Hot Yoga of Huntsville
Reviews
I recently had my first experience with Hot Yoga at this studio, and walked in not knowing what to expect. I have a couple of co-workers who were very enthusiastic about practicing hot yoga and said that this was the place to go - I was not disappointed. The owner of the studio was in conversation with another student when I came in, but made sure to greet me and make me feel welcome. There was a very brief form that I had to fill out with basic information to help the staff make sure you're prepared for your experience, and then after a brief tour I entered for my first hot yoga class. The class itself was awesome, and was a challenge - but I noticed that because of the room being heated I didn't experience as much tension in my muscles as we worked through the poses. The instructor was very willing to help accommodate those of us who couldn't enter certain poses, and she was also quite helpful in adjusting form or making suggestions on how to modify your pose to get the most out of it. Between the welcoming staff/instructors, pleasant atmosphere, and variety of yoga classes offered, I will DEFINITELY be back again!
This place provides a physically and emotionally comfortable atmosphere for the beginner and experienced yogi alike. There are a wide range of classes offered in terms of times and styles. Management is interested in the well-being of students and tries to make sure that each new student knows what to expect and what is expected of them; students and instructors are politely guided to follow rules that allow each person to have the best possible experience.
The manager was rude and condescending to me when I went to try my first class, so much so that I wanted to leave and drive back the 20 minute drive that I made out there to enjoy a workday evening yoga class. I arrived to the studio ten minutes before class, and the manager proceeded to lecture me for almost ten minutes about "being late" and "interrupting others in their practice," when, if she had let me go into the room, I would not have been late at all. She insisted that I fill out forms that I had just previously filled out online when I signed up for the class online earlier in the day. The forms asked for all of the exact information (emergency contact, address, experience with yoga...) that had been filled out extensively on the online form, but she made it out to be that I was neglecting a step and trying to casually sidle in late. There were only six or so people in the class, and the manager's lecturing brought me into class about 1 minute late. She reminded me as I went in that "this is Huntsville; it's different." My address lists that I am from Chattanooga, and I don't know if she was trying to make some comment about the caliber and status of clientele attending Huntsville studios as opposed to Chattanoooga ones, or not... but I can say that I am much more impressed with every Chattanooga studio I've been to than this one, which just left a bad taste in my mouth with its snobbery :/ The class was completely unremarkable, sadly. I'd had high hopes for it, especially after the huge deal that the manager made about entering late.
I have done regular yoga before and was curious about this 'Hot Yoga' place. One of my friends convinced a group of us to go and I loved it! I thought I would be uncomfortable in the heat, but I adapted to it and barely noticed by the end! After my class, I felt refreshed and not as tired and/or worn out as I expected, but i still felt like i had a good work out. Also, the teachers were very patient and kind to beginners, such as myself, so do not worry if you have never done yoga before! I recommend taking a class to everyone!
Clean, Innovative, Inspiring, Enlightening... What a wonderful addition to Huntsville!