Arise Yoga — Local services in New York

Editing to add an extra star for Mallika Aggarwal; an incredible teacher with a beautiful gift for speaking about and working with breath. It would be worth a membership just for her classes.

The space is beautiful, but what they consider a “full class” is too full to do yoga. There were less than 6 inches between mats. For me, it was claustrophobic.

I had a new student trial week during the summer, eg when people are out of town. Most of the classes I took were more comfortable, even the fuller ones. There is a lot of variety in the schedule which is nice compared to other options in the area. Teaching styles are very mixed and you should probably try several teachers before you decide if this is the right studio for you.

Having done the trial, I definitely would like to know what a “full class” capacity is and whether I am booked in a full one before arriving. It would be nice if there was a way to view how many people are signed up for the same class, so that if you don’t care (the owner says many people don’t) then no problem but if you do care, you could rebook for a less full class, instead of just finding out when you get there. If I were to stay on, I would call ahead to find out if it’s too full or I might ask someone to tell me which hours are the most popular so I could avoid them. But my schedule and life demands aren’t that flexible so I don’t know how it would work.

One other thing: the bathroom is beautiful. I think the floor is heated? And there’s a lovely bulletin board inside. It is clearly a space...

I sustained injuries after an incident during their self-defense workshop offered in May. One of the instructors pushed me with enough force that I tumbled backwards onto my head and back. I was issued a refund after I requested one, but that does not begin to cover the direct and indirect costs of numerous medical expenses, the professional impact of having to excuse myself from work for appointments (I am required to be mostly in-office), and inability to engage in my normal physical activities for over two weeks now.

When I reached out to one of the owners, who I have been generously given my expertise and time to for a project since February, he ultimately ignored me. And when I did speak to another owner, she took the time to listen but offered to send me a copy of my signed liability waiver and underscored that it is in effect even in cases of negligence--a very by-the-book response that demonstrates a lack of accountability for hiring an instructor who had not taught this type of workshop in this particular setting. I understand that there is a level of risk in anything that we do, but this injury was due to instructor negligence and inexperience in...

I used a new student trial week, but, unfortunately, won’t be coming back. Both classes and instructors were absolutely wonderful. Sadly, there are things that a non-negotiable for me. Upon entering the studio there’s a very strong musty smell of old socks and people’s sweat. The blankets and mats smell like that too. When I pointed at that to the instructor she seemed genuinely surprised. But there’s no way I’m the only one who smells that. I asked if they could burn some sage or incense but she said they don’t do that at the studio (although it might help in between classes at least). Aside from that, the floor is covered with hair, lashes and dust - gross. Maybe if the studio would undergo a deep cleaning every day this wouldn’t happen. In addition, I happened to be present during a full class and I’ve never felt so claustrophobic… people’s feet are right above your head and vise versa. Wish I loved it because overall it’s a nice looking studio and the...