Fire Mountain Yoga

These folks ran a Groupon and I bought it. I’ve been doing different forms of yoga for about 10 years and have never had this kind of experience. The male teacher that I had was highly inappropriate and sort of bizarre. One short example– when a student asked for an alternative pose because she was breastfeeding, he spent 10 seconds lecturing her about how she should have asked him before class and he wasn’t going to take away from other students to show her another pose (he could have shown her another pose in half the time). Meanwhile, he falls all over himself praising the girl in the skimpy outfit for asking repeated questions «because you never know who has the same question». Ewww…
At first I though I was just being overly sensitive, but then I happened to be talking about Bikram with my hairdresser, told her I didn’t have a great experience with a teacher here in the ‘Couve, and she immediately asked if it was a guy teacher at this exact studio. Apparently, she has three other clients who’ve all had similar experiences. The other three clients all go to Hot Yoga out on 164^th now and love it.
So, despite the fact that I have 19 sessions left on my Groupon, I’m not going back.
BTW, I totally tried to contact the owner to tell her about my experience and she didn’t seem to want to hear about it. So, I absolved myself of «take it to the source» responsibility. :) Sort of sad, because it seems like this is a good, community focused center. Maybe it’s just this teacher?

I went here for the first time Sunday for a Bikram Hot Yoga class I had bought on Groupon. I was terrified to say the least. Every yoga class I’ve taken I’ve absolutely hated, but I’ve heard such great things about Bikram Hot Yoga that I thought I’d give this a try. Plus two of my friends were joining me so I wouldn’t be alone in my possible torture.
The studio is small and cozy, and our class was so full it resembled a sweat house when we were all packed in. Actually at 95 degrees with no circulation, it essentially became a sweathouse as everyone was dripping within 10 minutes. Gross, but true. I’m not usually a sweater, but there wasn’t a soul in the room who didn’t look like they hadn’t just walked out in the rain before we were even 30 minutes in to our poses.
The heat was both terrible and lovely as it truly did limber your joints up for improved stretching. I brought a bottle of water, as did many others, and although water sounded amazing, drinking it actually made me quite dizzy by the time we went to the relaxation poses. I will make sure to drink plently before I come next time instead.
Our instructor was one of the best I’ve ever had in a class. He was mild humored and helpful without barking orders or degrading anyone when their form wasn’t precise. It makes it much easier to follow along with poses and stay relaxed when your instructor is also relaxed. He knew what he was doing and seemed like he genuinely wanted to help us through the poses which was appreciated.
To be honest, I was completely wiped by the time class was over, most likely from dehydration. But I also felt good, and slightly proud of myself for making it through the poses without passing out after taking a very long siesta from working out. I’m both nervous and excited to go back this week. It’s definitely a hard workout, but I can tell that the rewards will be worth it in the end.

***BUSINESS IS CLOSED***
Awesome Bikram yoga here. Teachers give personalized attention. I think if you have a teacher that doesn’t constantly keep their eye on students’ forms, then you are not getting the full benefit of this great yoga.
In my experience here, it is individualized and precise — exactly like Bikram yoga should be.
Small, but cozy studio. This yoga has been a real benefit to every aspect of my life. A must try!