This studio is definitely my favorite in the area.
What really sets it apart, I think, is the friendly, open, and encouraging attitude of both the teachers and the students. Unlike other studios where people come with that aloof Boston private attitude just to do their exercise, this place feels like it's home to a bunch of people who want to share their practice with others. I always end up chatting with people on the way in and the way out and that gives me a boost on top of general yoga bliss.
Some reviews on here say that parking is a con, but part of what makes Union square so great is that we're mostly free from the students, tourists, and people who are only passing through the area but aren't truly invested in living here. That Union is still a real neighborhood is what drew me in part to live here rather than somewhere on the T. So the people at be.in.union. are in a way pre-filtered so that most of them live around the corner. I have made a couple new friends walking back home after a class, and that kind of thing wouldn't be possible if this studio were in Charlestown. I would therefore call the location and lack of parking a huge plus! Indeed, the size of the classes once people get out of work in the evening couldn't be any bigger without getting cramped, so I'd say it's at the perfect spot.
The new lounge with wifi adds a cushy-ness that's really nice and makes it a place to hang out. Especially if you want to do back to back classes, or if your bus gets in early.
Constructive Criticism - please read if you're running be.!
I second the review on here about private changing areas. There's a weird room within the yoga room itself that could probably be used for this purpose (I do not know what it's being used for now.)
A strict line of where to take off shoes (perhaps before we even go up the stairs) would make for a cleaner studio. Unfortunately every time I come in there are already traces of dirt and water from people's shoes, so I have no choice but to keep my shoes on. Ultimately, the area right before you go in to the room is still messy. You have to take off your shoes by that point but then you step in the dirt. I have noticed more dirt on the floor than I think is really acceptable, so perhaps making people take their shoes off upon entrance, as well as some more cleaning before classes, would make a huge difference.
The final thing I have to say I wish I didn't, but I have come across one teacher, Tegan, whom I found irresponsible. I wouldn't say something against her if I just didn't like her class, but I really found something she did to be disconcerting.
At the beginning of class I tell her that my lower back muscles are cramping and spasming and that I want to focus on letting that tension out. Then the first thing she throws our way is a supine ab exercise that can kill your low back if you don't already have the abominable strength for it. Knowing that it's not good for me I back off and tell her when she comes my way that it's hurting. She offers no adjustments, ideas, or modifications, and instead keeps instructing the class. *Then* she says, afterwards, - and this is what took it over the top for me - "If that hurt your low back it's because you weren't engaging _x_muscle." Are you fucking serious?! I *just* said I had a problem with my lower back, you assign something knowing it would hurt, and then only afterwards admit that you knew full well that it was going to hurt? I just can't even start to fathom why she thought it was okay to assign that without forewarning, and only afterwards explain the way to do safely! I would have loved a lesson in cultivating lower abdominal strength to ease tension on my lower back, but instead she just asked us to do something knowing it would hurt without any instruction about how to approach the poses in a safe way. Ridiculous and irresponsible. Beyond that, she blares music that seems to be her personal ipod on shuffle - a mix of outdated pop songs, mostly, with no attempt for the music to be part of the meditation. Once she played Robin Thicke's "you know you want it" rape apology song twice in the same class. Her classes are hyper focused on yoga-as-exercise and body sculpting and not as a spiritual practice. So even if she weren't irresponsible I would still advise you to avoid her classes. I would very much appreciate it if she weren't on the schedule at all, yet obnoxiously she has back to back classes on Monday afternoon, which are the only times on a Monday I can go - I'm writing this review in place of not being able to go to yoga today. Not the end of the world of course, but three other people I know agree with all of the complaints here and similarly wish that she be replaced. I hate to be undermining somebody's employment, but I can't help but think that be.in.union would be better as a whole with a new teacher who is a more careful, deliberate, and responsible practitioner. read more
