Bikram's Yoga College Of India

Tom S.

Joined 7 months ago

October 23, 2012 TomS I disagree with the tone of Jeanieji's caustic review from 10/2011. I can not comment on the facts of her experience that day in Minneapolis. My experience is this this is a very fine studio.

Like Jean, I travel to Minneapolis 4-5 times a year. Also, I am a big fan of Bikram Yoga and have been doing regular session 2-3 times a week from my home studio in the Philadelphia. When I travel to Minneapolis I check in as a guest to Bikram yoga of Minneapolis on Lyndale. I have visited the studio 3-4 times since last year. I have had an excellent experience at BYMpls.

My daughter in law who is a yoga practitioner and my original source of information about BY fundamentally believes that all BY hot yoga is stinky. 105 heat and a lot of sweating people. Fortunately her perception did not keep me from going. In my travels and experience with BY at various studios, they can have a bad day.

I dont think Jeanieji's single experience should dissuade someone from trying BY or the BYMpls studio. My experience is the the staff and practitioners at BY Mpls are very competent and friendly...an example of the wonderful hospitality of Minnesota and its people.

TomS.

Doesn't Recommend

Jeanieji

Joined 2 years ago

Stinky hot yoga, BAD combination!. I live in FL and travel to the Minneapolis area for work a few times a year. I've become a big fan of Bikram and flow over the last 6 months and attend classes on a pretty regular basis, usually 2-3 times a week, in my home base, Tampa. I chose to take a class at Bikram's College of Yoga in Uptown Minneapolis, since it was the closest studio recommended by Bikram's website. I drove a little farther although there is a yoga studio less than a mile from the hotel I am based at here, because I have become a bit of a purist when it comes to Bikram. My initial impression was very good. I loved the location and urban feel of the building. The gentleman who signed me in, who also taught the class, was very nice. However, I so regretted not having stuck my head inside the actual studio before paying $25+ for 1 class, a towel, a mat and a coconut water. The extras seemed way over priced. The towel was cheap and thin. And once I walked into the studio, horror of horrors, it smelled absolutely awful. So bad that for the first time ever I had to step out of a class at one point. I felt ill and the heat seemed a bit ridiculous. I have attended nearly 50 yoga classes in the last 6 months, most of them 90 minute Bikram classes in 105 degree heat in FL. I enjoy heat but this experience was so awful because of the offputting smell, which was magnified by the heat. Had it been my first Bikram experience it would also have been my last. Next time, as in tomorrow, going to the studio by my hotel and sorry I made the extra trek to this studio. When I mentioned the smell to the instructor he shrugged it off like "it's you, it really does not smell." Other reviews have mentioned the smell, so clearly it's not just me! If you have no sense of smell the studio is great. Otherwise, give it a miss!

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YogaMomFan

Joined 4 years ago

Love It- Try It!. Bikram Yoga is wonderful. The MPLS location is great. Also try the St Paul location- very nice. Bikram Yoga has changed my life. The only thing on my wish list is that all the Twin Cities Bikram Yoga studios had tuition sharing. I work on one side of town and live on the other. Being a mom, working full-time and trying to fit in Yoga can sometimes be difficult. I've got an idea... Yoga daycare for Bikram Yoga classes. :)

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emsheb

Joined 5 years ago

Some like it Hot :-). This is the real deal, a "by-the-book" Bikram class with the personal attention you deserve. I've practiced in St. Louis, Vermont, and Bloomington, MN and this is, by far, my favorite studio.

The instruction and atmosphere is intense, but not intimidating or overwhelming. The studio itself is a retreat of mediation, it has a woodsy feel including real timber and swinging chairs for pre- or post- yoga relaxation.

The only down point is the changing area is small. Sometimes you may find yourself bumping into your neighbor.

Bikram Yoga isn't for the faint of heart or a place where you'll hear a lot of OM's being chanted, but you will leave feeling incredible after working every muscle, every ligament, every tendon, everyTHING in your body. Some like it HOT :)

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Contributor

Joined 10 years ago

If you can take the heat, this yoga practice can't be beat.. In Short
Bikram yoga is traditional hatha yoga performed in a hot room--105 degrees with 50 percent humidity. This hip Lyn-Lake studio has been specially mechanized to keep those conditions constant, which means you'll be sweating before class even starts. The well-toned crowd loves it, though; they say the heat helps loosen muscles and joints, allowing better practice, and all that sweating is cleansing. Every 90-minute class is the same--the instructor guides students through the hatha series, which consists of 26 postures and two breathing exercises.

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mfreeman6835

Joined 8 years ago

User review by mfreeman6835. Studio was nice, it was just too hot for me.