YogaHaven

Yogahaven is a bikram yoga studio offering a few classes in «normal yoga» too. As a first timer at any form of yoga classes I was initially worried that it would be full of scary competitive bendy people! However, I found that the studio was more than welcoming and had at atmosphere that immediately calmed my nerves. The receptionist was warm and directed us to the teacher who gave us a brief tour of the studios facilities. After our first class, «Hot yoga basics» myself and my friend were hooked.
The teachers cater to all levels of ability in the various classes (we have attended almost every teachers class and found them all to be wonderful at adapting to the class demographic). Our first class was challenging as the heat certainly ramps up the challenge of holding poses! Bring a towel as You’ll need it! Despite this after every class I feel relaxed and refreshed.
The studio itself is clean and uncluttered as a barefoot environment I was wary of risk associated with this however I cannot praise it more. the shower facilities are modern and clean and the changing room has plenty of space for your things.
I have and will continue to recommend Yogahaven as it is now a part of my daily routine!

First thing, Yogahaven is not a yoga studio as such, it offers Bikram style yoga. To purists or those that have experienced disciplines of yoga such as Hatha, Ashtanga etc may be disappointed. It took me a while to put my finger on to what the classes were as they have no type attached to the class names, until I was told «based on Bikram». This is an objective as well as a subjective review, for some people Bikram is great, for me it is not.
That out of the way. The venue is lovely — the staff are friendly, it is clean, good quality fixtures and fittings. The classes are extremely expensive, by far double the price of their competition. I did however do their £20 for 20 day offer, this gives you unlimited access to classes. Even as a purist, I took up this offer just for the experience.
Jivamukti yoga is on the schedule for a couple of classes a week. It is a shame they do not offer other types of yoga such a Hatha, Ashtanga, Yin, Vinyasa, or Kundalini. If they did they may be able to have an offering to a wider customer base.
So, this gets a three star «a-​ok» rating.

After 3 months of going, I’ve decided to elevate my attendance at Yoga Haven classes from ‘possible passing fad’ to ‘regular, but novice’
I have never been to any other hot yoga studios, so I can’t compare, but what I can tell you is that this is a great place to start as a beginner and grow into yoga. I’d not really even done much yoga before I started, but I was made to feel really at ease and didn’t feel at all self conscious.
The teachers are really great and give you a nice combination of the physical and the spiritual. Not too much navel gazing, but enough to make you realise that yoga isn’t just about getting rid of your bingo wings, but can actually clear your mind and let you be in the here and now for a bit. In terms of the physical, I find it tough going, but that’s because every session you can do a bit more and the teachers always gently cajole you into stretching that bit further.
I find the studio itself clean and I know people have mentioned the smell, but to be honest, I don’t really expect a room with a load of people sweating buckets all day and night to smell like roses. You can clean as much as you like, but you can’t guarantee the people coming in are as clean as your mats :-)

I can’t recommend this studio and it’s teachers highly enough, and feel super healthy and relaxed after completing a hot yoga session. Yes the heat can be challenging at first, (the room is set at 40 degrees) but you soon get used to it after going to a few sessions on a regular basis.
The classes can get very busy at peak times, but I always arrive in plenty of time so I can bag a suitable space to set up my yoga mat. The teachers are super friendly and really encourage everyone throughout the yoga practice.
They offer an introductory price on your first yoga class with a total of 10 classes included in your offer, as well as 15% off class cards before your introductory offer expires. A 90min class costs £12, with a 60min class costing £11. There are a variety of pricing options for unlimited yoga classes for a month, off peak and peak classes.
There are seperate changing rooms available for men and women, a small shower room and a kitchen. They sell coconut water here as a natural energy drink, and yoga clothing.
You can also go on a yoga retreat with other yoga practitioners which are organised by Yogahaven.
Check out their website here:

Note if you do decide to go ensure you take two towels with you, one to cover your yoga mat (they have yoga mats here) and another to mop your brow because you sweat A LOT! A bottle of water is advised too :)

My fitness sessions usually consist of an hour of yoga followed by a swim, followed by ten minutes in the sauna, a jump in the pool to cool off, then another ten minute sauna to finish. At Yoga Haven I had the opportunity to (almost) combine all these activities into one session.
Having practiced yoga for around 15 years I’m pretty proficient in many of the assanas (or positions/​poses). In the heat of the room at this yoga venue there’s the added challenge though of attaining the assanas with the potentially uncomfortable nature of doing them in a room that’s around 40 degrees in temperature.
I’m not usually one for cardiovascular training, so the heat of the room meant that I could combine training for flexibility and mobilization of my spine while also sweating to lose weight. So, I’d advise it for people who are in a similar position. (Excuse the pun.)

Yoga Haven’s hot yoga classes are not for the faint hearted. The studio has been specifically designed and modified to heat to 40 degrees. So as you can imagine inside it gets pretty sweaty very quickly. The idea is that in a heated room your body is more supple so you can get in and out of the poses with ease and have less risk of injury.
Like everyone during my first couple of classes I really struggled with the heat but finally my body seemed to get used to it and I don’t notice the temperature anymore. Yes I still perspire a lot but the perfectly normal problems I had initially, feeling a little queasy and having issues regulating my breathing, have disappeared.
The studio gets very busy at peak times and sometimes classes are full to the brim. I have never been turned away from a class but I arrive fairly early to ensure I get a good spot. The teachers are all wonderful and I would highly recommend Emily or Michael for your first class.
Now when I go to class I just enjoy and look forward to all the benefits; expelling toxins, less back pain, feeling relaxed and having super smooth skin.