The Yoga Lounge

On September 21, 2015 I attended Chris Hawk’s «Letting Go» Workshop. Chris is a visiting instructor from (I think, if I recall correctly), Costa Rica. I really enjoyed the workshop. I think Chris is a gifted instructor. His guided meditation was terrific. I also liked the studio. It was a bit busier than I am used to — I typically attend smaller classes in boutique studios — but I was warmly greeted by the receptionist and made to feel right at home. The room the workshop took place in was bright and cozy. I look forward to attending future workshops and classes at this studio.

They have a wide variety of classes (both styles and difficulties), although it’s not always clear in the descriptions which are which. I’m not a fan of hot yoga, but that seems to be a specialty of theirs — those classes tend to be fuller.
It’s worth exploring a few classes and finding a teacher you gel with. They’re all unique.
Some great, challenging cardio classes are Michelle’s, Kristina’s and Didi’s.
Slower paced, technical would be Nicole’s.
Overall, I’m a big fan of many of the teachers there. Spend some time to find a class that fits your levels and needs.

From the pics it looked really glamourous, and seemed to offer perks and a lounge space in addition to the regular yoga studios that you go to.
After riding a small sketchy elevator, you enter the space. When I got there, there was a class that was in progress, and no one at the reception. I waited a bit to see if someone would come back. But no one did, so I signed in, left my P2P number and signed the waiver and went to go change.
The changeroom was nice. Two showers separated by a glass, Lots of cubbyholes with baskets for your stuff, and lots of hooks. Two sinks and two toilets.
When I came back out, there were other class members staring at me like I worked there. I wasn’t until about 10 mins before class the teacher did arrive and started registering people.
There are 2 rooms, one normal and one hot room. When I went into the Hot room to set up my stuff, there were some nicely spaced out tape on the floor. The room wasn’t hot at all and even had me question whether it will get more hot. During the class, it probably was about 30 something, I didn’t really break a sweat, but some other people did profusely.
The Hot Fusion class with music, was ok. It wasn’t fusion but it had music. But I have to say the instructor was one of the less skillful that I have seen. She demo’d a lot of the poses, but not to the extent of others. Okay fine, won’t hold that against her, but during the practice, there was no advice on what to think about, what alignment to focus on — it was just about where to place your feet etc. I also found some poses were held a lot longer than normal, creating what I felt were awkward silences… although we were already silent.
The last 15 mins (at least that’s what it felt like) of the 1 hour class was Savasana, which is a little bit of a waste of time.
It’s not that easily accesible at Church and Richmond unless you live in the area. Parking on the street (one south at Lombard) was $ 2.50/hr.

I used my passport to prana to attend a Saturday afternoon hatha vinyasa class. The studio is great — after you make the trek up the narrow stairs, there’s a large, open lounge area strewn with flowy fabrics and blanket-​covered couches. It reminded me of being in a guesthouse in Turkey, which might explain why I was immediately in love. There was also a cat wandering around exuding kitty prana — I love cats, so this was a total selling point for me.
Checking in was easy — there was no sign of another human when I arrived, but the standard waiver was on the counter, so I grabbed one and filled it out, then added my name to the clearly labelled class list. When the instructor appeared she showed me where to write my Passport number — no fuss.
The long narrow classroom space was lovely. Hardwood floors and two walls entirely lined with big bright windows — the view is nothing special, but the light is really nice. A selection of plants and yoga nic nacs on window ledges.
The class itself was ok. There were only two students (the instructor told me that it’s much much busier during the week), so definitely no crowding and lots of attention. I should perhaps have attended a more advanced class because the postures were a bit more basic than I was hoping for and the flow was. very. slow. Relaxing, but a bit dull, though I did still leave feeling like I did some work.
At a few points during the class Max the yoga kitty came over and hung out on my blanket, purring in my ear and sniffing my head. I found this completely charming, but it could easily have the opposite effect if you’re not a cat person. I found the whole place, dusty corners, absent reception staff and all, to be completely charming, but I definitely go in for that kind of thing.

If I could give them 4.5÷5, I would, but sadly there’s no half allowed («Sometimes, a girl needs a half»…).
I lost my Passport to Prana virginity here! I went to a Saturday afternoon hour and a half vigorous vinyasa class after working the morning shift at my clinic job. Normally, a gentleman named Duncan teaches it, but on this day he was away and so the class was sub’ed. I wish I’d gotten the name of the teacher (possibly Jackie?), as she was LOVELY! The class itself was great: I felt like I was working but the difficulty was not outside of my level; the studio was very nice, airy; and there were only 3 other students (and that was a «big» class!!). LOVED that; I’m not a fan of packed classes, so this was exceptional for me.
Only a few things would I say were taking away from a 5-​star review. First, at the time I arrived, there was no one there for reception and, being new to the studio, I felt a little lost. Where was the change room? What do I sign? Where do I sign? I managed to figure it out, as the sign in book and waiver were at the desk and I just kept opening doors until I found somewhere to change, but I do like someone there to give me that little bit of direction. Once the teacher arrived, she did act as the receptionist, but it would have been nice to have someone there at all times. The other thought was that the instructor, albeit lovely, didn’t leave her mat to help reposition or realign the students and I. I felt pretty confident with my practice, but can always benefit from some help.
Overall, I would love to return to the Yoga Lounge again. It’s not exactly convenient for me, but I feel like the atmosphere was worth the 45 minute walk (though I may be singing a different tune come winter time!). That said, I have no clue what the membership rates are. On the website, the information is not forthcoming and one needs to email to find out. That I find difficult; I’d like to know up front, and it just makes life easier.

I tried this place today; I think I will be going there in future since it’s conveniently located for me. There will be two studios open in February. The Yoga Lounge offers a wide variety of classes. The Chakra Flow class I tried was suitable for a beginner, I enjoyed it. I would have liked more instructor interaction, the class only had 4 persons (which was fine by me) so I would have liked more feedback and/​or help from the instructor. I’m looking forward to trying a few other classes.

I came here with my Passport to Prana and took Ana’s Hatha class over the holidays. The studio space is bright and open, although I understand that they might be converting the main studio into 2 rooms in the future. Registration etc. was simple — I just had to write my email and passport #, and sign a standard waiver. The change room was clean and stocked with soaps, creams, towels, etc. There are 2 showers I think. The class itself was great. I usually practice ashtanga, so it felt a bit slower paced but challenging enough and Ana gave each student lots of personal attention and corrections. As with most studios downtown, the peaceful quiet of class is sometimes interrupted by sirens, cars honking, and other noise, but you can’t really help that. I would certainly come back here, maybe for one of the vinyasa classes (they also offer restorative yoga and yogalates).
The studio apparently has a kitty, but I never saw her.
They also organize other events throughout the year. For instance, in January the studio is organizing a clothing swap.

Nobody can say I didn’t give it the ol’ college try. In fact, I gave it 5 lessons per week over a 3 month time period. That’s approximately 60 lessons give or take a holiday and minus the last two days left on my membership which I chose not to attend.
When I first became interested in yoga I was incredibly eager to start a routine and stick with it. I buddied up with a girlfriend and we enthusiastically started scoping out studios. If you’re anything like me the buddy system is an awesome motivator to get into a regular workout routine. We were thrilled when we found the Yoga Lounge, it was a convenient location for both of us and the staff were very nice. We each purchased a three month membership so that we would not have any excuses *not* to go.
Unfortunately that three month membership was the only thing that kept me coming back. I won’t speak for my girlfriend, but she didn’t last quite as long as I did.
The staff were always very friendly, there’s no disputing that. However, when you see my smiling face 5 times per week for 12 weeks in a row it would be really nice if you *didn’t* ask me, «Have you been here before?» I don’t think that’s asking too much, it’s not like I’m expecting you to remember my name or anything.
There was absolutely no consistency with the instructors (except on Monday nights) and the instruction itself. During popular class times the studio was incredibly crowded and the staff did not put a whole lot of effort into making it a more comfortable and usable space. I rarely ever felt the instructors were paying a whole lot of attention to the students and it was even more rare to see them actually adjust someone who was not positioned properly.
I was put off on a few occasions (yes, more than one) when I showed up at the studio nice and early before class and patiently waited my turn to enter the studio as the class before mine was exiting. I am not a rude nor pushy person, but maybe I should have been because as the flood gates opened the instructor turned to me and hinted that another class would be starting ‘right after this one’. Pardon me? You saw me sitting here for over 15 minutes, no?
Two days before my membership was due to expire, I was completely offended by one of the instructors. It was the day after a holiday and I was the only person who showed up to class. FOUR times throughout the lesson the instructor complained that she HAD to be there. And then she had the audacity to say that she should be at home because this was «not worth her time». She also said that she was used to working with more experienced students and didn’t really know what to do with me. I will also add that she did NOT ONCE adjust any of my poses even though I was just a lowly little beginner who didn’t know what I was doing. I will therefore assume that even that little bit of effort on her part would also have been a waste of her time… even though she was getting paid for it and with *my* money no doubt. I NEVER WENT BACK.
Yes, the studio was absolutely gorgeous, but it was also absolutely filthy. The floor looked as though it was rarely ever cleaned. Every night I gave my mat a thorough wipe down to get rid of the grime, cat hair, human hair and crumbs stuck on it. Seriously.
I give Yoga Lounge ‘1 Sta’r for being a pretty studio with pretty staff who were pretty friendly. In this case, prettiness will only get Yoga Lounge that far.
***Oh, I should add that this experience was a couple of summers ago (it’s amazing how well you can recall crappy events, huh?)… I’m hoping they have cleaned up their act by now.***

I took a Vinayasa Vigorous class here through my Passport to Prana class and I was very impressed. The studio, on the 3^rd floor, is not at all hard to find and is near the queen st station as well as many parking spots.
My friend forgot her yoga mat and it was surprisingly not an extra charge. Almost all the other studios charge $ 2.50−3 per class for a rental. This class had approx. 8 students and the instructor was attentive as she moved around adjusting our poses & postures.
The studio was gorgeous with gigantic windows and hardwood flooring, extremely tranquil and immaculate.
I think the regular students are conspiring to keep this gem a secret!

I used my passport to prana to try out the Yoga Lounge.
I took one of the restorative yoga classes. They provided blankets, bolsters, blocks and straps, even yoga mats for free if you don’t have one.
The class is so relaxing,
I would definitely go back for another class!

Very bright, spacious room with huge live plants, experienced and attentive teacher and free mat rental. Every time I come I get the same teacher — Ana. Can’t say anything about the others. The classes are moderately paced, leaning towards almost Iyengar feel of deep-​diving into asanas, and not crowded at all. This studio deserves better publicity — check it out!