Seeking Space Yoga — Attraction in Portland

TLDR: Ableism. Inadequate signage made me miss my first session, business response was to blame me for not finding the building. They have said they will issue a refund.

I arrived this morning at 10am for a session. It was my first time checking out this place. When I arrived, I could not initially tell which building housed the yoga studio, due to a lack of signage. I finally found the front door, with a large “seeking space yoga” sign adjacent to a sign for the hair salon (which shares the space) emblazoned near the roof.

I approached the front door and noticed the place seemed empty. I saw a sign on the front door saying “we have moved, here is the new address. 9/3/24” I thought, “ah, that’s why the place looks empty.” It was 10:05 by that point, but I got in the car and drove over to the new address, thinking that what with a move to a new location that I had not been emailed or contacted about, others were likely to get confused and arrive similarly late to the new location.

When I arrived, I walked in and knew immediately that this wasn’t it. I called out “excuse me” and someone from the hair salon came out to let me know that it was the salon that had moved, and the yoga studio was still at the old location, just downstairs. They also let me know that the yoga studio locks its doors 5 min after the hour.

By this point as someone who was really looking forward to their first yoga class in years, I was very frustrated. I left my original review (below), sent a contact form through on the studio’s website to request a refund, and drove back to the first studio. I did find the basement, although there was no way to notice the small signs unless you knew which door to walk up to, which I did not. I tried the door after skimming a sign that mentioned a community area, hoping to talk to someone in person to request a refund. The door was locked.

I returned to my car, then received a phone call from Rachel at the studio. Rachel was polite, but defensive, and attempted to shift blame to me, saying “we have not had this problem before” “most people find the door” which was embarrassing, hurtful, and infuriating to be told after I had spent half an hour driving around. I let them know that if the studio is aiming to be accessible, which it looks like they are given their marketing, then they can keep in mind that some of their neurodiverse clients may be navigating things they don’t know about.

As an ADHDer, I commonly struggle to run on time, which I did this morning. That is part of my disability. In instances where I am trying last-minute to figure out where I need to be, adequate signage is an accessibility issue.

To this business’s credit they have stated that they will refund me for today’s session.

I hope that in the future Seeking Space Yoga provides clear signage to anyone new to the space who might be assisted by more obvious signage, and I hope that they openly accept feedback rather than becoming defensive and shifting blame in the face of it.

(Original review: They moved spaces with no warning. Arrived at the old place, a sign on the door indicated to go to the new location. I did, and was then told to return to the old location and go downstairs to a basement. At that point I was 20 minutes late, and I was told that the doors are locked after 5 minutes. Waste of...

Between in studio classes and zoom classes, I have taken classes from at least 10 teachers and they are all great. On time, prepared, good energy. My blood is pumping after a power vinyasa class, I’m ready to tackle the day after a hatha class, and I’m ready to relax after doing a yin or restorative class on zoom.

The only reason my rating is low is because of rules that have been put in place. Yoga is about getting to know your body so ideally you can build strength to improve your ability to meditate. I believe that a big part of the yoga philosophy is practicing in a community and the cornerstone of a good community is trust and respect. I respect all yoga studios so I will only attend a class if I feel that I am healthy enough to do so. I trust that the rest of the community respects that space as well. Another core philosophy in yoga is surrender. I surrender to the fact that if someone goes to class sick and doesn't know it, there is a risk of infection. At the same time, by practicing regularly, exercising, and eating healthy, I am strengthening my immune system.

If an establishment requires everyone to be scanned to verify if they are symptomatic and having segregated class for people with papers, it gives the impression that they do not trust their clients. I completely understand people who do not trust those around them based on their lived experiences and are only comfortable practicing alongside people with a medical status that has been verified by a third party. I also completely understand people who don't want to practice next to people who don’t look like them. I vehemently disagree with both of these people as I am happy to practice next to literally ANYONE so long as they respect the studio. My suggestion to both would be to practice yoga online and meet with a mental health professional.

Strong authoritarian leanings are a big red flag for me. I believe that Dr. Stanley Milgram has done excellent research into what happens when ordinary people unquestioningly follow authority figures and would suggest that everyone find out about his experiment, as well as critiques of his experiment since similar studies have found that a large number of people will blindly follow authority figures but not quite as high as the 65% in the Milgram Experiment.

It is now June 2022 and if the rules are rolled back then I will revise this review to 4 stars, with the only reason to not give 5 stars being that the studio has already demonstrated strong authoritarianism and the likelihood of...

My review here is totally overdue! I've been going to Seeking Space for a little over a year and this place truly feels like a second home. As cheesy as it may sound, I do feel like I was "seeking space" when I came upon this studio and discovered it was only 5 minutes from my house. I was not in a good place with my mental health or physical activity and finding this place felt serendipitous.

I've practiced hot yoga on and off throughout my life and have always found it beneficial, but you really get so much more than just the practice of yoga here. The people here are special. I feel truly seen, held and cared for by the staff at Seeking Space (Aleesha, Lori, Alice, Lindsey, Ave, Jahan, I'm looking at you). Practicing with this community has helped me feel more present in my body, improved my physical, emotional and mental wellbeing, and brought me so much joy. Thank you Rachel for cultivating this space! I can't...