Gyan Hot Yoga

Expensive for a stinky, stuffy, ugly basement yoga facility (think mildew and sweat) and the class was pretty bad: instructor spent most of his time looking at himself in the mirror and the class was not smooth, was rushed and definitely lacking in any «flow». Unfortunately I bought a pass which I will use but I won’t head back here once my 10 days are up.

I’ve been going to Gyan Yoga for almost a month now and I have loved it since the first time I went. The three Yogis that teach are friendly, always happy and most important of all, AMAZING at teaching Yoga. If you want a true Yoga experience this the place for you!

As a hot yoga virgin I let a west-​ender friend help me bust that cherry at her regular place to stretch and sweat. I got the $ 20 first week pass since one drop-​in class is $ 17. Between last night and the class I did this afternoon, I feel like I’ve already gotten my money’s worth.
Last night’s 6pm Traditional class was packed. The room was hot (shocker) and dim (appreciated as no one looks their best sweating like a pig). Postures were slow and steady… to be honest I thought it would be more of a challenge. I’ve heard stories of people breaking down into tears because of the intensity. Don’t get me wrong, it was a solid class, but I think I expected too much for a beginner session.
Today’s class was the Core Flow class. I saw little difference from the night before and today except that we didn’t do tree or wheel but finished off with ab work. I hate to say it but it was a little disappointing.
Overall, I found the staff friendly despite them being short staffed and slightly overworked. The place is musty, but I can’t imagine a place that specializes in hot yoga NOT having a damp vibe. Facilities are clean but basic. If I lived in the west-​end I could definitely see myself going back on a regular schedule (albeit more challenging classes).

I’m a casual do-​er of yoga and a very easygoing person overall. I’m not very materialistic, I’m overwhelmingly optimistic, and I have an open mind.
Yet after attending one class on a 20 class pass through buytopia I felt pretty strongly that I didn’t want to return despite the fantastic deal I was getting for $ 36 plus $ 4 tax paid to the studio. I have certain, basic expectations around what I would like from a yoga class/​yoga studio. mostly related to friendliness, non-​pretentiousness, a calm environment, and cleanliness. I’ve been to classes several different studios and I know more or less what I like and what to expect.
This was bad. Very bad.
I contacted buytopia right after my class to ask for a full refund, as my experience was extremely off-​putting and I wouldn’t be using my pass as a result. I was granted it, based on the following:
The Gyan studio stank overwhelmingly of stale, sour sweat and was haphazardly put together with exposed plywood and unpainted walls, seeming uncomfortably unfinished. The practice room was too dark and very stuffy, with loud annoying heaters and fans and the space is laid out in strange disjointed segments, the building’s infrastructure interfering with having an open room. Everyone was crammed in there and there wasn’t sufficient room for practice and it was very disorienting. I felt like I was in a cattle car. The floor was sticky and left a smell on my hands. presumably from sweat. Simply unclean.
This places seriously comes off as a scam/​money grab. The instructor was extremely apathetic and regimented in his instructions, paying no attention to the room full of people around him and situating himself so that in order to watch him we were facing AWAY from the mirrors. He spoke in a monotone and was extremely disengaged from the group. It felt rude and negligent. The worst thing for me was the mold (not mildew, mold) in the only shower. Totally unacceptable. I don’t think this place is up to health standards.
I felt alienated, crowded, confused, and uncomfortable. Avoid!

The instructors are wonderful kind people who clearly live and breathe yoga. I have only been doing yoga for about 6 months and I feel that they could provide more instruction as I noticed other people in the class looking confused and saw many bad poses around the room. I understand that yoga, especially hot yoga can be dangerous if not done properly so I would like to see improved individual instruction.
The facilities are somewhat small and they do not allow you to bring any belongings into the studio with you which made me nervous because I had a fair amount of cash on me that I had to leave in the shared change room. The other studios I have visited allowed this so perhaps I was unprepared.
I like how they constantly change the temperature and the experience in the room with the use of fans and the curtains and lights. Big plus here!
I think Gyan would be a better fit for extremely experienced yoga enthusiasts.
I found the instructors difficult to understand as they spoke due to the sing-​song nature of their cadence. (Sorry, but it’s true)
Overall, I feel that yoga is a very individual experience and you should try Gyan for yourself and find your own opinion. I am simply relaying my positive and negative points for the owners’ observations.
Namaste :)

I recently dumped my Goodlife membership, which I feel absolutely amazing about by the way. The major motivation for that was that I knew I wasn’t getting what I needed from tthe gym, and that yoga in a gym setting is almost as bad as no yoga at all. So on New Year’s Eve day I cancelled Goodlife and bought a living social deal for Gyan Yoga. 15 class for $ 29 (taxes $ 4).
I tried out my first class (Gyan Flow) yesterday and was really impressed by a few things:
— They restrict bags in the practice room: Too many times I’ve been jarred out of savasana by a ringing cellphone so this is hugely appreciated.
— They don’t allow talking in the practice room, which I love. I like to lay in the heat 5 – 10 mins before the class to acclimate my body. In alot of classes people carry on loud conversations and it takes away from the serenity and focus so many come to yoga for.
–The spaces aren’t overly complicated with bells and whistles. They’ve brightened up the basement reception area with beautful fabrics and a large white desk. There’s wooden benches providing seating for about 8 – 10, so you’re usually not scrambling around people. There’s a neatly organized shelving unit with towels, mats, water etc… Then closer to the change rooms is a basket for rented towels and racks for the mats to dry. Clearly simplicity is part of their philosophy. I LIKE!
— The change room is a well utilized space, with enough storage space for at least 20ppl. It even has a large coat area and a shower.
When I got there I let them know I had a deal, he asked to see it and the rest was so smooth. He pointed out all I neeeded to know, where things were and wished me a good class. I met two women in the change room and they both had been going to Gyan for almost a year. This place definitely seems to have dedicated clientelle.
Gyan is run by three brothers who have been practicing yoga since their early teens. They teach the classes, run the front desk and greet people in the reception area. They all seemed so relaxed and at casual. Everyone greeted and acted very friendly with them. Most people who came in they knew by name. The time they’re saving by keeping it simple must be devoted to getting to know their customers.
The class I attended was Gyan Flow. I’ve been practicing yoga for 2 years now so I figured I could skip the intro class. I’d describe the Flow class as a mix between Vinyasa and Hatha. It wasn’t incredibly challenging but I definitely sweat a lot.
What I liked about the class was that:
— it was dimly light
— It wasn’t overly crowded
— everyone respected the silence rule
— there were mirrors to help with alignment.
— Rishi offered three variations for most poses
What I didn’t like about the class was that:
— Rishi didn’t give as clear or in depth instructions as I’m accumstomed to (although they describe that class as intermediate/​advanced so that may be why)
— it wasn’t as challenging as I expected
— there was no music
Overall I enjoyed my experience and with the deal I got you can bet I’ll be going back 14 more times.
FYI:
When you’re leaving the classes hold the hand rail going down the stairs. They’re usually quite wet from people coming out before you.
If you’re not comfortable leaving all of your belongings in the change room then this isn’t the place for you.

Really good place! After just one session, my lower back and hip pain practically disappeared. Instructors are very friendly and professional. Their instructions are very precise, so following along is easy. The room is hot and steamy, so that really helps improve flexibility and makes injuries very unlikely. Dry heat can get very uncomfortable for me, especially as I wear contacts.
It would be nice if they had better shower facilities. However, their pricing is really good and affordable so I am pretty ok with what they have to offer. After one session, I signed up for the monthly unlimited class plan.

If ther was a — 5 star this place would get it.
My view may be slanted because my first experience with yoga were at great studios where the teachers actually taught and the staff in general cared about your yoga practice.
I am sorry that I made the mistake of taking my friend here because perhaps the overall experience would have been better; I am glad she came with me though because it brought into light what a bad studio can be.
My first impression started really good; I loved the Hindu (you’ll have to excuse my ignorance I could be wrong) art work that hung EVERYWHERE in it’s colorfulness. There were beautifully patterned fabric everywhere –my tiny eyes danced around in joy.
The reception people were not entirely friendly — they were 3 brown guys that watched us 2 Asian girls (oriental) walk in and gave us this look «why are YOU here?» I wouldn’t have felt so slanted until another brown girl walked in and OMG they were the sweetest set of men EVER.
First sign: they charged me for taxes –even though I had a coupon — I don’t think this is unusual for service provided, like spa service or something– but not in a yoga studio.
I went into change — this should have been another sign; ONE washroom, ONE shower — the washroom being one, was okay but the ONE shower area gave me the impression that they didn’t really want you to linger after the practice. NOTE that the change room is covered by a SHEER curtain and DIRECTLY in front of this curtain was the shower stall.
the Yoga room — was sweaty — not unusual for hot yoga– but nobody cleaned the sweat; not the practitioners nor the staff.
That was the longest and most frustrating 60 minutes of my life; I had no idea what the instructor was saying — nor did he come to correct you. In fact, I peeked over to see that he wasn’t actually watching us anymore, he was doing the practice with us. HOW CAN YOU INSTRUCT WHEN YOU AREN’T EVEN LOOKING AT US?
I spent most of that 60 minute looking around to see what was happening because I could not understand — first 5 minutes I died of laughter inside because his instructions came out as if he was rapping –I had to firmly readjust my focus and open my mind then, and focus on the practice. Here I’m just gonna nit-​pick — the «instructor» didn’t even know the Sanskrit names of the poses… HOW ARE YOU INSTRUCTOR?
So I had an poor instructor — fine. But the practice had NO FLOW, a contradiction to the name «Core flow» –each pose were as if he decided on a whim only connected by a downward dog — which lead me to think «Okay, out of the 20 classes, I may only come 10 times and cut my loses» even though I am BENT on getting bang for my buck. It started abruptly and ended abruptly.
After the practice, I was so drenched I showered. I came out and my friend was about to go shower and the guy poked his head in through the sheer curtain to ask «are you done? we have to leave.» My poor girl friend assured him she’ll be quick, and the reply was «fine then, be fast.» She barely had time to dry off and we were rushed off and we left with our long hair dripping with water.
That was the most FRUSTRATING session — I was flustered after the practice and I decided to cut my losses & not return.
It confirmed that they didn’t want you there, they didn’t care about my yoga practice. You come, you yoga and you go — even if you’re doing it all wrong, that’s fine because that means you’ll keep coming.
This place pretends to be authentic — the art work, the instructors — but in the end, they really don’t care about the studio or you or your practice; it’s just about making money from a trend.
Thing to note; if you buy a group deal, you have to sign up for class online — you can’t just drop in on a whim.
I AM NOT BITTER AT ALL., as you can clearly tell — and to think I forwent spending time with my new kitty to have a frustrating session.

Amazing instruction from teachers with years of experience. Warm and inviting atmosphere and friendly regulars. Clean and spacious.
Great price for classes! Who can beat $ 20 a week for new comers!