Blissful Spirits Hot Yoga — Attraction in Albuquerque

I'm practicing at Rio Rancho location; so far I've done 4 classes w/different teachers. Each have their own style and I'm pleased with all of them. Upon my first class I was given a tour and a brief rundown what to expect. Phenomenal first impression of facility, I was amazed by the cleanliness and lack of stench from the studio- even after a previous class. I'm new to the RR area and tried a different studio, if you too have been you can relate and if not think dingy carpet with sweat spots and smell. As for postures, I was introduced to more than standard "26" and certainly received a total body workout. I personally enjoy the variety versed working same body parts repeatedly. Some may not like change though and that's understandable. Other reviewers mention music, yes there's tunage but I also enjoy that because it helps ease me into postures. True it can drown out instructors but they all have moved around the room actively, demonstrate and offer corrections. I benefitted from personal adjustments because I could certainly tell the difference between right and wrong way. Another comparison from other studios in addition to variety is the teachers understand and enable you to modify exercises which is huge if you're injured, not to mention let's face it our bodies are not cookie cutter so we each need to adapt accordingly verses breathing through and hurting yourself. Yes, I overstretched my hamstrings and strained my back from "locking my knee". It was acceptable for me to modify accordingly to what my body allowed during my practice. I also appreciate the essential oils offered during class which enhanced it (thanks Mel). Lastly, Blissful is one of 24 studios across the US which will be participating in a benefit to support St Jude. This is huge to me and shows there's a genuine concern for well being of the community.

In short, there is an awesome introductory offer....give it a try and I suggest more than one class before you hang up your mat. Granted it's not for everyone again, if you don't like change maybe not so much for you but if you're ISO a total body makeover or more meditative practice this is the...

I've been going to Blissful for about 2 years now, and it's a great yoga studio! Hannah's classes on Thrusdays are amazing, and I also enjoy Donna's classes. The staff has always been really nice and helpful. They have mats you can use in case you forgot your own as well as blocks, hand towels, and weights. With the large windows in the studio room, you can choose spaces that'll be more or less hot to fit your preferences.

While it's a great studio, I'm giving it a 3.5/5 stars because of the cleanliness and class levels. They don't seem to sweep or vacuum their studio floor. You can find clumps of hair and dust balls in cracks in the floor mats or being stirred around the room when people place their yoga mats down. I've seen this in both morning and evening classes, so I don't think that cleaning the studio floors is a regular practice. The studio room isn't giant, so having the staff run a vacuum over the floors once or twice a day would really help the overall class experience. The dirty floors makes the environment less relaxing.

Secondly, the class levels are all over the place. While their website says that their Hot Yoga classes is like a level 1 and their Vinyasa is like a level 2, this ranking seems to be determined by who is teaching the class and not a set structure. Not all instructors treat the levels the same, so sometimes a Vinyasa class will feel like a level 1 or a Hot Yoga class will be more like a true beginners course. It would be helpful if there was more uniformity throughout each course level instead of having to get to know each individual instructor to determine what levels they teach...

I originally visited this studio with a LivingSocial deal because I was new to Albuquerque and looking for a place to practice. I've come to really like Blissful and continue to attend a year later because they've got some really incredible instructors, they offer a wide variety of class times and skill levels in addition to private sessions, and the studio is pretty nice. But they also have a some awful instructors, the owner is a little bit crass, and their parking situation is terrible (compounded by the fact that they've got retail neighbors that reserve half the parking spaces for their "customers" but the spots are always empty). They're also not very open to feedback on their instructors, opting instead to encourage their students to "see each person as a mirror" and that maybe that teacher you don't like is a reflection of you. The trouble with that is, I'm not Ghandi. I prefer my instructors to be knowledgeable, pleasant, inclusive, patient with new students, and not busy staring at their own abs in the mirror. So, some of the instructors are show offs or frankly just bad instructors, and I don't attend those classes. I would suggest that a newcomer arrive early (remember, the parking), and take the time to practice with all of Blissful's teachers - it took me about a month before I got through all the classes and had a sense for the classes and teachers I loved. The value for the quality of the studio and the quality of instruction can be...