I must have walked by this studio 30 times before I actually went and signed up for a class. I…read morecouldn't get over how large this place is. I have yet to run into a yoga studio in south Jersey that has this much space. The place is stunning...I know because it stunned me. The lobby is warm, welcoming, calm and inviting. There is a lot of seating and a living room area with water/tea/magazines/etc. There are men's and ladies locker rooms in the back with showers and everything you will need to 'reset' after your practice. Lots of studios offer mat storage, here you can hang them completely open and let them dry off. Seriously, this studio is huge. The hot room itself is again...huge, it is new, modern, fresh, beautiful. My first visit here, I couldn't get over how lovely this place is. The classes I have taken have been with Suzanne, she is the owner and is very sweet and welcoming.
This studio specializes in Hatha yoga featuring Ghosh lineage. Suzanne took the time to tell me that this is Tony Sanchez yoga not Bikram Choudhury yoga. There are several classes offered, the core 26, the core 30 and the master core 40. I have only taken the core 26 because that is the most frequently offered class and all I could make work around my work schedule.
So here is my humble opinion about the yoga. This to me looks like Bikram, call it whatever you like....it still looks like Bikram. The room is not as hot or as humid and the grips are different in some of the poses. Everything else..... Bikram. If you are a practicing Bikram yogi, you will find that you are doing the grips incorrectly here. Such a minor detail, but worth mentioning.
This studio is new, the owner told me she has only been around for a few months at this point. I hope she gets more students and is able to keep this lovely space open. I have only taken a few classes here and have found some of the other students to be very discourteous to both the instructor as well as the other practitioners in the room. Enter the studio with the intent to practice, bring what you need with you - mat, towel, whatever. I have never seen so many people go in and out of a room during a practice in my life. Stepping out for a towel, then out for water, out for a potty break, out for more water, out because it is too hot, out for whatever other stupid reason. This is a 90 minute class, get your act together and stay in the room. All of this commotion and exiting changes the temperature in an already not that hot room. It is distracting and simply rude to the person leading the class. There is an etiquette in yoga, some ... not all ... of the people that practice here do not seem to care about that.
Overall, this is a nice studio and I would recommend it to anyone who wants a hot practice but is intimidated by 105 degrees and 40% humidity of traditional Bikram.