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| - UPDATE:
Since my last review, the folks at Urban Yoga and I have had a couple of in-depth conversations about my experiences. It is nice to see a local business committed to customer communication.
They listened to my concerns and made several suggestions for things I could do to make my time spent at their business less frustrating.
As it stands, I would not recommend any of the Urban/Power/Candlelight Flow classes to a beginner, whether you are new to yoga altogether or just new to the vinyasa style. They recommend Slow Flow and they offer it a couple of times a week (more are planned to be scheduled).
The Core class and Zen class are still going to be in my regular rotation -- they give a good workout regardless of your level. And as I mentioned before the boutique is really fabulous--even if you don't do yoga!
ORIGINAL REVIEW (***)
I am blown away by all of the positive reviews of this place, really. I have been practicing yoga off and on for nearly 13 years. I am comfortable with many poses and even know the Sanskrit names for some of them. But somehow I still get lost in UY's "flow" classes and the instructors seem totally ok with that.
I tried 2 different "urban flow" classes and a "candlelight flow". They often didn't demonstrate a sequence at all and one explained it away saying she didn't want students to think we need to look like she does... Isn't the whole reason I am getting instruction is so that my form can get as close to perfect as possible?
I've taken a lot of Bikram, and the instructors don't perform the poses, but they make up for that by giving explicit, descriptive, and consistent direction. Here, they say "now do your own vinyasa and let's meet back in downward dog" and you are supposed to divine from that "move from plank, to chaturanga dandasana, to cobra, to d dog." I mean, I gathered that... But they can't say something like, "now let's do the vinyasa flow together once"? I was never asked how long I have been doing yoga, or if I had any injuries or anything--questions I have been asked at every other studio I have been to.
My friend is new to yoga, he struggled for the whole hour, only getting help from the teacher once... She said if anyone got lost, to watch the girls in the front of the room--who were all doing different things, and who we only had one view of (the back) since they line the class up with the mirrors on the side instead of the front. This was the second flow class I brought him to, and it was just as confusing to him as the first. He didnt know what "do your vinyasa" meant, if it was supposed to be the same each time... And he was left to flounder in a class that is supposedly great for all levels. If an instructor or series is not actually explained for beginners, it should be listed clearly as recommended for intermediate or advanced.
We did not receive any recommendations on how to modify, how to use the props... just "do your own vinyasa and watch someone else." She finally came by and handed him a block--nearly 50 minutes into the class.
After my first couple of classes, I thought maybe this studio is just ideally suited to experienced yogis, but I am experienced and I still felt lost and unimportant to my instructors. What I think now, is that Urban is designed with their own regulars in mind. If you are willing to tough out enough classes to learn all the shorthand-speak that is used in lieu of actual direction, you might be able to get a good practice from them. If you already know all the common vinyasa flow sequences, you may also do alright, I don't know. I have done years of hatha, Bikram, and even taken kundalini, ashtanga and vinyasa classes before and I've always done ok. And here I did ok. But not great. I didn't feel good when I got out of class, I felt inadequate and exhausted from trying to catch up for over an hour.
Two classes, urban core and urban zen, were both taught with instructors that demonstrated both full and modified poses, so I am giving them a star for that. I enjoyed those classes and the instructors. I got a workout and felt pushed in all the best ways. Plus, the space itself--both studios, lockerrooms, and retail, is all really gorgeous and well-maintained. Between the space and the location they get another star, you can't beat being right at the lightrail or free parking fir convenience.
Maybe vinyasa just isn't really my thing, after all. Maybe the last time I took a vinyasa class and liked it, I just had a particularly energized and helpful instructor and I got the wrong impression. I get a way better workout, feel much more focused, and receive more instructor engagement at the Bikram studi
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