This review is just for the 90 minute original hot yoga class. This was my first class at Expand, and I will likely go back once more before my 1-week trial membership is over, so I may update my review after that.
I came in for the 7pm hot yoga class. Luckily for me, the class size was small given the storm that was coming through that night, so I only had about 7 people in my class including the instructor. The usual 26 postures were practiced during the class, but after we finished the standing poses, we went into savasana (corpse pose) while the instructor dimmed the lights and turned on the AC to cool the room down quite a bit. We probably laid in savasana for 5-7 minutes while the instructor talked about corpse pose and his personal thoughts on dying (which I thought was a bit weird).
For as many yoga classes as I've taken in this exact format, I've never experienced such a long break before floor poses, ever. The bummer for me was that it completely broke my stride. Then I began to wonder how we could afford such a long break between the standing and floor series, and it dawned on me that we were not holding any of the poses for the usual 60 and 30 seconds that they should be held for. I then realized that this was why I felt rushed through the series, and was way behind the rest of the class when coming out of the current pose, as the instructor was going into the next pose.
We finally started up with the floor series and got through those poses. At this point there was another class going on upstairs which resulted several loud thuds and a bit of shaking in the studio. I managed to tune out this noise and finish up my practice. Why they would have a "loud" class in the upstairs studio, while a no-impact class took place in the downstairs studio, was odd and inexplicable.
Also, there was not much guidance or "correction" during class to better attain the proper postures from the instructor. I am coming back to my practice after a few months of being away, moving here from out of state, and contending with a moderate back injury. Sometimes, hearing that guidance offers a different perspective and that can make all the difference in the world. Even a little bit of positive reinforcement from the instructor would have been nice. I think he made 2-3 comments in total that were positive. During a 90-minute class, that's not much.
My overall impression: this is a good beginner studio to try if this is your first time doing yoga. For me, I felt like the 90-minute original hot yoga didn't offer the flow I've come to expect from more traditional hot yoga classes, so I would not come back for these classes. When I asked the two instructors standing at the front desk after class about the format of the 90-minute hot class, the response I got was about how their class was not meant to be as intense as a bikram studio. Hmmmm.... Then why offer a 90-minute class at all?
One of the women I talked to, Liz, was great. I would come back to try out a class with her regardless of what she teaches. The other two instructors I spoke to seemed unseasoned and at times stand-offish. This might be a good studio for a different class, but I won't be back for the 90-minute class. read more