Yoga East

The instruction is mediocre at best. The owner, Laura Spaulding, is a south end roughneck who is rude and disrespectful to female students while sucking up to male students. She is utterly vile. She leads «heart of yoga» discussions where she sits around badmouthing Christianity while heralding herself as a spiritual guru. Anyone who believes her to be a spiritual leader of any kind is a sap. Furthermore, she mainly finds instructors who are just as rude and nasty as her. Most legitimate teachers leave after a a few months.

I have been a Yoga East student for 2 years. I have been to other studios in other states and I must say that Louisville, KY is very fortunate to have Yoga East. There are three locations and the variety of classes offered is very diverse. There are classes for those new to yoga all the way to classes for those students who have been practicing for many, many years. The teachers are all wonderful in their own special ways. They also offer Pilates twice a week. There are also daily Mysore classes offered. All classes are either Ashtanga or BKS Iyengar based, so there is truly something for everyone, as well as a wide range of gentle classes for those who desire that. The schedule does change about every three months to keep things fresh. In general Yoga East is a true gem for Louisville and for students who have a genuine interest in beginning or continuing their yoga practice. Thanks to Laura Spaulding and all the wonderful teachers for keeping the studios fresh and the tradition moving forward!

The new owners of Yoga East (couple of years now) have decimated the previously excellent services rendered by instructors who are now all gone. The new régime is one that not only does not embody the spirit of yoga — «may the highest in me honor the highest in you,» but also actively weeds out anyone not adhering to their made-​up, subjective ideals of what they think yoga is about. Personally, I left a class crying after being accosted by a teacher three times, at the beginning, middle, and end. 1.) «Do you know that this is an intermediate class?» 2.) «Don’t do any poses on your own. Just sit there if you can’t do the ones I am doing.» and 3.) a paraphrase of ‘Don’t come back to this class unless I give you permission.’

In the heart of Louisville lies some of the most trained yoga teachers in all of Kentucky! The studio is friendly, knowledgable, with Yoga East having a strong link to Ashtanga yoga, where the teachers are certified and studied with the great Pattahbi Jois himself. The owner– Laura, is amazingly warm, insightful, and provides everyone with a practice rooted closely in the heart of yoga, aligned with expertise of someone who has been practicing yoga and teaching the authentic lineage, of Ashtanga since the 70’s. Blessings for Yoga East!!!

A gift certificate for unlimited Yoga sessions got me in the door!
So far I’ve stuck with the Bikram yoga classes at this location, but I will probably branch out and try some new things in the coming months.
About the place: Inviting studio with 2 rooms, one for regular yoga, and another for hot yoga. Mirrors cover 3 out of the 4 walls in the hot yoga room, allowing for easier adjustments to shoulders, spines, and knees during the postures. The bathroom is a nice size with plenty of cubbies for personal items, and a roomy and clean shower.
Sunday mornings are a great time to go. The instructor is friendly, encouraging, and is great about explaining how to correctly do each of the postures. I found myself working harder to stand up straighter, square my shoulders, round my back, etc as each pose required, all while maintaining breathing through my nose. All of those elements in themselves can be a real mental workout, not to mention the stretching and strengthening my muscles are getting.
If you’re looking for a yoga studio in the East End to call your own, check out Yoga East and see if you like it as well as I did :)