Yoga for Life — Attraction in Portland

Merging with Yoga for Life has been life changing in the best possible ways- I have had nothing but truly miraculously expansive experiences on various layers physically, energetically, and intellectually which have made an impactful impression on my life. To date, I have experienced the 300-hr yoga teacher training program, regularly attend Hatha, Vinyasa, and Universal Mandala classes, and have participated in two separate internal practices yoga retreats, and finally have enrolled in the 500-hr UY teacher training.

Yoga for Life was the first studio to provide me with the foundation I was looking for when I first relocated to the Pacific Northwest in 2018. If you are coming to practice deep stretch, Hatha, or vinyasa, Mandala, understand that sequences are structured so that you are provided with a well rounded and balanced formula of physical strengthening, flexibility, and balancing asana AND that you are challenged as far as you allow yourself to journey whether it be physically, mentally, and spiritually- and beyond.

Practitioners will find in the YFL community that All are welcomed, a wide range of students from beginners curious about yoga as well as highly experienced practitioners gather to practice as the Yoga for Life community is filled with yogis practicing with authentic integrity. You will encounter kindness, support, non judgment, and encouragement to elevate each other on your yogic path furthering knowledge and practical techniques for meditation, physical Asana practice, as well as other esoteric Tantric energetic practices used to bring you to higher versions of your own being and individual goals.

What you will learn in the 300- hr yoga training programs taught by Raj Patra and Kelly Suttle are in depth lessons in the history of yoga taught by a teacher bringing light into your soul through colorfully animated stories, philosophical lectures that lead you from darkness to light, bestowing knowledge and wisdom from all angles. Individual attention is given to ensure you are understanding all concepts covered. You will be able to explain the purpose of each asana and its alignment and how each asana is structured to give you the most efficiency out of strengthening and stretching. If you do not walk out wanting to teach (although most do teach because you gain the courage and proficiency necessary), you will walk out with a more authentic version of yourself and a more meaningful understanding of your purpose in life which is a powerful resource to apply to your everyday was of life in order to live in a more conscientious manner.

The 500-hr Universal Yoga course taught by Raj Patra demonstrates a profundity of which many folks may not be aware of. You will be immersed in various layers of learning from practicing coordination and reaction speed with teachings of Shiva Nata, expand upon alignment for unique and highly effective Asana created following principles of Universal Yoga (which draw upon the most useful aspects from authentic classic Yoga and then accentuates those aspects by taking them beyond the physical level) learn partner yoga, all the while fine tuning the layers within learning various pranayama, bandas, and taking your chakra for a spin and then back again. Be prepared for a journey into the cosmos. This is Yoga.

The Karuna circle ~ a circle for cultivating compassion held on Monday evenings is a beautiful offering which brings together a community of hopeful souls moving through guided meditation and pranayama which are carfeullyand intuitively selected by Kelly. These meditations provide a heartfelt practice to uplift and beam onto others which you receive. Truly magical in that kindness is communicated through the ethers. Its a gentl way to receive and spread sweetness and...

I stand behind a 3 star as an ok rating! Hot Yoga for Life is a perfectly nice facility that offers good services at a competitive rate. I really like the staff and the instructors are diverse in their approaches to yoga and energy.

An easy guild to my pros and cons of this specific location:

The Pros: Lots of different instructors, some may not be your speed or style so start noting who you are taking class from each time and build a list of favorites. You will certainly find some you love and be happy to return again and again. Different class styles and types. They even try new styles every now and again as per what customers are saying they would like. There was a cool Kinetic class last year that really fit into what I wanted out of yoga. They don't currently have it on the schedule for this location but I'm hoping it returns! The intro offer is outstanding and take full advantage of it by going as much as you can to try different teachers, classes and time slots before you commit to a membership. It's seriously a screaming deal! It has changed some over the years but is currently 10 Classes for $10 OR, 2 Months for $70! Get it Hot Yoga for Life! Often they have someone in selling a new hippie drink or food which is a fun chance to try something new.

The not as great things: It is overcrowded. It's ok to overcrowd a studio if it's organized and folks don't feel like they're getting pushed around. I don't really know what the answer is here but if there was a grid on the floor with expected spaces and spots I may feel less like I have to shift every time someone else walks into the studio with that distressed look of "Where do I go?". Empower your clients to own that tight spot instead of everyone adjusting as another and another and another person come in to a quiet space where folks are trying to be calm and get into the right mindset. One shower and super small locker room. Everyone from old class leaving/showering overlapping the new class trying to get in and change. Being hot yoga, folks need to fully change and often shower afterwards. Lobby is too small. The waiting area in the lobby is too small to hold more than a handful of folks and with a half hour window between classes, sometimes 15 minutes, they have no space for these folks to queue. And with the capacity issue it's wise to show up early so you can see the dilemma here.

Basically while I think the space they are in is very nice and well designed it isn't designed for this capacity and turn over of classes during any busy hours of operation. Even the early class on a Saturday is still full. So if you're one of those people that can make an 8am on a Tuesday I'm sure you feel differently. A lot of these problems are only during the evenings and weekends but that is when most folks can make the time.

I feel this is not the first time they have had this feedback and have invested a lot into this space. In the end they are a business like any other and they want to make their clients happy and still be able to efficiently run a studio. I commend their efforts for doing what they can with what they have. But I think in the end if they want to offer the quality experience they project they need to limit class sizes which would help the time outside of the yoga room more enjoyable and clearly identify mat spacing in the studio for...

I have yet to post something about this studio, but decided that my experiences there were something I would describe as really terrible and quite unforgettable. The classes themselves were fine. I went to visit my cousin in Portland, Oregon for about a week. She and another friend told me about this studio as a great place to take yoga as they both go regularly. Where do I begin? Well, first I asked both my cousin and friend if I needed a yoga mat to take the classes. They both responded, undoubtedly, that they both never bring a mat as there are tons of mats to utilize at the studio and I would have no issue borrowing one. When I got there and signed up for a 10 pass I believe, the manager demanded I had to pay and buy a yoga mat. This might make sense if I lived in the area or if I didn't already have two mats back home on the east coast, but why would I purchase a third one as I was visiting the area? I tried to ask if I could just borrow one for the time being and bring a yoga mat that my cousin had for the next time. Nope, the manager demanded I had to buy one. So, I essentially walked back to my cousin's house to get a mat, missed the yoga class I planned on attending, and then had to wait another hour or so to attend another one. When I spoke to my cousin and friend about the experience, they both looked at me wide eyed and said they never once brought a mat. I wish the story ends here, but it doesn't. I went back another time to take a class. I waited outside as there was another class in session and the door was locked. Another instructor unlocked the door and told me I could come in and wait in the waiting area. While I waited in the front, one of the yoga instructors frantically ran out of the class she was teaching, and started questioning me how I got into the building. She told me how there were break ins and how things were stolen. Hmmm....interesting I thought. Having a darker complexion being of Southeast Asian descent and being told I look Latina my whole life, I can't help but feel I was racially profiled and instantly put into a category of a threat. I can honest to God say that after living in 7 different countries around the world, I have been fortunate to never experience this sort of situations before in the east coat or elsewhere. Specifically a place that supposedly idolizes and embodies a place of awareness and acceptance of all, I really couldn't believe how I was treated.. Not to mention, yoga, qi gong, reikki, you name it, all from Asia. I didn't end up using the rest of my pass as I assume anyone would understand, I felt both discriminated against and for whatever reason unwelcome in this studio. Long story short, if you appear like the vast majority of Portlandites, you will probably be fine here. However if you are from out of town, perhaps a person of another ethnicity, I can only hope one will not experience the humiliation and shame I endured at this studio. It is one thing to speak about being a place of love of humanity, equality and acceptance of all, but it is another thing to actually be genuine pillars and examples of this. It took me a long time to have the courage to post this, but I realize now that it has been an unforgettable experience and has impacted me more than I would...