I discovered Black Cat Yoga last year in August 2018 when I was temporarily living with my parents while we waited to close on our new house. I found a Groupon for their studio so I purchased 5 classes. Purchasing that class pack was one of the best thing I have ever done and I can honestly say, it changed my life!
I had been diagnosed with a hip labrum tear and was in continuous pain, so severe I could barely walk around my house. It made exercising pretty much impossible.
However, my Orthopaedic recommended yoga to help and even though I had tried yoga in the past and didn't care for it, I decided it was worth a shot since I couldn't bear the pain.
I spoke with Lisa, studio owner and teacher, before going in to take my first class and talked to her about my situation. She was extremely kind and helpful and assured me I would be fine. When I arrived to class, she was so welcoming and remembered our conversation and said she would look after me to make sure I was comfortable. She even did more poses to focus on the hip area, which was so helpful.
I really love her style of teaching. She doesn't demonstrate every single pose, but teaches in a way that a beginner yogi like I was at the time, could easily follow and figure out the poses along with how to modify. Her voice is relaxing and soothing with a wonderful tone so i was able to find a peaceful calm while flowing through the poses.
The studio itself is also beautiful and taste fully decorated. It's located in historical Riverside and I love the exposed brick walls in the studio. Purple seems to be the theme color with things like the ombré curtains, art, wall hangings, bolsters, yoga mats and blocks. And their black cat mascot is seen throughout the studio along with any of their printed material.
If you are a regular member, they have racks in the back of the class so you can leave your mat and not have to lug it back and forth. And they have a bathroom inside that is always clean.
One of the thing I also love about this studio is they have soft, padded floors. So if you're a person who has trouble doing yoga on wood floors, you'll love how the floors feel here.
After using my 5 class pack from Groupon, I bought another pack of classes to use for the remaining time I was staying with my parents and practicing yoga here, definitely helped with all the tightness and pain in my hips. It was the start of my yoga journey and healing process for my body.
I recently went back to take a class when I was in town staying with my parents. (I live in Orlando now.) Kevin, who is the other owner and teacher as well as Lisa's husband taught. His class and style of teaching is every bit as good and for this particular class they had live music with Lisa playing crystal bowls, a string instrument that I don't know the name of, and bells. It was beautiful and amazing to hear the music and focus on the healing vibrations of it while practicing.
They have a mixture of vinyasa flow, restorative and yin yoga classes on their schedule and you can purchase class packs as well as unlimited packages for the year. Whether you are a beginner or an advanced yogi, I think you would love this studio and being guided by Kevin and Lisa as much as I do! They are special, caring people and you feel their love and passion for helping people in their yoga practice. I know if I lived in Jacksonville, I would practice there regularly. read more