The Yoga Sanctuary

Hello! I’ve been using your Ginseng Face Cream for two years now, and I really like it. It’s light, refreshing and natural, and it moisturises really well. The only thing I have an issue with it’s the container. I use the cream every day, but after a few weeks, as soon as I’ve used half of the cream in the container, the rest of the cream starts to go bad and I can no longer use it. My preference would be to have a smaller container, with less quantity, or the same quantity with a different type of container (a pump like container that protects the product from the air). This would significantly reduce waste. I feel bad having to through almost half of the product away each time. Anyhow, this is my experience, and I don’t know if other people have experienced the same issue.
Thank you!
Kledja

Imo, this yoga studio has some of the best instructors in the city… my all time favorite is Janet. Her classes are a good balance of being challenging, relaxing, and rejuvenating. It is obvious that she puts a tremendous amount of thought into her vinyasa sequences, that I always look forward to her classes. So far, any instructors I have encountered here were kind, helpful, and modest… they embody the true nature of yoga. They are accepting and understanding of each person’s individual pace. Also, it is worthwhile trying the pilates classes… you will be incredibly surprised at how therapeutic it is. After consistently taking the pilates classes, I noticed an improvement in my postural alignment, and the classes are beneficial in that it focuses on the whole body not just the abs. Yoga and authentic pilates is a terrific combo!
I miss the former ballroom studio, but this new location has appealing new features and the bathrooms are wonderfully modern. It takes time to adapt to the smaller studio particularly if we have bags or winter coats that do not fit in the lockers.. I also wish the class limits were 12 to 15 as I have at times attended a class that was crowded and when not mindful, I would sometimes mistakenly kick someone with my foot during certain poses. So we do have to be extra aware when the classes are full. Nevertheless, I still do like the Yoga Sanctuary.

Imo, this yoga studio has some of the best instructors in the city… my all time favorite is Janet. Her classes are a good balance of being challenging, relaxing, and rejuvenating. It is obvious that she puts a tremendous amount of thought into her vinyasa sequences, that I always look forward to her classes. So far, any instructors I have encountered here were kind, helpful, and modest… they reflect the true nature of yoga. They are accepting and understanding of each person’s individual pace. Also, it is worthwhile trying the pilates classes… you will be incredibly surprised at how therapeutic it is. After consistently taking the pilates classes, I noticed an improvement in my postural alignment, and the classes are beneficial in that it focuses on the whole body not just the abs. Yoga and authentic pilates is a terrific combo!
I miss the former ballroom studio, but this new location has appealing new features and the bathrooms are wonderfully modern. It takes time to adapt to the smaller studio particularly if we have bags or winter coats that do not fit in the lockers and need to keep them with us. I also wish the class limits were 12 to 15 as I have at times attended a class that was crowded and when not mindful, I would sometimes mistakenly kick someone with my foot during certain poses. So we do have to be extra aware when the classes are full. Nevertheless, I still do like the Yoga Sanctuary.

This is the new location of TYS from 2 College St. While I will miss the huge space and ballroom-​vibe of their old studio, this one is very close and convenient too (2 mins. from the subway station).
As Michael M. mentioned, the space is a lot smaller. There is a larger and a smaller studio, but even the larger one is not that big. I did not experience the overcrowding he mentioned, but I also went in December (before the new year’s crowds…).
The studio offers a similar schedule as the old one, with a good variety of classes and teachers. I especially appreciate the detailed cues and interesting sequences from Sue R. She somehow knows just the right alignment instructions to give at the right time to make familiar poses feel totally different (and more challenging… how is it that when you really focus on the right alignment, even the ‘basic’ poses become really hard?! :P). In general, I appreciate that is studio keeps it simple. Not a lot of bells and whistles. Just good solid, room-​temperature, ashtanga/​vinyasa-​based classes. TYS has been around as one of the first yoga studios in the city, with a well-​established teacher training program, and it shows.
The change room is a little cramped, but not a big issue. I like the feature of lockers for your valuables. Props are showing a little wear and tear. It’s not a fancy/​spa-​like experience like YYoga or 889, but it is a welcoming and unpretentious place to come practice.

I have been a student with Yoga sanctuary for going on four years. I find the instructors are so talented. The instructors at Yoga Sanctuary are all certified to teach all levels of Yoga. The class sizes are perfect. I have learned so much — not only how to practice yoga safely but also the meaning of self care. I found the instructors at Yoga Sanctuary put safety and proper alignment above all else and because of this their students feel safe in their class. The instructors are kind and generous with their wisdom. The atmosphere at Yoga Sanctuary is always friendly and helpful. I love their new location on Wood Street. I highly recommend Yoga Sanctuary.

I’m going to preface this bad review by saying there are many things I love about this yoga studio, and I hope management will take steps to fix the one thing that is clearly horribly wrong so I can upgrade this to a five star review in the future.
First the good: Most importantly, the two instructors I’ve experienced were both truly excellent, and possessed all the necessary yoga qualities, including being knowledgable, kind and patient. The space is aesthetically pleasing and immaculate. The free lockers are convenient. The website works well. The person normally staffing the front Hariett — is very pleasant.
Now the problem: The current cap on how many people can attend a session (which is currently 20) is waaaay too high given their modest space. There were 19 people in this morning’s yoga session, and basically that meant we were crammed in like sardines — and it is impossible to either 1) fully relax or 2) fully stretch. This defeats the purpose of yoga. I want to make clear that my concern has nothing to do the instructor, who did everything she reasonably could to shift people around appropriately and suggest methods of staggering ourselves relative to ones neighbour to try to mitigate the problem.
I’ve been to seven sessions, and this absurd overcrowding problem has already arisen twice. The first time was when the studio decided to offer a free week (which was annoying for customers such as myself who had paid for the month and had to endure such significant overcrowding). The second time it arose was this morning. I decided to leave the session after 10 minutes as I knew from the previous overcrowding episode that this would be an overall negative experience.
Management could fix this problem very easily — impose a reasonable cap on customers per sessions — which in my opinion would be somewhere between 12 and 15 given their very small space. If that were to occur, I would revise this to a five star review, and be a content customer.