Ashland Yoga Center

As a restorative yoga instructor visiting Ashland, I signed up for a restorative yoga workshop with Natalie Stawsky (studio owner and instructor) for 5/27/2019. I showed up for the course, which was a 2.5 hour session from a 2 day workshop and was excited about learning more skills to share with my clients.

I showed up for the training and Natalie assessed my current physical limitations (I had a hip and back injury, that's why I learned and have taught Restorative Yoga for Better Backs). Natalie said we would by lying on the floor for much of the class; lying on the floor with a "prop recliner" was very painful. Basically, your sacrum and low back are curved and have contact with a very hard floor. A posture harmful for someone with an injured back. After about 10 minutes into the class, she was trying to figure out how to instruct me during her already in session class; turns out this was a poor idea to offer a component add-on class during a weekend workshop. I didn't know her teaching style, so I just signed up for the 2.5 hour class instead of the full weekend course.

Natalie informed me the class wasn't a good fit for me, she could not accommodate training me; this was because the session was only part of a 2 day workshop for instructors for which she was already in session for most of that day -- it would be disruptive for me to stay.

When I agreed with her assessments, she said in front of the class "I will refund your money." It was a simple interaction, very fair, I paid for a service she could not provide. Seemed simple. I sent her a confirming email after I left the class, because she did not provide a receipt, she simply said once the class is finished, I'll issue a refund.

However, late that night I received an email from her in response to my confirmation email about the refund, she said she decided I would only receive a store credit. The problem is I live 475 miles away. AND this was not our agreement. I agreed to withdraw and leave the class upon her recommendation and agreement to the refund. Thus a dispute ensued.

Fortunately I charged it, so I contacted my credit card company and the dispute boils down to: I paid for a service for which the merchant could not provide. AYC's response to my credit card company confirmed I showed up for the class, but they claimed a cancellation. Interesting. Why would a student pay for a class, show up, then leave? I was on vacation looking forward to the session. I did not cancel. I showed up and was ready and willing to receive the service paid for. This is dishonest and violated our oral agreement, which formed a binding contract. Be aware this is not the Ashland Yoga Center of past, which had an impeccable reputation and owned by a different person. BEWARE!!!

I go to the A Street studio for restorative yoga on Tuesdays and Fridays and couldn't be happier there. Phaedra is skilled and attentive to everyone's individual issues and needs, the props are perfect, the music soothing, and the 75 minutes simply fly by. The studio is beautifully maintained and the services both top notch and professional. I'm so happy to have found my way here!

I really wanted to like this place! The facilities were nice and the class, full, but the instructor was just not very skilled. It was supposed to be a flow class. I've taken a lot of yoga classes in a lot of places and there just wasn't much flow happening. The class was disjointed with unusual poses. I'm totally open to learning new poses but the descriptions were unclear and the instructor was usually just talking and not demonstrating so I sometimes just ended up guessing at what it was we were supposed to be doing...

Traveling through from Seattle to San Francisco I spent the night in Ashland and decided a morning Vinyasa class was what I needed.

I showed up at 7 AM for the 7:15 class listed on their website and printed schedule. I waited until 7:30 and no teacher ever showed up. Two other students showed up and also gave up after waiting.

Perhaps their classes are good, but I guess I'll never know.

If there is only one reason for me to love Ashland it is this place. Sliding scale classes ($8-$12), a schedule with enough variety to find a class almost any day of the week to make yoga during vacation time totally possible. The space is large and allows for a lot of people without feeling tight. The two instructors (Vanessa and Marion) I had were both very good at explaining the positions I was unfamiliar with, and also both walked around and offered pointers which made me feel good about doing the positions properly. I wish my city had a yoga center like this.

Ashland Yoga is by far the best studio ever! Kind, wise and challenging instructors with compassionate hearts, a beautiful, quiet space and lots of different styles offered - this place rocks! I, like the other reviewer, am from Oakland, city of haughty and snobby yoga. Well, I spent the summer in Ashland and discovered a love for this art that I knew I had, but no instructors/studios had manifested it! - this place made my summer one of relaxation and learning...thanks to all at Ashland Yoga Center! I'll be back next year!

So far my favorite yoga in Ashland, although in all fairness I haven't tried all of the yoga studios out. Any class you can take from Paige will be epic. Her sense of knowing what the vibe of the class is, is uncanny. I gave it 4 stars because sometimes it's stuffy due to improper ventilation. But do check it out for yourself!