Yoga Pearl

Great space. I love love love Shaney. The class I took with Nick was a little less inspired. Good, not great, I’d say. But overall very professionally-​run studio with a nice range of offerings. I wish the locker room had a bit more space, or a bench to put things on while I change.

Yoga Pearl is a very nice facility, probably the nicest wellness center in PDX. They have nice studios, spacious clean bathrooms, and a great restaurant. They are friendly, professional, and practice good business standards. Unfortunately it did not fit my needs. I found their music and instruction to be a little bit too loud. I would definitely return if they «turned» things down a bit.

My favorite spot for Ashtanga and great raw and vegan food in Portland so far. An excellent settings for studying and getting work done. Food and classes here are phenomenal:).

Visiting from the Bay Area. You get unlimited for a couple of weeks for $ 30…Been 4 times this week so far. Very good yoga; very nice space. But quite Portland. They have a café that serves coffee and alcohol but doesn’t serve dairy milk for the coffee cause I guess «that’s unhealthy». Alcohol at the yoga studio is quite funny. The locker rooms are super clean… Had a shower after the class. Only place I have seen that clean is Vibe in Redwood City, CA. The studios themselves are well maintained and the heated classes are properly heated (not a space heater in a regular room like at some places).

I have been to Prasad multiple times on trips to Portland and, now that I have relocated here, was excited to try the yoga classes. I went to a power vinyasa class with Margo on Sunday morning and love it! The studio is very relaxing and I love the style of the teachers that I have tried so far. Also, the front desk lady who helped me with getting my $ 30 unlimited 2 week pass for new joiners was very friendly and helpful. I will be happy to make this my new yoga home!

Beautiful clean modern friendly studio. Love prassad restaurant next door. Several studios and lots of times to choose from. Every time I visit I need to take a class here. Namaste :)

I visited Portland recently and dropped in to the Monday morning Gentle Hatha class at 930am and my experience was great! Yoga Pearl is in a convenient location for visitors to Portland (took us 5 min to walk from the Hotel Monaco) and I love that I only paid $ 17 for a drop in with a mat rental.
The studio itself (separate from the restaurant) is the nicest I’ve ever practiced in — very clean with wall to wall mirror on one side of the room.
Our yogi told us before class to be sure to grab a bolster and a blanket before we began — I’ve never been to a studio that had comfortable bolsters before. I was so impressed with all they had to offer at that price point. Our class size was small too — only 8 people, perfect. Gentle Hatha was as advertised — nice and slow, perfect way to begin the week.
Studios in Ann Arbor can charge $ 22 plus for drop in — no mat rental — and they have ZERO amenities :(If only Yoga Pearl would expand to Michigan!

Lovely studios, fantastic instructors, ok changing room. Love the genuine yoga feeling of this place. A bit pricey. I’ve done almost all the styles of yoga here and have invariably left each class like you should when you finish a yoga class. Nice clothing shop outside and helpful front desk. I always like statues if deities in the front of the studio, especially if there is a candle lit.

I signed up for this studio about a week ago and I’ve been to 10+ classes already. I really like this studio, it’s clean, modern and most teachers are really good.
The space is shared with Prasad, a wonderful vegan restaurant. I’m vegan myself and love the fact that I can grab a bite after class and its literally right there. However; it does get crowded and loud at times. Also, the restrooms are shared meaning it’s for restaurant costumers as well. It can get a bit awkward when you get out of the shower and there is a line of people waiting, including children asking their mommies «why is that girl naked». Anyways, if you don’t plan on taking showers at Yoga Pearl you won’t have to worry about it.
It’s a great studio, a good crowd of people all ages and many different type of classes– I’m positive most people will find one they like. I really enjoyed Vinyasa with Tami and Power Vinyasa with Paul.

This place is a real gem– and a complete fixture in the Portland yoga scene– many a teacher have gotten their chops at this studio, and walking in you can tell you are in a place seriously dedicated to a lifestyle of health. I love the juice bar, the massage therapists, but most of all the POWER YOGA. I try to make it every time I’m in town.

Stopped by Yoga Pearl when visiting town and was very impressed. Went to class with Laura Washington and I have to say she was the best yoga instructor I have ever had. I have never heard anyone explain breath and poses so well and she had wonderful energy. I will definitely come back here next time I am in Portland! The café was amazing as well!

First yoga class here today and I loved it! I did the Vinyasa Basics class (because I’m a yoga newbie and incredibly tight). Christy was an amazing instructor and super in tune to correcting positions. It was in Studio 2 which is smaller and more intimate. Which was perfect for me who had no clue what I was doing! Loved the class and felt amazing afterwards! Now I’m sitting to eat at the attached café with amazing sounding healthy foods. All the ingredients are local and sound super good for me! I want to give this place an extra star for having good food attached!

Clean, spacious, quiet… what more can you ask for from a yoga studio?
Variety of classes from hatha to vinyasa, though lots of different instructors.
They provide locks for the lockerroom, and have equipment like blocks, mats, straps to use as needed. No complaints.

I really like the look and feel of this place. The classes I have taken were great and a good challenge. They have heated rooms, which is nice and make you sweat a lot. I only went for about two weeks on their first time trial. I would enjoy going more, but at $ 17 a class, I just can’t afford it.

Damn, Sarah Robinette is fantastic. She teaches a prenatal yoga class two times a week at Yoga Pearl and I honestly wish it were every single day.
Not only is she a wonderful and knowledgable teacher, but she’s so real. Many people (myself included) hold images of «yoga instructors» that range anywhere from the blissfully zenned-​out character you might see satirically portrayed on the Simpsons, to the terrifying placenta-​eating, raw-​militant drill sergeant who haunts your dreams and makes you cry at the thought of eating a doughnut. Outside of her rockin’ body and deep understanding of yoga and the human body, Sarah is about as far from the stereotype as it gets.
She certainly modifies poses to keep things safe, but she in no way goes easy just because we’re pregnant. In fact, the other day she said something to the effect of «you’re about to push a human out of your vagina, or if not that, recover from major surgery — you better believe your body can handle these poses.» That said, she’s totally cool if we want to come out of tree pose a little early, or do something that feels better in the moment. There are tons of modifications we can make and she clearly explains and demonstrates all of them, so there’s no judge-​y element at all.
Swearing in class is not off-​limits. She doesn’t do that elongated word whispering. She treats us like humans with human fears and emotions, not like strange whale-​people that have to constantly be in some otherworldly pregnant-​zen mother-​earth headspace. My growing belly and I are so much happier with her practice in our lives.
If you weren’t looking for a 3-​paragraph essay on the wonders of one specific instructor, I’ll finish with this: Yoga Pearl is a solid 4-​star studio. Fair prices (especially if you sign up for the $ 50 unlimited newbie pass), a small, clean changing room with lockers, showers and a thoughtful prep/​primp area, available mats and locks to borrow for $ 2, kind reception staff, and a killer vegetarian café and juice bar. Unlimited classes for a month for $ 50 — there’s absolutely no reason not to give it a go yourself.

Pros:
— Heated rooms. So so so nice, especially in the winter. Also they’re really serene feeling.
— Seth’s Sunday class. This guy is amazing. I almost feel like I shouldn’t mention him on here so his classes don’t over-​pack.
— Prasad. Excellent green juices, oatmeal, and healthy bowls. I’ve often gotten not-​fully-​blended smoothies though. (the kitchen staff also doesn’t use gloves which is apparently legal in oregon, but it’s kind of gross to watch them futz with all the ingredients)
— Clean bathrooms. Not gross at all, which is nice.
Cons:
— Hit or miss with the teachers, depending on what you like. Seth, who I love, is awesome and straightforward. Some teachers go off into their land of new-​age philosophy and that gets under my skin. I keep track of them with a «bad yoga teacher» list on my phone and just avoid their classes
— Parking. It’s street parking and if you go to a 90 minute class, the same length as the meters, you’re kinda screwed — especially because…
— For the popular classes you have to get there super early, or they fill up.

I was on the road for bit and wound up in Portland. I had been missing my Yoga practice for about a week or so, and was super on edge. I needed to get back in the swing of things, so I found this place doing a quick search for «hot yoga portland». The facilities are actually really nice. I thought the studio was neat, although its kind of weird to have a café/​diner in lobby. I could hear a lot of commotion while doing variations of what the teacher called «spicy cataraunga». For those who haven’t done one, just go ahead and have someone ram their fist into your obliques and abs a few times. I imagine you’ll get the same tenderness the next day, without all the sweat and pachouli.
The class size was very small which I liked. I was terrified it was going to be just me and the teacher for awhile. How awkward. Two dudes doing hot yoga in a room together. More people showed up thankfully and it ended up being about six or so practitioners. Nice change from Seattle where I’m used to like 30 people minimum per class. Needless to say I got a lot of individual attention which I suppose was kind of nice for a bit… After being corrected consistently, i felt like i was in remedial power vinyasa. All the things I thought I did OK or at least halfway decent, NOPE. It did come from a good place though, the teacher really helped and I did learn. He was a great teacher. I think his name was Chris. Good guy, and I liked his flow, very different from what I’m used to. It could be a bit hotter though, they keep it fairly cool in the room 85 – 90 degrees if I had to guess. I prefer it a bit hotter, but nobody cares what I prefer, it is what it is. There wasn’t any soap in the shower area either, that was odd but whatever. Depending on where I am next time in town I may or may not come back. While I do like my catarunga’s now a bit on more the picante side now, i just wish it was a tad hotter. I like to sweat my ass off in class.

I’ve tried out studios in Portland and Seattle, here is my take:
+ nice, clean studio
+ love the juice bar and healthy food in entry way
+ kind teacher for the class I took
+ nice staff
+ lots of experienced teachers so you can find one you like
+ inviting lobby
+ clean
+ at least 1 shower in locker room
— acoustics in the main studio aren’t great, some echo
— poor light control in studio (hard to dim light in full day)
— just 1 shower in locker room
Disclaimer: there are many teachers so your experience will vary greatly. Try different teachers to find one that suits your energy.
I took the Power Vinyasa class. The teacher was kind and supportive, she had a good dialogue, and was especially inspiring during the final meditation. She also seemed to have good rapport with her student. The flow of the class felt faster than I’m used to which made it more challenging to experience the depth of each asana and retain control of breadth. Again, your experience will depend on previous experience and which teacher you end up with.
Will be interesting to try out other classes there.

My disclaimer is that I’ve only taken a few beginners’ classes. That said:
+Nice environment
+Ability to rent mats, lockers and access to other yoga props
+In-​store boutique and café (can’t speak to the experience of their café, never ordered anything)
+Typically friendly-​ish staff. (No one was ever rude or condescending to me. If anything, they just get busy)
+Great instructors
+Offers classes based on level/​experience in yoga
+Classes throughout the day
–A bit expensive (however, the offer for new clients is a great deal)
–Small studio space (or just that they let too people register for the same class; I’ve been bumped into/​touched by others during a class and it kinda freaked me out)
–Not ideal for those who need to drive/​park (as it is right in the Pearl, street parking can be very limited/​unavailable)
I do wish that certain classes were offered more regularly (i.e. there’s only one vinyasa basics class on Saturday) and that they didn’t let so many people into the small studios, but otherwise, it’s a great place to practice yoga. I’d recommend it.

Yoga Pearl is everything a yoga studio should be: a big relaxing space, welcoming people at the front desk, friendly instructors, and a great mix of people. I attended the candlelight Vinyasa class with Krystyn and I had such a great experience. The whole room was lit with candles and the class a great mix of work and reflection. I can’t wait to take another one! Couple this with Prasad in the same location and it becomes a total package deal.
I wouldn’t hesitate in recommending Yoga Pearl-​a great space to spend time.