Bikram Yoga San Diego — Local services in San Diego

I love this school, but have some issues with it. The parking really is TERRIBLE. If you have the kind of schedule where you can drive over half an hour early to hunt for a spot, then great, but if you don't, another location would probably be best. You're basically idling in the street waiting for someone to come down to their car and leave. You're usually not the only driver idling and waiting for a spot. You can park in that weird little lot near the storage building, if there's space, but it seems unsecured. I would worry about smash and grab thieves in that lot, or catalytic converter thieves cutting under cars. As of right now, several parking spots are actually roped off until the 28 for construction. So parking that was terrible is even more terrible. It's funny because you come to yoga to relax but getting there and parking can be terribly stressful, as is scuttling down to your car with a few people sitting in their cars rushing you to leave. There are sometimes construction noises during class. I'm not sure how old this building is, but it is not unusual for the women's shower drain to be clogged at 8 a.m. Despite signs saying that the locker room is supposed to be a quiet area, it is often too full of people who are just standing and talking about their families and their children's soccer games and such. It can get crowded, especially when people are not getting dressed, just sitting around in towels taking up space. I do have an issue with a lot of the professors. There are many classes where it seems like we are just going through the poses, the instructor is taking you through something they've memorized, and that's the class. It's fine. There are a couple of professors who are way more engaging than the average professor. They talk about the effect of poses on your body, on your muscles and skeleton. They don't let you do a backbend or forward bend without telling you what to tighten up to protect yourself. They talk about poses they're seeing that people have learned wrong and have been doing wrong. After you take a class with one of those professors, the other professors seem really... Boring isn't the right word. But there is definitely a less engaged feeling with a lot of the professors. Some of them clearly power struggle with students who need to sit out a pose. Like if a person needs to lay down, it's not a personal slight to you and your teaching you know? A person just needs to lay down. There's a difference between a teacher engaging you to do something, and a teacher chastising you to try to make you stand back up. For what it's worth, the longtime students bring hot drinks to the Studio because they don't find it hot enough inside. It's a fine school, I'm having a great time with it, but I don't know that I will return after the three months I've signed up for. It is close, it does feel very good to sweat, but I'm tired of being in a bad mood because of the parking or not feeling...

I was visiting San Diego earlier this month and wanted to keep up my practice as much as possible while travelling. BYCI did not disappoint!

Enjoyed each of the instructors I had. They were each knowledgeable and encouraging with their dialogue, offering specific corrections. They also expected a lot out of each class, which I liked a lot. This is not a studio for those who want to fly low and go unnoticed. This says a lot about the instructors, as the studio is large, probably accommodating 80 students when full. The studio is hot. It is very hot. This is my first visit beyond my “home studio” and I found it hotter than what I was used to. I adjusted to the heat after my first class and found that my practice went to new depths. My practice has definitely improved because of my experience at BYCI.

A few logistical points – On my way out of the studio after my last class, I heard someone say that BYCI offers a steam room. I missed that offering completely and don’t recall a mention of it on their website. Given the high traffic in this studio, prepare yourself for the smell. Yes, it smells, because yes, everyone sweats – and they sweat A LOT. If you practice, you know the drill: find your calm in the posture/the balance/the stretch/or, in this case, even in the smell. Find your calm despite the smell, and breath. The locker room is purely functional, no frills. School style lockers and communal showers. BYCI does not have a water fountain or water cooler. Water is available to buy or simply plan ahead and carry your own. Other items available to purchase are new mats, pad locks and yoga gear, just to name a few. They provide a mat and two towels to every student. What they don’t necessarily say is that one towel is for sweat and the other is for shower. Towels are not available to rent beyond the complimentary offering. The studio is located a few blocks off green line trolley stop at Washington. Give yourself some time if you’re making this walk on foot. San Diego blocks are not short. If you drive, beware that parking is very limited and the area is surveyed and cars ticketed frequently.

Remember - the only bad Bikram class is the...

Something so important and powerful as this Yoga cannot be adequately praised in a few mere sentences--concisely, I believe it is the single greatest thing you can do for your health and well being. That being said, I'll keep my comments focused to the studio and staff--in my opinion--the best you'll find in San Diego!

The Studio

Two towels per class and even a complimentary mat for drop-ins is such a wonderful luxury that the studio provides. Very reasonably priced water and other beverages are available in case you forget yours. There is also 5 showers per locker room with nice coconut scented soap provided and an excellent steam room. What else can you ask for?!

The Staff

Jim runs a tight ship. Here you will find only Bikram's traditional Hatha Yoga being taught. I have been to other Bikram studios where this was not necessarily the case and teachers took a little more liberty than they should with the instruction (dialogue). Many of the teachers at Old Town have been teaching for a long time and will sometimes speak to teachings beyond the physical, inherent in the practice, that of course is a completely different matter! :) All of the teachers are wonderful motivators though and express encouragement and necessary correction through firm yet supportive language, seemingly free from judgement. There are also many incredible guest teachers (recently Bikram's daughter, Laju) that Jim invites to teach at the studio and are always a treat to practice under.

MY WISH IS THAT I MAY PRACTICE HERE FOR ANOTHER...