Yoga Center Amherst

Beautiful space with seasoned, caring teachers. Relaxed, playful and serious, all at once. Good for all levels of experience.

When sharing my pronouns during the teacher training the owner expressed she did not want pronouns to be shared as we are all just 'souls'. many more instances of this within the span of two days. I had no choice but to leave the training. Spiritual bypassing and micro-aggressive if not blatant transphobia. Not an inclusive or safe space for queer/ trans/ gender non-conforming folx.

YCA is my favorite yoga place in the world. The teachers share a spirit of playful learning. They really care for you. The classes vary from gentle to vigorous, so there is something for everyone. The studio is open and filled with light. It makes me happy just thinking about it.

YCA is a place that nourishes body and soul. The weave of Embody Yoga with a deeply caring community of teachers and practitioners is the fabric that envelopes you from the moment you walk into the studio. It has been life changing for me and I can't recommend enough that you allow the light that permeates this space to transform you.

This particular the studio markets, Embodyyoga, which I also found quite physically unchallenging (even though it was a moderate/vigorous course), but might be good for someone looking for a New Age/mindfulness approach. I wish I could give this place a better review, but to echo a previous reviewer, I also found the place religious and cult-like.

They have started asking students if they wish for in-course adjustments, but I witnessed a teacher touch students in the lobby in ways I found strangely intimate for a student-teacher dynamic (not a hug and such, but a hand placed on the stomach or hip).

I love this place. Deep lessons, always. Embody Yoga helps uncover the depths of the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual aspects of living.

I used a 20 day new customer pass. I attended 3-4 classes per week. TLDR: This studio feels very religious and a little bit cultish, is very very very white, instructors touch students without asking, classes do not start on time, they are constantly trying to sell you extra training, most of the classes are gentle/restorative or meditation. Physical Space: As you can see in the center photos, the studio is big with lots of natural light.

They have hindu goddess statues and buddha statues on the window sills and batik/tye-dye wall hangings. Most classes played a meditative or world music style sound track. There are two bathrooms off of the studio space. They have tons of props. They lock the door to reception room when class starts, but there is a door that connects the hallways and bathrooms that is left open, so students come in as much as 15 minutes late and no one says anything.

Class Schedule: Their schedule looks full at first glance until I realized that the majority of the offerings are a gentle "embodyoga" or meditation. The gentle "embodyoga" classes use tons of props and are largely restorative in style. The parent-baby yoga class was nice, but I don't know why they bothered to use the gender neutral term "parent" as it was Extremely Birth Mother centric. (It's also offered at the exact same time as the free parent-baby yoga classes offered at the Amherst public library) Instructors: I was alarmed to be in classes with two different instructors who were touching students to correct poses without asking, or only asking After they had made a physical correction to their posture.

I submitted this feedback to the studio and got no response. In addition to never starting on time, the instructors were also constantly plugging their group trip to India, special clinics, all day weekend workshops or teacher trainings at the center. All instructors that I had appeared white, but at least there were no white dreadlocks that I saw. Students: In the gentle classes, at least half the students were in their 50-70's and in the vigorous classes, the at least half the students were either other center instructors or were participating in the center's teacher trainings. It would be generous to say there was one POC per class. I got through my last class by continually reminding myself that I would never be coming back.

Very nice studio and welcoming staff. I did a drop in class with Eric and it was the perfect remedy for my travel weary body and mind. All the mats and props are available. There is a cute coffee shop on the ground floor of the building and it's a great place for your significant other or friends to wait for you if they choose not to join you in class. I wanted to buy a hoodie after class but no one was there so if there is something you want to buy, do it before class.

Yoga Center Amherst (YCA) is a wonderful yoga studio! The space is beautiful, light, and spacious. The teachers are amazing. Patty and EmbodyYoga will transform the way you think about yoga, yourself, and the world. They have an extensive schedule with something for everyone. The YCA community is supportive, fun, and nice. Enjoy :)

The Yoga Center Amherst is one of those magical places that I am so glad I have in my life. The teachers are wonderful. The space is spectacular and full of sunlight. It's a place that knows what it is and is singular in its purpose: all yoga, all the time. But what strikes me about this place more than any other studio I've attended, is the community of people who call this place their yoga home. There is no pretension, no ego, just a pure thirst for teaching, sharing, and joint discovery.

Having taken classes at other studios in the area, I can say that YCA offers the best variety and most enriching experience. Their teachers are top-notch, and as a man who is new to yoga, I've loved learning at this center!