08/07/09

Liked the studio

by ZahraJam

The studio was great. Ambience was positive. Locker room had built in locks - an excellent feature. I did not care for the teacher's attitude otherwise the workout was rigorous and full of life. I intend to try other locations. NY Yoga Passbook has two passes for yoga works -- worth trying.

• Pros: Very Good Workout
• Cons: Teacher

12/18/08

please try Yogaworks westside - I promise you, its great

by adittyisasong

At the beginning of last summer, I found one of those 2 weeks for $30 postcards lying around on Columbia's campus and I decided to try out yoga....and its been great. I spent the summer (almost every day...I was studying for a big standardized test) at Yogaworks westside. Since then, I've tried a couple other studios (Yoga to the People and Life in Motion) and Yoga works is BY FAR the best. I've found the teachers I love and their instruction is FAR BETTER than at either of the other two studios I've tried out, especially for a beginner like myself.

As for more experienced yogis, I can't promise anything. But I have a friend who has been practicing daily for a couple of years, and she agrees that the Yogaworks has the best instruction - the teachers demonstrate all the poses narrate what to do very clearly. Its amazing how the littlest instructions - "try to roll your inner upper thighs towards the ceiling" or "push your back leg towards the back of the room to engage the whole leg" can make the poses more enjoyable, deeper, and more stable. In yogaworks classes, these sorts of instructions are constant and make for a great yoga practice.

People often say they don't like Yogaworks' "corporate" atmosphere, but that's something that I hadn't even thought of till someone said it to me. If you go to the same classes every week, you will know the teachers and they will know you, as if the studio is a "neighborhood'" and "family owned" (non-corporate) kind of place. The studios are beautiful, and yes, maybe the decor of all the studios are just about the same, but that design is really pleasant and calming. And there's enough space so you are not directly on top of your neighbor (like yoga to the people) and the studios aren't so poorly designed that you might get a spot on the floor where a bright light will be shining in your eyes for your entire class (like life in motion).

Please try out Yogaworks for 2 weeks....really....its worth it.

• Pros: great, detailed instruction
• Cons: I wish they offered classes that started a bit later than 7:30PM (that's the latest time).

08/08/08

Cold and Stark

by scarlettfeverr

I tried several yoga studios in NYC and after attending many clases during their two week ($30) trial, I would not go back. Some of their teachers do have an odd hostile attitude and the aura is that of coldness, starkness and almost a corporate gym mentality. Much of the spiritual elements of yoga are missing here greatly. During one class, we did some kind of weird backbend over a metal chair. The teacher demoed it and we repeated. Imagine being upside down over a metal chair. I couldn't figure out where to put my hands exactly - it is difficult to feel when you can not see and are upside down. The teacher rebuked me like a child and asked obnoxiously, "Did you even pay attention during the demo?" Very nice *karmic* approach. Namaste? Teachers contradict each other - in other words, there is no unified approach and philosophy. One teacher had us doing headstands with a blanket and our hands shoulder width apart flat on the floor, and another teacher in another class asked me almost mockingly where I learned to do a headstand like that and told me a blanket makes the surface uneven and my hands should be crowned around my head. It just seemed like instead of yoga balance, focus and warm positivity, yoga works is about something entirely different and full of negativity and a very un-zen approach. I joined another studio and still get calls and messages left on my voicemail trying to get me to join here.

The only positive things: Their changing room on the UWS location is beautiful, clean and has locking lockers so you don't need a lock. (The other lcoations were not such) Their monthly deal was pretty good pricewise - when I was there, it was $85 a month for one studio or $115 to use all 4 locations unlimited. They said it might go up $5 soon but that is still better than most other studios in NYC.

Still, good price and deluxe changing rooms are definitely, definitely not the only factors in choosing a place to practice - keep in mind.

• Pros: Good monthly deal, many classes in 4 locations can be convenient
• Cons: Everything else