10/17/09

All looks, no substance!

by Number44

I too took a Yoga Teacher Training at Exhale and found the whole experience frustrating and lacked any real substance. All the people who conduct YTT here have worked to make a name for themselves. These "Yoga Stars" seem to think being in their mere presence is enough to take the fees they charges. Heaven forbid you actually ask a question that conflicts with something they have done or said and be prepared to be made the one at fault. I used to be a member at this studio but cancelled my membership due to the way the studio is fun and the sense of real hypocrisy that prevails. All the great teachers mentioned above all teach at other private studios and I would find them elsewhere. None of the so called famous teachers here, with the exception of Seane Corn, offered anything beyond their own limited sense of the way they view the world. Most of their classes are like "Simon Says" as there are so many crammed in the room you are lucky not to get kicked in the face. The vibe here just odd, the studios is owned by a big corp, all the employees are drones, everyone who goes there has the $300. yoga outfit on trying to look as eco-chic as possible, they listen with rapt attention to the "Yoga Stars" but you would be hard pressed to actually feel any real warmth or Sangha here.

• Pros: Brad, Steven, Brian teachers
• Cons: Too many "Yoga Star" teachers with egos!

04/14/08

Intensive Teacher Training with Shiva Rea

by PhDinLA

Shiva?s Yoga Shakti DVD is one that I?ve enjoyed for years. So when I found out I could do an intensive teacher training with Shiva, I signed up. Bad choice.

Exhale was filled to capacity elevating the daily room temperature to upwards of 95 degrees. AC was forbidden. I was told after my third day of headaches to get electrolytes to add to my water, which did help, but I did not appreciate being crammed into a room with no air, people sweating on me, and growing a new appreciation for claustrophobia during last summer?s heat wave.

When we were not crammed into the sweatbox, we worked outside in the blistering sun in the public park nearby cheerfully dubbed ?The Grassy Knoll? to practice poses that were never explained to us save for the best part of the workshop: the spiral bound books that included photos and helpful body cues for poses. The teacher training neither gives the students a basis for understanding body mechanics in poses nor offers augmentations for bodies with limited mobility. You DO get taught Shiva?s way of sequencing a class.

Communication is the worst part of how Shiva and her staff operate. I paid $108 for a mentor whose duty it is to check in with me; this has yet to happen in spite of my making several attempts and we?re now going on 8 months. The education coordinator takes over a month to get back to me regarding anything. An example, I submitted my final test a month ago, I have not received my certification of completion nor feedback. Shiva emailed me in February to ask if she could phone me, I affirmed and have yet to receive a phone call - it's April.

If you are looking for a comprehensive yoga teacher training program, enjoy personal attention, desire a foundation of body mechanics and understanding goals of poses, need room to grow in and out of the education setting, require clear support in your learning process, and expect efficient business practices ? do not go to Shiva Rea for your teacher training.

• Pros: 21 days to spend away from home to earn teaching certification is compact
• Cons: bad business practices, you pay for mentoring you don't recieve, little to no personal attention from Shiva

05/16/07

Awesome!

by 1girl2girl

Want to be surrounded by good karma? Exhale is not only in Venice, but in Santa Monica too. The staff is super cool and friendly and ZEN. The healing waters are a great place to unwind after working your core or channeling your breath.

• Pros: What is not to love?
• Cons: It'll cost you...expensive