Black Swan Yoga

So, I have to admit that this is my go-to yoga studio because you don't have to purchase a membership or certain number of classes, no auto-withdraw from my bank account...just simple donation. Overall, I'll say that this is the major draw to Black Swan, for those of you who don't want to fully commit to yoga or a studio.

The payment works as a donation, like I said above, and this means that at the end of class you give Black Swan however much you feel like it was worth to you. You'd think that people would skirt the system and I'm sure some do, but everyone I know is honest and really appreciate the trust they have for their visitors. I know of people who will give for instance $20 one night and then go two or three times on that donation. Or, if you only have a couple bucks one day, you can fill in the gaps on the next visit. Mats can be rented for $2 and water can be purchased for $.50 - this they also don't track but rely on the honor code. There are computers available too for those of you who like to swipe.

Now for the classes. Some will say (many actually) that the guy instructors are much better than the women, I however have had positive experiences with all of the lady instructors so I will not testify to that. I personally have tried the Vinyasa, Power Yoga and Sweaty Yoga classes which are all a good level of challenging. They do a great job of giving options for poses so that the beginners and more advanced have a good practice. To be honest I've found that these three classes are very similar depending on who the instructor is and the weather outside (we'll talk about facility later) but my favorite remains the Power Yoga, and that seems to be a favorite of a lot of friends as well.

The Black Swan facility is it's downfall, simply because it is not large enough to house the demand for the most popular classes. Most times there is a hand's width between mats at the early and late evening classes and even the early mornings are fairly full. This is negative for me because you have to be very comfortable sweating and breathing all over a stranger and the instructors don't have as much time for adjustments. In addition, because it is donation everyone must wait at the end of class in line to use the computers and for a large class this can take up to 10 minutes. They have two bathrooms but there are only public facing cubbies for shoes in the main lobby, so nothing resembling a locker room like many other studios.

Overall, I really do love Black Swan for the flexibility and ease of scheduling. Knowing that you are not committed is a great feeling for those who are new to yoga or who aren't sure about it yet.

Ratings:
Classes: 4/5
Facility: 2/5
Overall Experience: 3/5