would be great if there was a bit less of a "Computer Says Noooooo" attitude in here (What an episode that was!)

I have never in my life been as exhausted as after a one-and-a-half hour of Bikram yoga. I took a…read moreclass at the Bikram Yoga studio at Greenmount avenue (only a 5 minute walk from Harlod's Cross bridge. It's a bit hard to find so I posted a map). More commonly known as 'Hot Yoga' or 'Sweat Yoga', it's a 90-minute class in a room heated to about 40 degrees Celsius. There are rules, and I seriously advice you to follow them carefully (it's a matter of life and death. Almost. Feels like it at least). Drink about 2 litres of water on the way to class (don't worry, you'll sweat it out in no-time), bring 1 litre into class and NO eating about 2 hours before. Bikram yoga is clearly the new hype in the yoga world. Around 30 red faces with sweat dripping from head down were leaving the room when me and about 30 more prepared for our workout. The teacher, trained in India by the yoga master Bikram Choudhury, turned on the heaters and took us through 26 postures and breathing exercises. As I mentioned, the room was filled with about 30 people. That means 60 sweaty armpits, so you can only imagine the smell! After an hour I started to feel dizzy and claustrophobic. (just imagine doing exercise in 40 degrees! In that kind of heat I'm usually cooling down with sangria). I'm not gonna lie to you. This class was 90 minutes of torture. OK, maybe a little exaggeration, the first 10 minutes were fine, the remaining 80 minutes were a struggle between two loud voices, one telling me to stick through it while the more dominating one screamed "GET THE HELL OUT! NOW! BEFORE YOU FAINT OR HAVE A HEART ATTACK!). I did survive the whole class, even though I finished my water-bottle after 30 minutes. I've never been as relieved as when the teacher turned down the heaters and opened the door again and the whole class rushed outside like cows in spring. The teacher assured the beginners that next time would be easier and after a couple of classes we would be hooked. Despite the nausea and dizziness I felt during class, I do really recommend Bikram yoga. Next day I felt more energetic than ever and I can't think of a better post-Chrismas detox than this!

I've put up a pic of the card you get when you sign up for bikram. The main reason is because even…read morethe little stick figure is sweating! That's how sweaty this stuff is! The room is set at about 38 degrees and the poses you're doing aren't actually that tough it's just the adjusting to the heat. If you can get over the sweat pouring over you from every direction than you'll do just fine. The first couple of classes are all about getting used to the heat and if you have to you can sit through some of the poses just to let yourself get used to everything. The classes are filled with beginners and masters, which can be a bit intimidating when you see these really toned, amazing yogis and then your own reflection in the mirror. The reason behind not dividing the classes is that you repeat the exact same series of poses every time, twice. It really allows you to get into a zone and I suppose feel a bit Zen like. The thing is that you don't want to give up on it the first day or two even if you feel really sweaty, tired, stressed, when you wake up the next morning you'll already begin to feel the benefits. They want you to go every day for 60 days to get the full cleansing effect and by then you'll be a true bikramite. There's people in there that go twice a day, once in the morning and once in the afternoon. Ok now that I've blabbed on about Bikram itself. The Bikram studio here in Dublin is a bit of a hodgepodge though they're continually trying to improve it. My main complaint is just that it's nearly impossible to find. I was a bit early and luckily because I went the wrong way twice. My best advice is to just follow the people with the yoga mats and don't get worried when it looks like they're leading you to an abandoned industrial estate. That's where you're meant to be. For the most part the instructors are really helpful and nice. Though there's one or two that are a bit hardcore. If you don't have your own mat they'll provide you one for a small rental fee and as water is entirely essential they also sell that there too. They offer a deal for beginnings at €49 for 30 days you really can't go wrong with that at all. Though after that it gets a bit pricey. So if you're not looking to pay the big bucks, but you want to jump start your fitness I suggest going with the introductory offer and then dropping in every once in awhile from there. (Shh don't tell any true followers I said that!)

I've been 'Eat, Pray, Loving' and drinking a fair bit around this fair city for quite some time…read more It was more than time to find myself sweating those sweet toxins out on my mat again. The great thing about yoga is that you can learn something new about yourself in it all the time. Lately I've wanted to focus on core and strength, while releasing stress and tiresome schedule pains from my mind. I walked into this studio unplanned, although I've wanted to take advantage of their 30 days for 49 euro offer for sometime. On a Thursday evening when I'd been stressed to the max from work and desperately craving some productivity in the endorphin department, I signed up for my first class. I caught the yoga high and signed up for the special offer after class. Challenging myself to 30 days of yoga is the most I've ever consistently attended studio classes and Bikram to boot. The teachers are supportive, encouraging, honest. The location is perfect- off Fade Street with a cool view from the 3rd floor overlooking some of Dublin. It's a simple set up- corridor for checking in, showers and changing rooms, and one studio room. Simple digs that are well looked after. The Bikram heat is also bang on. All and all, I like this place A LOT. NAMASTE.

This is the best yoga class that I've been to. I've done three different types of classes here,…read morecore yoga, yoga 1 and parental yoga and have found all to brilliantly instructed. There is a couple of minutes usually given to relaxation at the end.