Yoga and Beyond

I am a beginner yogi (if that is what I’m called) and I have sporadically done hot yoga with friends over the past few years. I don’t practice yoga on a regular basis but seeing as how the Kensington location is 2 minutes walking distance from my house, I decided to give it a try. I bought the 1 month unlimited for $ 40 and I have gone 3 times in one week. I definitely got my moneys worth considering a single drop in class is $ 20. The studio is quite small but very welcoming. As I said before, I am a beginner yogi and have absolutely no idea what I’m doing. The thing I love about this location (aside to it being SUPER close to my house and convenient) is the instructors all take their time with their practice. I have been to yoga classes where they are going SO fast that I can’t keep up and I get so frustrated (along with being in a 100 F room). I don’t know any of the poses and need guidance so that is why I was turned off yoga. This place is great because all the instructors take their time to explain each pose and how to do it. I have tried 3 different types of classes and I enjoyed them all. The «hot» yoga isn’t the class where you sit in a 100 °F room. At first I was disappointed but after the class was done, I was relieved because I was already sweating enough as it is when the room isn’t a sweat box. Because the room wasn’t super hot, I was able to enjoy it more, got to focus on my postures rather than focusing on whether or not I was going to pass out. To make a long story short, it’s a great place and i’m considering getting a 1 year unlimited pass. :)

Although there are some very talented instructors at this location, the owner is BEYOND RUDE!
I had a gift that said «no expiration date» on it, but the owner refuses to honor it, though she would not show anywhere in the fine print where there was any indication that specified that there was an expiration date, in fact it clearly stated that there was no expiration date. She was rude, abrupt, and hard to communicate with. There are many yoga studios in Calgary, so there is no need to give money to one with such an abhorrent beneficiary. The owner was not able to respond to my inquiries about how I would have known that it expired, and as such, just stopped responding. She represents everything yoga is not meant to be, so I would recommend supporting a better, more wholesome, yoga studio.
The studio and location is clean and well kept, but the studio and change rooms are a little cramped for space. The owner instructs many of the classes, and like I said, is hardly palatable, but there are some five star instructors that teach at this location such as Ty and Jelena, but I would rather go to one of their weekend retreats and spend more than support such a rude, unreasonable, and nasty person, such as the owner.
You should take a look at the «filtered» reviews (9!) for this location to see more comments about the unpleasant owner. I’m sad that all of those real reviews got filtered because they are actually much more indicative of the type of place this is.

I was introduced to Beyond Yoga by my other half. He is in the masters ski club and they go to the Beyond Yoga studio, so I decided to join him for a class which was at 6PM.
The first thing you probably notice upon arriving is that there is no parking in the front and very limited parking in the back. BUT! The street in the back is always available for parking. I’ve never had a problem.
When you walk into the studio, Ning, the owner is usually at the front with a smiling face, greeting you. I signed up for the ‘New to us 2 week unlimited’ which was ~$ 38 or if you wanted to just drop in, it’s 20, $ 15 for students and seniors. The class I attended with Spence was Hot yoga (approximately 85 degrees F, NOTE: that there are different classes depending on the time of day you go).
Entering the class, you lay your mat down quietly and relax. I found that the positions and forms I did at Beyond Yoga, are more relaxed than other studios. They don’t want you to push yourself to the extreme here.
Ning and her other instructors are really great, they’re calm and very informative. Ning makes small jokes here and there in class to make it fun with more interaction. She likes to do different things in class, for instance. this past Sunday we went to the 9:30AM class and we did some partner yoga. It was really fun, the whole class enjoyed it… I can tell from all the laughing! She is absolutley dedicated to yoga, I can tell she really loves teaching.
Beyond Yoga is now the new yoga studio I go to! I’m currently doing the 30 day challenge with Beyond. You’ll have to come check it out if you want to know what its all about because everyday is different at Beyond Yoga. :) And it’s great.
If you want to be surrounded by great people, fun and relaxation. Beyond Yoga is definitley the place to be!

Recieved a dealfinder coupon for 20 classes for 20 dollars @ Beyond Yoga, which was a great deal!
Located in Kensington, it’s several blocks away from the central hub where shops, restaurants, and studios are concentrated in. It’s easier to hit the place if your coming off Crowchild trail.
The yoga studio itself was also very clean and has an interesting beach-​like atmosphere to it. Although i found it kind of odd that the change rooms weren’t connected to the two washrooms.
I’m not a yoga savvy individual who sports Lululemon wear and likes to speak yoga-​jargon like «AdmananananaBANANA-​SANA!», but after practicing for a couple of years, I never noticed how important the littlest things have become. For example, I found it extremely distracting at the beginning of class when half of the room were making too much noise while the other half was struggling to meditate. I couldn’t help but eavesdrop in anger on the late-​20 something females behind me, and sorry ladies, he won’t be calling you back. I also have become a stickler for space and hate those who don’t abide by the mat slots, like this one girl who decided four spots was enough for good luck, which resulted in her nearly kicking me in the face several times. She also didn’t shave her legs, just saying.
Eventually the chaos settled and I recieved a great instruction class from Ning Harper, the owner of the studio. SHe was extremely positive and took the time during the class to break down the fine details on common poses that are commonly missed. While the room was unfortunately not hot enough that it felt like a sauna, the challenges Ning brought forth made me work up a sweat. I like how she describes the proper stretching pain as «your body giving you love» :)