Dangerous and lacklustre (if not icky).
My biggest complaint with this studio is that it's unsafe. Of course, each class varies by instructor, and some are better than others, but the owner pays safety no mind, and she sets the tone and the example of what she expects from the other instructors at the studio.
The majority of classes are the instructor doing the postures on his/her own mat. Many of the restorative classes have dim lighting and those often result in eyes closed (the instructors' too). If you're a champion yogi and you don't need feedback, adjustments, or corrections, you'll be just fine. But yoga is a lifelong education and practice. And it's very easy to bend/fold/lift/stand/sit/twist just a wee bit different from what is being modelled and/or instructed, and then voila--you have yourself an injury. While in the class, I felt like I was paying to watch the instructor do yoga. I can do that for free from my home with YouTube. And get the exact same feedback. Nada. I'm not necessarily looking for one-on-one, I mean, presumably, the instructor is there to...instruct. It seemed like the classes were just part of the instructors' own practices. I waited before yelping about the place because for the first while that I attended, I assumed this was the norm. Then I tried 3 other studios, and I was shocked. So many of my questions answered! I learned what I was doing wrong and how to change it. In all 3 of the other studios, the instructors modelled the postures and then walked the room to ensure everyone was doing some derivation of the posture (based on ability) that was safe and correct.
At the end of one of the classes, a student slipped on sweat and fell and landed on her rear. I watched it happen in the reflection of the mirror--it was horrible. She was youngish, embarrassed, and hurt. But she got up so as to not make a scene. It was in a class taught by the owner. I think her back was turned when it happened but she heard it. She turned around at the sound, but the girl was getting up, so she just walked away. She didn't even wipe up the sweat. Didn't check on the girl. Talk to her. Fill out an accident report. Nothing. Wanting to respect her feelings, I asked her outside the classroom if she was okay. She had tears in her eyes but was too embarrassed to talk about it.
The studio STINKS. When you open the entrance door, you're slapped in the face with the acrid stench of cat piss (mildew). It is so strong, it caused me to grimace every time, even knowing what to expect. Again, I figured this was normal, until I visited other studios. None of them had either issue. No odour. And comfortable climate: hot in the practice room and comfortable in the common area. I get that it's steamy and there's moisture, but the dehumidifier clearly isn't doing the job and so everyone just lives with the stench. Not the end of the world, I suppose; but, if the competition can have this under control...
They sell some yoga apparel and accessories. New to yoga, I foolishly assumed it was good quality with average retail prices. I found the same $95 yoga pants at a discount store for $30. The instructor and her mom both told me, "We sell the towels here. They're the good ones, not the crappy ones at [insert discount store].". So I bought the towels from the studio for $25 each. Shortly after, I found the exact same ones at winners for $15. And, after washing them according to the care label (cold water, hang to dry), the corners shrivelled up and they never laid flat on my mat.
Lastly, in the washroom, there are terrycloth hand towels, only. How nice? No--one, communal, terrycloth towel. Not a basket of towels for each person. At least in the dingy motel, that old, metal hand towel machine had clean towelling on a spool/roll where you'd dry your hands, and the next person pulled down to reveal a new, fresh, clean section of towelling. I appreciate the nod to environmentalism by not having disposable towels, but not providing a clean one for each student is just unsanitary and cheap. We all know not everyone has the same values about hygiene. We've all seen that troll who doesn't use soap. Those trolls do yoga, too. And I would prefer not to "dry" my clean hands with someone else's genitals and/or waste. Not to mention the fact that if a class of 20+ students lets out, and half of them go to the washroom, how long before that singular towel is soaked?
In sum: no. I could forgive the smell, even the hand towel, but safety is paramount.
I will say that the instructors were all nice. And nice goes a long way. But nice or not, I need my instructor to instruct.
When I've mentioned my experience to others in the yoga world, a few have diplomatically said that each yoga style is different. And this is true. But any style of yoga should ensure safety. read more