Center For Yoga Of Seattle

02/27/08

Excellent yoga instruction

by muskrat at Citysearch

I have been going to this studio off and on for almost 10 years. I have been to other studios in Seattle and most of them are nice with teachers that are reasonable, but in my mind the Center For Yoga is the best. The instructers are all very professional and well versed at helping all body types benefit from a yoga practice. The teaching is excellent. I am not naturally limber though I am strong and cardiovascularly fit, therefore the fact that the instruction is personalized to every participant in a class is fantastic. I feel that I am not in danger of becoming injured because I am following instructions that are designed for super flexible stereotypical 'yogis', but at the same time I have been pushed and encouraged to challenge myself---safely. Some of the sessions are very physically challenging in the traditional sense (sweat, heart rate increase, increased breathing rate) but others are more challenging in other ways---like twists and back arches. The instructors push you to strive for perfection in every asana which makes even something as simple[seeming] as mountain pose an exercise in being conscious your whole body and how it is positioned and working in the pose. The classes are so superior to just working from a book or a video because of the attention of the instructors to really helping students---instructors do not just perform a routine with a class. Do not come to this studio and expect candles, incense or dreamy music. The studio is quite spartan, though very well equipped with pads, bolsters, blocks, etc. I would not call the studio trendy and if you show up in the coolest new "yoga pants" the instructors usually say somethnig like "nice pants, but I cannot see you knees and ankles to help you with your alignment, can you wear something more form fitting like leggings next time?" This studio and all the instructors are really dedicated to the art of yoga and I just cannot recommend a better studio in Seattle. Highly recommended.

• Pros: Excellent instruction, great variety in material taught. Always learning something new
• Cons: if I HAVE to list a con...I guess the heater is a bit loud

02/20/07

best yoga teaching

by juliamoser at Citysearch

As the holder of two Masters degrees, I feel qualified to express my experience of this excellent and dedicated Yoga studio. I work primarily with Richard and Edith. The intensive courses [ 4 days a week ] help me to progress in a way that I have not found possible with usual Yoga structures of once or twice a week or with drop-in courses. The benefits I have gained are too numerous to list. I feel entirely safe and supported by them. From the numerous teachers I have had throughout my education, only a handful have deserved to be called a "teacher." Two of these are Richard and Edith. To you both, thank you.

John Steinbeck said it best:: "I have come to believe that a great teacher is a great artist and that there are as few as there are any other great artists. Teaching might even be the greatest of arts, since the medium is the human mind and spirit." -- John Steinbeck [1902-1968].

• Pros: structure [ 4 days a week ] -- teaching [he is a teacher of teachers -- benefits gained
• Cons: n/a

12/01/05

Great Yoga!

by lbwlss at Citysearch

Iyengar Yoga is the best! And the Center for Yoga of Seattle provides wonderful Iyengar yoga. I take most of my classes from Rebecca Brinkley at the Center and she's awesome -- warm and encouraging, while at the same time somehow getting me to want to work harder.

All the instructors at the Center I've taken classes are strong professional instructors who come from a wide knowledge base and understand how to communicate what they know to their students.

• Pros: strong instructors