HIYOGA — Local services in Waitematā

I've had to think seriously about posting this review, but I feel it's the responsible thing to do. I paid for a one month pass with Hot Yoga Works during the last month of a marathon training program in the hopes that using Bikram/Yoga to complement my training program would help with muscle conditioning and general wellbeing. For background, I have been practising Bikram for eight years, and I am a trained and certified yoga teacher (previously registered with the Yoga Alliance).

My first class was with Louise, who is a fantastic instructor. She brings a huge amount of positivity and energy to the room, and inspires you to dig deep to push further in your practice. The only issue we came into was during the standing wide-legged poses, where we were asked to step off our mats. The floor in the studio is carpet, but has been worn down and no longer has the same grip that a proper mat might offer. I am wary of how prone to injury you can be during the last few weeks of a marathon program, as I was recovering from a broken foot and being seen by a podiatrist to help strengthen my legs to move the 'right' way after the foot healed wrong the first time (I have knee valgus and am cautious about this, as I want to avoid surgery on my knees where possible). When I felt that I might slip on this surface, I stepped back onto my mat, and Louise reprimanded me in front of the class. However, when I approached her after the class and explained the situation, Louise was extremely gracious and supportive, and agreed that I should do what I need to do to avoid injury.

My next class was with David. Louise was present, but didn't have the chance to tell David about my knee issue. Therefore, when it came to stepping off the mats, I didn't, and David reprimanded me in front of the class. I already felt uncomfortable that David had done two things I had never seen a Bikram Yoga Instructor do: He used comparison to bully a new practitioner into trying harder ("Your [standing one-legged] pose is the worst one here!"); He adjusted students; He focused all of his encouragement on the male yogis in the room and used negative feedback with mostly female beginners.

When I did not respond to his bullying manner, he took to singling me out during a savasana, accusing me of 'thinking I knew better than him', and suggesting that 'yoga cures everything'. He had not bothered to learn my name, but already claimed he knew my body better than me. Please remember that I had simply not stepped off my mat, instead choosing to do the same poses but sideways (to stay on the grip of my mat as a safety precaution). I spoke to Louise about it after the class, and she assured me she would make my situation known amongst the teachers.

However, the next time I attended a class (with David as a teacher, as much as I would have avoided it), he took the same attitude. I was really alarmed at the lack of compassion he showed his classes, as I have come to expect basic decency from a yoga teacher. I found his teaching style to be quite unsafe - not only from the perspective of ignoring individual's needs due to different body types and histories, but simply from the language he uses and the way he speaks about his practice and students. Although he accused us, in the class, of being egotistical if we wanted to do different (safety-oriented) adjustments to the sequence; I feel it was in the reverse. I believe it is the job of a yoga teacher to listen to their students, be compassionate and kind towards them in class, and support them in their practice, no matter what stage they are at or what different needs their bodies have. I did not feel I got this from David.

Tired of the bullying during classes (every time the standing postures came around, I would be met with the same pointed comments and general 'bad vibes'/frustration from this teacher), I once tried to step off my mat and ended up injuring my MCL, 2 weeks before my marathon. I am now being seen by an orthopaedic surgeon because of this injury, which might have permanent...

My friend and I came in for a free class (with mat & towel included according to the promotional card & via email), to see if we would enjoy the class & space as we are looking for a studio we could visit together once a week to compliment our already established exercise routines. There was no health & safety waiver, which we both found to be odd as we were expecting to do some high intensity exercises in a heated room. Mats & towels were meant to be included in our free trial class. Email correspondence confirmed this, as well as the initial chat with a staff member. When we went to ask for a mat for the class, the same staff member who told us it was included said “that’ll be $4”. There were multiple staff behind the desk who we did not find particularly friendly and felt that they stared at us as though it was silly that we even assumed the mat was included. The staff said we wouldn’t likely need a towel, didn’t give one to us, but then proceeded to charge us for one anyway… so we paid $16. We both have our own mats, and could have brought them if they had just told us to from the beginning. The equipment (mats & weights) were incredibly poor quality. The rubber around the weights was falling apart and the metal that was showing through was rusted. The mats were falling apart underneath our feet. Chunks of the mat were coming off as we were doing plank jacks during the class. We felt this was unacceptable. We have been to many studios across Auckland that offer mat hire with higher quality mats at a cheaper fee. The instructor for our HIIT Pilates class was absolutely lovely. And we don’t want him to feel that our experience had anything to do with him, but he was/is not ready to be an instructor yet. He was enthusiastic, which we appreciated. But the class did not flow like a normal fitness class should. There was no structure to the class, and there was no proper warm up or cool down which should be an essential part of the class, especially considering the type of exercises that were being done. The class was scheduled to be 45 minutes but we finished in 30. Our instructor didn’t correct form, didn’t inform us what weights to grab, and was not very clear with his instructions (like when to hold, pulse, go slower or faster, etc.). We both did not feel challenged by the workout or had a sense of accomplishment at the end of the class. Again, this is not the instructors fault and want to make it clear that this review is not a reflection of him. We both felt this was the studio and higher managements fault who would have approved him for teaching when he is not ready. That’s not fair for him or for clients, especially the ones who are paying for this. Cleaning of the mats included spraying what we hoped was sanitiser in an unmarked spray bottle, and hanging them “to air out” in the same hot room that people are sweating in. We felt this to be unsanitary and can be improved. We left hiyoga feeling obviously disappointed in the experience, and it’s fair to assume at the end of this review that we won’t...

Review for travelers:

I was looking for a place to do hot yoga because I didn’t want to break my routine and I found Hiyoga. Very welcoming and felt inclusive as I am a black woman living in the US.

I found the place after walking up the stairs (if you look up there will be a sign the says Hiyoga). Ariane was so helpful and gave me a little tour of the place. I paid for my class in advance. I was very surprised by the great pricing (I did the $30 for 30 days) back home one yoga class is $30. So this was a steal. I only wish I was here longer to really take advantage of it.

My teacher was Rebeckh and she was incredible. The class kicked my butt in the best way possible. I am used to doing heated power vinaysa. The room was a little hotter than I’m used to and the sequence/flow was different, but I always welcome new experiences and this was great. I feel much stronger having taken the class. I also was introduced as a newcomer so I didn’t feel shy to go into child’s pose/kneel when I felt a little light headed.

Great experience and I’d definitely come back if I ever come to...