I just finished up with the new customer unlimited...

I just finished up with the new customer unlimited yoga for a month deal, and I have a lot of thoughts on Vibe.

The facility is very nice inside, despite the appearance and the location of the building, which I was initially nervous about. The rooms are clean and well maintained, and community props are in good shape.



As far as instructors and teaching style, it was kind of hit or miss for me. I really liked Sarah P, Michelle, and Liz (I think?) With the other instructors, I felt that the classes were solely for a workout experience and severely lacked a spiritual element.

When it came to difficulty level, I felt that most of the classes, despite being labeled intermediate or for all levels, lacked instruction for newer or out of practice yogis. The instructions often gave direction for medium difficulty, rather than starting with the basics and working into modifications to make the poses more advanced. I kept waiting and looking for a class I could bring my husband to for his first ever yoga class, but never found a class I thought would give him a positive first experience. I still don't feel this is a good place for anyone without 1-3 years of prior experience.

I felt a lot of the instruction lacked concentration on correcting form, and never had an instructor correct or help me adjust my positions. All in all, I felt the learning experience was non-existent, the human connection was lacking, and the instruction and lack of modifications was dangerous at times--I experienced a quad injury after attending a Hot Sculpt class, thinking it was a heated yoga class, not a 60 minute HIIT workout in a 90+ degree room. My friend experienced a torn muscle in her neck/shoulder only a week or two prior to that after attending the same Hot Sculpt class. It is easiest to injure yourself in hot classes, especially when weights are involved. Based on my experience with that class, I really think it is irresponsible and unsafe.

The clientele is primarily made up of young women who are IU students. There's a lot of lululemon--the studio sells a lot of lululemon merchandise and if you're attending hot classes, it is not uncommon to have half of the class working out in their lululemon sports bras and leggings. It starts feeling a little like a weights gym, and they're coming to look at themselves workout in front of a mirror. Which is not what yoga is about. It's not a competition, but somehow it frequently feels like a competition at this studio-- who has the best clothes, the best mat, the right water bottle, the best body, the best balance, etc. It feels like the classes are workout oriented because that's what most of the clientele wants. They want the Americanized yoga, and want to cut off all the Hindu, spiritual roots. And that's not what I'm about.

All of those things being said, I was excited to have figured out the classes and instructors that I felt were more in line with what I wanted. When I went to sign up for a ten class pass I was BLOWN AWAY by the pricing. I have never been to a studio that charged so much. I have had life changing experiences with my instructors who offered a lot more of their love and knowledge. One of the best classes I've been to was a couple's class I took with my mom that capped out at ten people. The class was $10. If this studio charged half the price, it still would be a stretch for me as far as quality of service I was getting for my money. This was a very disappointing experience for me.