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Bikram Yoga Toronto
Category: Active Life Fitness & Instruction Yoga Yoga [Edit]
500 Sheppard Ave ESte 208
Toronto, ON M2N 6H7
Neighbourhood: Willowdale
(416) 250-0055
- Good for Kids:
- No
8 reviews for Bikram Yoga Toronto
8 reviews in English
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Review from cat k.
Scarborough, ON
9/19/2011 3 Check-ins Here
So far I'm really liking Bikram yoga. I think they are providing great instruction. I like being helped when I'm not quite in the right position, I've found this class very helpful and I love hot HOT it is.
I was really in a pickle though on Saturday morning when I couldn't rent a towel for a shower.. I had to paper towel and that didn't work very well. -
Review from Hilary S.
Updated - 8/12/2011 1 Check-in Here
Bikram's "meditation strategy" is to keep a constant stream of instructions/talking, so you have no time to think. Your mind is supposed to be empty for 90 minutes as they continuously tell you what to do.
If you like to be left alone with your thoughts, try moksha instead.
That said, I've been to this studio a good number of times by now, and I'm started to recognise some of the teachers. Most of them are mediocre, bearable but not enjoyable. I always like being in Chris' class since he is challenging, engaging, and friendly (plus he likes Bachelor Pad! Instant cred).
I've found they turn the heat pretty high at this studio...usually above 40, I would guess. Some teachers have a preference for high heat, some for low--again, experiment with the teachers and see who you like.
I wish they would have a teaching schedule so you could know before class which teacher will be leading the class at any given time, but I haven't been able to find one.
The last tip--facing the windows, the left side of the room is the "cool side" while the right side is the "hot side". Choose your spot wisely...predictably, the cool side fills faster so get into the room early and put your mat down to stake out your spot.
The spot slightly to the right of the left door (confused yet?) is the most coveted spot, since you get a breeze every time that door is opened.1 Previous Review: Show all »
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12/20/2010
Meh. Came here today with a friend.
It was aiiiiiiight (as they say in California). The poses were… Read more »
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Review from Min Min T.
Scarborough, ON
9/20/2011
I've been to Moksha yoga over many years and have rarely ever left a room in the middle of the class. On my first visit here, I found the temperature rather uncomfortable. In the beginning, I did most of the poses successfully. After half hour, it was becoming intolerable. I challenged myself to stick out an additional 10 minutes before deciding that I was on the verge of making myself ill and finally got up to leave.
Well, the moment the teacher sternly uttered these words, "Don't leave the room. You're just wasting your money. Lie back down! Don't leave the room." I knew I was done.
Are you concerned about money or for my well-being? I'm quite sure he would have readily let 3-4 people faint before he stopped the class. I wasn't the only one who got chided. One woman got up to leave and the instructor insisted she should stay.
Instructor: "Don't leave the room."
Woman: "I need to throw up."
Instructor: "Throw up and come back."
While I appreciate him making sure that we get our 'bang for our buck', I don't think the yogis here are in the right mindset to teach others to be zen when they aren't themselves. -
Review from Jennifer K.
Markham, ON
11/12/2009 3 photos
This studio is NOT with the Passport to Prana promotion.
Another Bikram studio that doing the 26 poses in extreme heat!
I have been in a couple of classes that were so hot.. I felt dizzy and have to lay down! After the class, I went and check on the thermometer on the wall, and the room was heated to around 43C!!
One class in fact the instructor ended up sitting on the floor and just talked us through the poses and kept saying "It is so hot!" Thanks for sharing that with us...
Nasty Nasty!!
The smell of sweat can be so nasty!! I can smell it when I enter the building!
The studio uses grey commerical carpet and you wondering how often they steam clean them??!!
I just could not bring myself to come to do my practising here again! Though I have few more classes left in my package...
Parking here can be a problem during weekdays 9 AM - 4 PM since the parking lot is shared with other tenants in the office. If so, you can park at Bayview Village and walk over, it will save you a lot of agony! -
Review from Ana W.
1/12/2011
I love hot yoga (that is if I don't faint). I sweat buckets!
The instructors are strict, but they are nice outside of class. The heat is high, so I definitely recommend coming in a bit earlier to climatize. One day I was running later than usual into class, I didn't have a chance to climatize so I felt pretty dizzy during the session. They will try their best not let you leave the room if you are feeling dizzy.
Likes
- convenient location - it's on the subway line
- hair dryer
- rusty lockers to lock up any valuables (bring your own lock)
- not too busy
Dislikes
- small change room
- lack of showers
- damaged tiles in the change room
They had a $20 for 10 consecutive day promotion last month. I liked the pace of the routine. It's worth checking out. -
Review from Roma M.
3/29/2010 1 photo
I've been coming to this location (right on the subway line) on and off for the past 6-ish years ever since I first discovered Hatha Yoga. Bikram's take on Yoga is quite different and quite honestly, brutal.
If you survive your first class and try a second, however, you'll notice how much easier it gets, especially if you return the next day. The room is extremely warm at 39C, and you'll be tempted to run out during class, but don't be silly, not only will you get a verbal slap on the wrist, but you'll be sorry if you did. Staying in builds determination, a stronger body and an undefinable sense of satisfaction. After all, 26 hardcore positions with an encore in 90 minutes in sweltering heat is no small feat.
You'll want to be very prepared to sweat, so don't forget 2 towels, a large bottle of water, and a change of clothes (maybe even a fruit/energy bar after class).
This location is small, but has everything you need from showers, a clean change-room and the boot camp studio.
Free parking!Listed in: Yoga Fire!
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Review from Janna S.
6/30/2010
This studio offers a $5 Karma Class on Friday evenings, which was my incentive for visiting (unfortunately this studio is not included on the passport to Prana card). The other bonus is that it is the closest yoga studio to me - actually within walking distance! I'm excited about that because normally I have to travel quite a distance to get to the Passport to Prana locations.
Read my review with this in mind: I LOVE practicing yoga in the heat. The hotter, the better. I find it much harder to focus in a normal-temperature room, and I enjoy the increased flexibility that the heat allows for. This studio was not as hot as a previous Iam yoga class I took, but it was still adequate. The other great aspect of the class I took is that Mike (the instructor) made numerous corrections for each student throughout the class. He seemed to be extremely experienced in applying just the right amount of adjustments for students to achieve improved poses. I really appreciated this because it's often impossible to correct small details on my own, even with a mirror. I find it frustrating that many instructors don't take the time to physically adjust students, but I guess some of them are worried about injuring people.
Overall. I think I'd return here on occasion. I know that Bikram yoga is based on the concept of performing the exact same poses on a daily basis, but I prefer some variety and I think I'd get bored with the exact same poses over and over. However, that being said, this was a great alternative to the hatha/flow classes I've experienced. -
Review from Sanita M.
5/19/2011
This is the first and worst yoga I have visited. I used to live right at Sheppard and Bayview so I decided to try yoga. I believe they had some special promotion for new customers. It was about 2 1/2 years ago so I do not remember in details but I do remember the HEAT - it is crazy. This is actually the only place where I saw so many people getting sick and leaving the room (including me) and as many others people say, they are followed by nasty comments from Instructor (I do not remember his name, really big, loud man). And yes, it smells like hell. I went there only about 2-3 times and I could not stand that anymore. Last time I was there, I got really sick and felt like fainting (it doesn't happen in other Yoga classes, if I get too tires, I just sit and relax before continue) but here.. I tried to do that and instructor kept yelling to continue. I was trying hard, getting more sick and told the instructor that I am feeling not good, I will leave the class. He did not let me, he said that I should stay and finish the class, blah blah.. I was feeling bad to leave but at the end I still left and never came back. If the attitude would be more understanding and the windows could been open (it was summer) I would still consider my coming back.
