I recently posted a similar review on Google, and am adding one here with the hope that it will provide the reader with some insight about this remarkable yoga studio and the people you will meet there...
About a year ago I walked into Yogafly for the first time. I chose to begin my yoga journey with an individual session with the owner, Peach Friedman, and that was one of the best decisions I've ever made! She is a remarkable teacher!
I'd attended a few health club yoga classes some years before and had dabbled with a few DVD's, but I told Peach that wanted to start on day one with a beginner's mind and just assume I knew nothing (which turned out to be basically true). I was excited by the idea but also a little anxious that yoga might be a bit much for my 60-something year old body, even though I've tried to stay reasonably fit all my life. Peach's observant eye took in my posture and breathing and we began with my learning to stand and breathe and do a few other basic actions such as properly aligning my arm bones into my shoulders when bearing weight on my hands.
Within a short time I was experiencing ordinary activities such as standing in line at a store or bending over to pick up something as opportunites to practice my new skills. An overdoer's shoulder ache I'd had for a while faded away. Within a month I found that I could sit up straight on a cushion without back support for extended intervals. I'd never been able to do that for long without leaning back on something, else my back would begin to ache and I'd start fidgeting.
And I learned how to do a comfortable back bend, a movement I'd just assumed might not available to my body. I used to love to look at the stars as a youngster, but had long ago fallen out of the habit of gazing up at the night sky because it soon made my neck feel pinched. Through yoga practice I soon learned I'd never learned how to bend backward safely. The first time I realized I could stand and hold my gaze upward with a smooth curve in my back and no pinched neck or low back was a revelation! I almost teared up with joy! So yoga is for stargazers too.
I could go on, but will close this review with a few thoughts. Yoga is about so much more than just learning physical poses and movements! Peach, along with her wonderful group of assistant teachers, including Nicole and Megan and others, have created a community that is welcoming and inclusive.
Just as I've learned to check my shoes at the door, so I'm practicing checking my "ego" there too. Inside the studio, we're all there to experience what yoga has to offer. If you choose to practice yoga at Yogafly, you will be welcomed and noticed as an individual, and at the same time you will always be encouraged to trust your own body and mind to guide you as to what you are comfortable trying. The classes range from beginning to advanced, and you will find the options range from a vigorous vinyasa flow to a calming and grounding "yin" yoga experience. You can find a peaceful and quiet space if that's what you need on a given day, though a friendly smile and conversation is always close at hand too.
So where has this pathway led? My decision to begin with few 1:1 sessions with Peach or her associate Nicole proved to be a very helpful investment toward building a basic foundation and avoiding "bad habits" before joining in on group classes, although these too are a great place to start. Your choice! Then this year I decided to "take the plunge" into a more intensive learning experience that has taken my practice to a whole new level I would have never guessed possible. It's all there at Yogafly, from learning to breathe, to learning to teach yoga to others. Namaste... read more