text: I can't say enough about how much I love this studio. I gave the studio a try on the insistence of one of my friends who has been practicing there for a while. We tried an initial class together and the rest is history- I'm hooked! \n\nThere are so many things about the studio that I love. The location is perfect in Plaza Midwood and there is ample parking. Upon walking in, there is always a friendly face to greet you at the door. Sometimes there is even a puppy face to greet you which is even better. :-) The check in process is quick and easy with a scanable key chain card. There are cubby holes to put your stuff into and plenty of areas to change, grab water and get ready. \n\nThe hot yoga studio (A) is huge and beautiful! Hardwood floors and red brick walls stretching up to high ceilings. The decorations are fun and tasteful and fit with the vibe of the studio. There are parking spots for mats not uncomfortably close to your neighboring mat. There are no mirrors on the walls as the instructors coach you through looking at your body and feeling your way through a pose as opposed to focusing on how it looks. \n\nWhen the class is ready to begin the instructor introduces themselves and gets you started in your first pose. The instructors speak through the class re-inforcing the Baptiste yoga principles through the practice and always add so much to think about (and often laugh about) through the practice. After a short warm up (which you might be surprised is just a warm up) they start the class with an \"Om\". This was new to me and I really wasn't sure how I felt about it at first, so I didn't do it the first few classes which wasn't an issue at all. Everyone is focused on their own practice so you're very free to go where you want to in your practice. Next the flow sequence begins. It's challenging, hot and rewarding. Coming from a studio that heated their room to 105-110 degrees, I love the temps being between 95-100. Hot enough to warm up the muscles and get a good sweat going, but not so hot that it's distracting. \n\nEach class is different. Different instructors bring a different experience to each class. Surprisingly I found that I enjoy the 90 minute classes the most and there are certain instructors that I will happily rearrange my schedule to make their class. (Daniel, David, Sally, Liz....) Each class offers a wide variety of options for your practice from modifications to poses to moving into advanced poses. Where you bring your practice is up to you and there is no judgement regardless of what you decide! Sometimes I'll move into side crow from chair twist, other times I'll happily sit in chair twist and regardless of what I do I feel great about it. \n\nThe instructors are encouraging and never fail to challenge you to push your limits. They emphasize matching breath with movement and proper pose aligment. They and the assistants are happy to come over and help you in any pose. Oh the assistants- one of the best things about Y1! Each of the assistant in class (from one to three!) is specially trained to come around and assist you in your poses. Each assist feels like a mini-massage and is just wonderful- not to mention helpful to find your place in a pose. :-) \n\nEnding the practice with Savasana the lights are turned down, the fans turned on and a cold lavendar washcloth set at the top of your mat to place on your face (or whereever you like) to assist with cooling you down. \n\nI've taken the 60minute, 90 minute and deep stretch classes and enjoyed all of them. I'm very excited to start taking the Wednesday night foundational classes to become more acquainted with proper pose alignment. They also offer fantastic workshops- seems to be every weekend and other group activities. I love their committment to the community and local charities. \n\nCan't think of anything negative to say! (Unless you talk to me the days that I'm so sore I can barely move- but even then I feel great!!)