Review: Bikram Yoga Manhattan

Posted on January 31, 2010 by kymarie13

Today I decided to try Bikram Yoga Manhattan at their Soho location. It is located on Spring street between Wooster and Broadway. The location was great and pretty easy to get too. They are located on the 4th floor. When I walked up the stairs I was instructed to take off my shoes before I entered and then I entered a very small lobby with one bench and a desk. I filled out all the necessary paperwork and was given the new student special, one week unlimited for $20. The prices are not too bad, $125 a unlimited month with a 12 month contract and $140 a unlimited month with a 6 month contract. I walked back to the dressing room which was extremely small, there were two showers and hardly any room to change. I quickly hung my stuff up and went into the studio. The studio was also small (shocker) but luckily I had gotten there early and got a good spot. The first thing I noticed was the smell, it was horrible, which is not uncommon in a Bikram studio but it was pretty bad. In about 10 minutes the entire room was filled and we had to start squeezing together to fit everyone (at least it seems to be popular).

Finally class started, Pamela was the teacher for this class. She was very nice and helpful. Not like my last experience. She respected everyone’s levels and was always there to help. Once again I went through “the why am I doing this to myself phase” but by the end of class I was happy that I had gone. It was a good class and I got an amazing workout.

After I crammed into the changing room and kept bumping into people I grabbed my stuff and got out. Once I was out I realized I had left my water bottle in the changing room but I had already gone to far to go back so I tried to call them to ask them to hold it until I could come get it but all of their phone numbers are automated! I was pretty upset, it was a Lululemon water bottle :( .

So overall my experience was okay.

  • Pro’s: The teacher was very friendly and helpful, 4 locations, decent prices
  • Con’s: Too small, too crowded, smelled horrible, and an automated phone system

In my opinion I have to say that I like Bikram Yoga Union Square better. I still have one place left to try though, I will let you know when I try it.

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Review: Bikram Yoga Union Square

Posted on January 23, 2010 by kymarie13

The first studio I visited was Bikram Yoga Union Square (BYUS). BYUS is located on Broadway between 13th and 14th Street, it is very easy to get to off the 4,5,6 subway. You walk into the building and take an elevator up. The reception area was very nice and smelled very good, which is a huge plus for a Bikram Yoga Studio, most studios you will go to will smell. The receptionist was very nice and gave me the first time student special which is for unlimited classes for 1 week for  $20. Towels, mats, and water all cost extra. I was prepared and brought my own mat and water.

When you go to a Bikram Yoga class you want to have a mat, a large towel for your mat, a small towel to wipe yourself off during class and a large bottle of water. Do NOT wear pants, you will sweat so much during this class that it will be uncomfortable after. The best apparel for Bikram is shorts (the tighter the better and I would not recommend cotton, trust me), and a tank top.

I walked into the locker room which was rather small and had three showers, I was happy I lived close enough that I did not have to shower there. After putting my stuff away I walked into the room. The room was a decent size and had blue carpeting. There will large windows at the end of the room. I laid my stuff at and laid down until class started. By the time class was starting the room was filled, not only were there newbies there were the super serious Bikram Yogi’s that you could tell went to class every other day. I had taken a class with Otto Cedeno. He walked into the room and immediately had us start. I can not lie but for the first 30 minutes of class I wanted to cry. Otto was very serious and made sure that we took the class serious too. If we were not coming up at the same time or holding it, he would have us do it again. I was thinking I would never do this again but as the class went along I started to understand why he did that. He said “He loves practicing Bikram Yoga because it makes him as strong as the practice is.” Which is true it is a very strong practice and if you stick through the entire class you feel very empowered and refreshed (apart from that the fact that you look like you jumped into the pool and you need to take a shower immediately). During the class Otto made sure to let fresh air into the room and helped everyone perfect their positions. He made everyone push themselves but knew where peoples limitations were.

By the end of class I was so happy I came and I was glad that Otto pushed me to do better. I really liked Bikram Yoga Union Square, the staff was friendly, the room smelled good (which is rare), and it was a great class. The only thing I did not like was how small the locker rooms were. After class all the women were lined up to take a shower and there was barely any privacy. I sadly did not get to come back anymore that week due to my hectic schedule but I would have gone back if I had time. I will be trying Bikram Yoga NYC and Bikram Yoga Manhattan soon and I will let you know what I think and which is the best studio out of the three. Bikram Yoga Union Square only has one location so if you live next to Union Square your in luck. To find out more information on the Studio go to www.bikramyogaunionsquare.com.

Picture from Forbes.com

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What is Bikram Yoga?

Posted on January 23, 2010 by kymarie13

I am personally not a fan of Yoga. Being a dancer you would think I like it but it moves a little too slow for me. One form of Yoga that I have found and love is Bikram Yoga.

Bikram Yoga is a series of 26 poses performed in a room with temperature of 105 degrees Fahrenheit. Yes it is HOT, very hot. Each Yoga Pose is usually performed twice and held for a certain period of time. The session starts with Standing Postures, then the Backbends, Forward Bends, and finishes with Twists. The poses are accompanied by Kapalabhati Breath or the “blowing in firm”. Bikram is named after its founder – Bikram Choudhury, who studied Yoga with Bishnu Ghosh, brother of Paramahansa Yogananda.

The benefits that you can receive from Bikram Yoga are great but they say you must go three times a week to see the results. And Bikram Yoga is a big time investment it is a 90 minute class and normally runs over depending on the teacher. Being in New York now I decided I had to find the perfect studio. So far I have three on my list: Bikram Yoga NYC, Bikram Yoga Manhattan, and Bikram Yoga Union Square.

Picture from Inside Battersea.

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