Life In Motion

Clean studio room, great teachers and reasonably priced. If you have never been to this studio before, the first class is $ 5 which is pretty sweet. The classes are 1.5 hours long. I have been going here for a few years.
+As a bonus, the studio is located on top of a bakery, so the room smells like baked bread when you first start. It also allows you to totally destroy any gains made during yoga, by having a sugar muffin on your way out!

The worst service I have ever received! I was told by Mario at the front desk that after a 60 min class vs the 90 min promised in the schedule and a class that I did not enjoy, I would still have to pay full price because my 20 class pass had expired with 5 more visits wasted. No offer of any discount and he was rude and condescending. I am so happy to be through with my 20 class pack so I can find a more friendly, service oriented studio.

I had gotten a 20 classes card last year and it turned out it expires in a 12months last month. I still had 12 classes left on the card. I connected with the manager Tiffany and explained to her that I was traveling a lot last year so I wasn’t really able to do a lot classes. She is nice enough to extend the classes for me for couple months. Thank you for being so flexible!

Mary’s yoga class at 12:30 on Sunday, Tuesdays, and Thursdays have been the most powerful experiences, allowing my body and mind to let go in a way that has improved my physical health and given me such clarity, joy, and bliss, that I take with me for at least the week (as I try to go to recharge at least once a week) if not a lifetime. Her priceless wisdom and experience is imparted with such humor, relatedness, ease and always opens new doorways in the body and mind. I can barely go to other teachers at all anymore because of the quality I find in what she has to offer.

I’ve been going to LIM for about a year. The classes seem more «authentic» vs. classes in gyms. There are certain teachers I really love – and every class seems different. Not just doing the same old thing over and over. The downsides are that there’s no air conditioning, which made it impossible for me to get thru a class sometimes during the summer; in the winter, the heat is either on or off; there’s no shower; and the place isn’t as pretty and well-​maintained as a yoga studio in a gym. Still, think it’s a good value for the money, considering the strength of the teachers. And other students there are nice. NOT just there to show off their new yoga clothes.

If you are looking for consistently great yoga instructors on the upper west side, then Life in Motion is the place for you. I’ve taken classes there with probably 10 different instructors, an although each has a unique style, they are all of the highest quality. Like any yoga studio, some classes fill up more than others, but even if you are picky, you will find an instructor and class you love.

I’m surprised that this place has such great reviews, since my experience here was really negative.
I wanted to check out some yoga studios in the area to see if I would want to become a regular at any of them, so I printed out their new student discount coupon from the website.
The class itself was pretty good, but what happened after completely turned me off. As I was leaving, an instructor stopped me and asked if it was my first time. Then the manager hurried over and started to explain to me their package deals in this creepy hypnotic voice. I politely turned him down, as I didn’t feel like committing just then. But he didn’t seem to understand that I wasn’t interested-​in fact, he said «No, I don’t think you understand,”-and then explained to me a second time about the package deal. I turned him down a second time, but he still persisted and kept talking as though he hadn’t heard me. I honestly thought at one point that I would be pressured by this weird creepy guy to buy a package.
Once I finally was able to disentangle myself and get across that I really didn’t want a package deal, the vibe in the reception area got really weird and awkward, like i was doing something wrong by not buying a package. One of the instructors was kind of smirking, and I don’t know-​the whole setup just really turned me off and I left feeling angry and irritated. I really don’t think this is the best way to draw people in to becoming regulars. The funny thing is that that I actually would have come back had I not had this bad experience after class. But I don’t really want to practice yoga at a place where I feel like a bad person if I don’t buy a package the first time I come there. Really uncool and not yoga-​like.

I’ve been going to Life in Motion for years! Recently, my favorite instructors have been the helpful and caring Dani and Tiffany (whose evening classes are usually very full, but they are still able to give a lot of individual attention an guidance).
I’m writing now because of a recent experience — a positive one — with customer service. I had a 20-​class card but didn’t realize that it could expire with some classes still on it — which happened to me because I had to take breaks from yoga due to health issues. I was told to email the manager, explain the situation, and ask to extend the use of the class card, which I did; in a few days, I received a phone call confirming that they granted more time so I could use the remaining classes. Very nice of you, Life in Motion!

There are several really great instructors here. The yoga studio is a nice wooden floor space on the second floor. The unlimited monthly pass is a great value if you intend to go often. I attend about 6 classes a week, mostly open level, all of which are challenging enough for me to feel pretty well worked come corpse pose. I feel indebted to several instructors for their practices. Magi, Tiffany and Dani are excellent with detail-​oriented, mechanically-​inclined instructions that illuminate the poses and lead to a cleaner, deeper and more sustainable, long-​term practice. I’ve learned so much from them. I’m newer to Jen and Daniela, but both tend to offer open classes that build more heat than the others and in my experience they emphasize arm-​strength and balance poses a bit more, which I really like. These are the instructors I am familiar with and their different styles compliment one another. I recommend the monthly unlimited pass both to practice often and to practice with each of them.

I completely agree with the review by John B. on 01/​11/​2015 in addition to the comments of all of the current trainers. I occasionally join a weekend class, so I’ve found very little issue with regard to space. There was in piont within this last year that I was thinking of staying with one instructor, but I have found joy and growth from every instructor. I now take any class that suits my desire with regard to time expecting and receiving the best.

The weekend classes are so packed that I’ve been kicked multiple times by my neighbor. They care more about making money and fitting the maximum number (40 people) than providing a quality experience.
This is a very corporate-​run yoga studio. It’s a shame since their teachers are good.

Basic Hatha class with Jen is amazing. Great for beginners (she guides you through with detailed instruction) and intermediate yogis. Really appreciated the focus on breath, awareness, and proper alignment compared to other studios.

Practiced at life in motion during a road trip to NY and loved the class. Gisele had a wonderfully-​paced vinyassa flow, and the space is cozy and filled with natural light. Love this studio.

I studio hop a lot and this is by far the best on UWS. Jen, Tiffany, Carole and Magi are all fantastic teachers… each are totally different and provide a unique practice. My only feedback would be to schedule, I wish Mon-​Fri 6:15pm classes were consistent open vinyasa.

I’ve been going here for five years, both via class cards and via a membership at the partner gym around the block, and via both, as a membership at the gym allows you to attend one designated class per day. These classes are often during the work day or a basic level class, so I’ve been buying class cards to supplement my membership. Here’s what I’ve learned over the past few years:
The upside:
–Studio is bright and sunny
–EXCELLENT teachers
–more affordable than most studios in the city
–a wide variety of classes available if you purchase a class card
–people at the front desk are very friendly
The downsides:
–Studio is not well-​maintained — if it’s raining, look up and be sure to place your mat somewhere where there isn’t a watermark overhead, lest you get rained on
–very high teacher turnover — it seems they are able to keep people for about a year, then they leave.
–blocks are cheap, squishy, and mismatched — you have to hunt for two that are the same size/​width, and they really don’t provide any stability
–management does not seem receptive to feedback or questions, especially about mysteriously vanishing teachers
–if you just have a membership at the partner gym, your class options/​times/​levels are very limited
The biggest issue I have with the place is really the teacher turnover. This year, three of my favorite teachers suddenly vanished from the schedule. Teachers are the whole reason people become loyal customers, so I wish the studio would do more to try to hold on to and develop teachers.

I got a 20 class pass that are good for Life in Motion, Bodystrength Fitness, and Cycling, which is great. It allows me a lot of flexibility with what I want to take and has a huge variety.
The only complaint I have is that there aren’t enough early morning classes (6 AM classes) and the instructors are very hit or miss.

Pros: Magi Pierce, one of the very best yoga teachers in the city.
Location (if you’re on the UWS).
Affordability
Range of body types and abilities (helpful if you’re a perpetual beginner like this guy)
Cons: the place needs some TLC, both in the studio and outside
Traffic flow is a real challenge, especially when Magi’s teaching (40+ people coming and going through a narrow hallway at the same time). This is even worse in the winter with boots and jackets and the like.
As you can see, pros outweigh the cons. This is a great neighborhood yoga studio. It’s been a standby for me as long as I’ve lived in the neighborhood.

I’ve had great experiences here so far. I bought a class pack with a 20 percent discount (I think– comes out to around ¹⁰⁄₁₁ a class) for Yoga and Body Strength classes. The instructors have been top notch and both studios get great light. My only complaints are cleanliness– could they do a major scrub down? The windows/​floors in general are a little mildewy. Also, some of the classes get really packed and there’s not much room– maybe more weekend and evening yoga and add in some more sculpting/​barre classes?

A lot of studios to choose from, but I do my best practice at this studio.
Teachers are great– some new ones over the past few months have been fantastic additions. Varied schedule and the location is perfect for the morning or evening. Natural light in the studio is great any time of day and the studio itself is very welcoming. It’s also nice to be able to use the monthly membership at the gym down the block– a huge plus!

I went here for the first time for Maggie’s Saturday morning class and it was a really wonderful experience! I arrived about 15 minutes early, but the class didn’t fill up until just a few minutes before it started. I also went to Magi’s (yes, different people, although they are both wonderful instructors) class on Sunday. It seems like an efficient and unpretentious organization and I’m excited to go back.
I also didn’t find it to be dirty when I went, so I’m not sure what that is about. The spinning equipment is stored in one studio so that ‘s a bit of a drag, but they curtain it off so it’s not terribly intrusive.