Keeping in mind that my intention here is to tell the truth and warn others who are here searching for other people's opinions about their experiences at Mountain Yoga, and also remembering that this is about a person who has feelings, too.
I am from out of town and my friend and I went this past Monday to get in a yoga class while we were away on vacation. I was hesitant because I have cervical and thoracic disc issues, as well as nerve damage that affects my shoulder and arm. I love yoga, as it's been so helpful in dealing with the pain, but I have limits to which classes are suitable for me.
I went in with an open mind and asked the instructor of the chakra yoga class, Jessica, I believe, if the "flow" of the class would be suitable for me since I stick to "slow" and "gentle flow" yoga due to my injuries. She enthusiastically said her flow class is not that quick, that she offers many modifications for those who need them, and that her class would be suitable for me. With trust in her and an open mind, I gave it a try.
I was doing alright for the first quarter of the class, but the pace was fast and I observed the instructor fall over when showing the class a pose. (Red flag)
We were also doing lunging karate kicks at some point. (Another red flag--bad for the lower back and I don't come to yoga to have the instructor tell me to imagine kicking my friends.) I'm not even sure what to say about this.
After I realized I had pushed my body too far, and pain was setting in, I stopped participating and did my own stretches to alleviate the pain. The only modifications that were ever called out to me throughout the entire class were "child's pose" and she did come over to tell me to do "legs up the wall" when others were doing headstands. Head stands!!
I was very annoyed that I paid money to take the class and the instructor never bothered to walk over to me and assess what I was feeling or how to help the pain in any way.
I left feeling betrayed, as if I was just another body to pay them the "drop in" fee. Also, maybe she thought we would both leave if she said it wasn't suitable for me, so they would lose 2 drop in fees. I can only guess at what her motivations were for saying I would be fine. I was not fine. I was in bed the rest of the evening instead of out exploring the town.
I hope in the future she will speak more honestly to students who express concern about the safety of their bodies in her class, about the actual pace of the class, and also check in once in a while. Especially if they're dealing with injuries and they're looking for yoga to help the healing process.
I can easily watch yoga on the internet. I come to a yoga class for the instructors help with the poses and for their expertise on proper body mechanics. I would probably not have left this review if I felt that she had cared at all. Sometimes a person showing concern can help ease my feelings of regret when pushing my own body too far. My mistake, though, for not respecting my own limitations.
She did say some beautiful things about the chakras but she could improve by helping to connect the mind and body. It's hard to "let go" and "release" tension when you're in pain, feeling lost and abandoned in a new class. I'm still processing what the universal message was for me to learn from that class. read more
