09/17/09

The Soul of Yoga, Not the Art of Yoga

by nalfang

I've been going to LL regularly for about a year. I started learning yoga here with Basics classes which were actually quite good (esp Heather). However after about 6 months of consistent attendance I started with the next level 2 classes, and have to say was shocked to see hardly any instruction or demonstrations from the instructors at this level for advanced poses. I attended about 15 of these classes until I really hurt my back. As a result I agree with others that you see a lot students just mangling their bodies at this place and no doubt suffering some injuries (myself included). I recently started going to an Iyengar school to start really learning the correct poses and that has been great. However I do miss the LL vibe so still like going their occasionally for a fun or just relaxing class. I just wish LL would provide better instruction beyond Basics class.

• Pros: Positive and welcoming vibe, nice instructors
• Cons: Very limited focus on alignment and correct poses

03/25/09

a factory

by elpa

i was a regular at LL (2xs a week at least) for quite some time but schedule changes kept me away for a while. since i started going back i have to say the things i overlooked before stand out over anything else about the place now. the OTT yoga decor and pseudo hippy, spacey, somewhat smug disposition of the staff is far from zen. additionally the UNBELIEVABLY over-crowded classes (you can't even move freely in your own mat space!) and TINY changing room pretty much negate any sense of "yoga" you achieved during a class. basically it's a yoga factory decorated to make you think otherwise.

while the teachers are all truly lovely, it scares me how little alignment instruction they give - it really borders on negligence (i have been practicing for about 10 years so i consider myself somewhat knowledgeable regarding these things).

the classes are upbeat and definitely different if you are experienced and looking for something fun for a change but, i'm sorry to say, other than that it doesn't do much....

• Pros: different
• Cons: way too overcrowded, very "un-yoga" like

01/12/09

But I'd heard such great things....

by swnot

This place borders on dangerous. I watched students gleefully mangle their bodies during an evening class without any instruction regarding alignment. I am a certified yoga instructor who has been seeing a chiropractor for years; it was all I could do to keep up the pretense of taking the class through shivasana. On top of that, the teacher seemed to regard herself as a guru. Her students seemed to believe her and the result was positively creepy. When I left the class I noticed that the staff and all of the incoming students seemed to share the notion that yoga = being unusually flighty. NO. Yoga can bring revelation but not without a truly grounded practice. This place fails on all counts.