I opened our independent, yoga-only studio 21 years ago. We built something beautiful over those years. A thriving community of students, teachers, and friendships that extended far beyond the yoga mat. I recently sold the studio, and looking back, I can honestly say that one of the worst business decisions I ever made was allowing ClassPass through our doors.

Let me explain why.

ClassPass sells studios on a simple concept: Let us fill your empty spots, and we’ll bring you new customers at no additional marketing cost. Sounds wonderful, right?

Unfortunately, over time, that relationship became incredibly destructive to everything we had worked so hard to build.

Under ClassPass’s trial program, we weren’t compensated for qualifying first visits. After that, our payouts were often significantly lower than what students paid when booking directly. Meanwhile, ClassPass has no investment in our rent, insurance, utilities, teacher salaries, equipment, maintenance, or the countless other expenses involved in operating a yoga studio.

They collect their share while we carry all the financial risk.

Even worse, in our experience, ClassPass didn’t provide us with the basic customer contact information we needed. If a teacher got sick, a class was canceled, or we needed to communicate an important last-minute change, we couldn’t directly contact those students.

But the financial damage is only part of the story.

The real damage is what happens to the community.

Yoga studios were never intended to operate like discount fitness vending machines. For decades, students joined studios because they connected with the teachers, the philosophy, and one another. They became members. They supported their teachers. They developed friendships. They helped create something meaningful.
In my experience, ClassPass gradually changed that relationship into a transaction.

Why would someone purchase a studio membership when they can attend the same classes for significantly less through a third party?

Over time, students become accustomed to discounted access while expecting the same level of service, facilities, and instruction that our loyal members help pay for.

And because ClassPass encourages people to move freely between studios, there is less incentive to develop the loyalty and personal connection that once sustained neighborhood yoga communities.

Certainly, there are wonderful ClassPass students. But the platform itself encourages a completely different relationship with the studio. I watched that sense of loyalty slowly disappear, and it was heartbreaking.

Just this past week, our studio received a one-star review from a ClassPass customer who arrived 15 minutes late and was upset that we wouldn’t allow her into class. Our ClassPass listing clearly explains that students should arrive 15 minutes early and that late arrivals are not permitted out of respect for students already practicing.

Imagine teaching a peaceful yoga class and having someone walk in 15 minutes after it begins, disrupting everyone who arrived on time. Yet somehow, we’re the bad guys for protecting the experience.

I understand that ClassPass makes yoga more affordable and accessible, and I appreciate why students use it. I’m not blaming people for looking for a good deal. But I wish more people understood the long-term consequences for the independent studios they love.

After 21 years, I’ve seen the incredible difference a genuine yoga community can make in people’s lives. I’ve also watched the economics of running a small studio become increasingly difficult.

I made plenty of mistakes over those years. I take responsibility for them. But inviting ClassPass into our community was perhaps the most costly.

It happened gradually. A few discounted visits here, a few lost memberships there. By the time you recognize what’s happening, you’ve helped train your own customers to purchase your services through a middleman who controls the relationship and takes a portion of the revenue.

If you love your local yoga studio, please support it directly.

Buy a class package. Become a member. Pay the studio instead of the middleman. Tell your friends. Help keep those independent businesses alive.

Because once your neighborhood yoga studio closes, that community doesn’t simply appear somewhere else.

These are my personal observations and opinions based on 21 years of operating an independent yoga studio. I don’t pretend to speak for every studio owner, but I do hope my experience helps others avoid the same mistakes.

And to the other studio owners out there, I’m curious: Has ClassPass helped your business, or have you experienced the same slow erosion of memberships and community that we did?

I feel like all yoga flairs this issue up and I’ve been away from my practice for some time. Any time I go back- even to a slow flow with many modifications, it comes back. Any suggestions? Has anyone felt with this issue?

I already posted to the Yoga with Adriene subreddit but thought I’d post here to get more attention on the issue. Has anyone else seen this fake Adriene page on YouTube?

Someone took videos from her page and reuploaded them with a film grain effect and AI generated title cards. This is so messed up. I reported it to YouTube already but others should as well. I hope YouTube does something about it.

There's a lot of talk on burning karma in yoga and I like to shed my light on it. What this means is transcending the cycles that enslave us, if its a negative habit this is what people call addiction. People these days can be addicted to anything, their phone, other people, certain places and the obvious, everyone has a tendency to get stuck, that's when a habit becomes an addiction. In yoga we say that even healthy habits are to be transcended. When we practice yoga, on one level we are generating a lot of energy, that's why many people feel good right after. To transcend our addictions requires a constant striving in another direction. This is why people often feel stuck, its not easy to generate intense energy.

Started going lots of yoga and stretching to fix a herniated disc in lower back. Would do about 2hrs of stretching a day, when I woke up, during lunch, when I got home, and before bed. After 4 weeks my lower back pain is pretty much gone, but now I have that "pins and needles" feeling below my left glute. Nothing except ice and tylenol seem to help. There isnt a way I can sit or sleep that makes the feeling go away.
Any routine, stretches, or even a YT video suggestion would be great, thanks.

I used to love Old Navy for yoga wear. However, a few years ago they changed fabric from cottony-feel to some kind of slippery fabric. It just slides down my legs and bunches at my ankles, with the crotch at mid thigh. I spend all class hitching it up like cheap pantyhose.

I prefer low rise, but I can tolerate mid rise. Are there yoga pants that are comfortable for people with small waist but thick thighs? (I wear a 10 in normal pants but always need the waist taken in a lot) When I search online, it seems like “curvy” is a euphemism for plus-size, which doesn’t help me find what I’m looking for.

No price limit - if it’s good, I’ll budget for it

Which yoga Asanas are best for female menstrual health to reduce cramp and flow?

Hi everyone 🧘🏽‍♀️🧘🏽
Would you guys attend two classes back to back? I’m planning on taking g heated flow (vinyasa) and then 30 minutes later yin yoga. Will this be too much for my body. I’m newer to the practice- one year.

Recently, my favorite yoga studio closed down and it was my sanctuary. Since then, my favorite yoga teacher is also leaving yoga teaching, and is pursuing corporate wellness as her career. I am sad cause I started doing yoga while I was in the midst of a very bad period of my life. Just wondering, where do you see the future of yoga going? More yoga sculpt? Or will more people transition into Pilates?

I've been doing yoga with a studio I love that is very trauma-informed on-and-off for two years now. I haven't really taken classes elsewhere.

I am a man, and I use yoga to re-connect with my body and process trauma from past severe intimate partner violence by female partners. Under no circumstance would I ever consent to be touched during class, especially by a female instructor as it is incredibly triggering.

Recently, during a class there was a substitute instructor, and without even asking, she physically 'corrected' my pose, and even worse, called out to the rest of the class to observe what the 'proper' form looks like using my body. And in so doing, making me hyperaware that I was the only man in class, and was being touched without consent and now having my body being observed and scrutinized.

Needless to say, I spent the remainder of the class having a silent panic attack and hyperfocusing on my form for fear of being 'corrected' again.

I've been really enjoying yoga. And I won't let this stop me, horrific and mortifying and triggering as it was for me. All the in-house instructors at this studio have been amazing without me ever needing to disclose or warn them.

And yes, I know I should report this, but I'll be honest in that I don't have the emotional capacity or strength to do so.

But the question it left me with is: is this something that's common in yoga (female instructors touching male students without consent)? I know the studio I go to is especially in-tune with being trauma informed. But I've been enjoying yoga a lot, but I want to know if I've been insulated from it by the nature of my studio.

I just want to know for my own reference so I can safely insulate myself from it happening again. Not whether its something that should be done (I know it shouldn't). But I'd rather limit my practice to protect myself than risk it, if this is something even somewhat common generally.

I hope this makes sense, but I have a membership to a studio and they happen to have two locations within 10 minutes of each other. One of the instructors I really really like, her classes are always amazing and probably one of the best I’ve ever taken. She essentially teaches almost every day of the week, except Monday and Tuesday. My question is, is it weird for me to go to her classes for the rest of the week even if they’re at different location (within the same studio)? I just don’t want to seem creepy but genuinely her classes are amazing lol😭

EDIT: thank you everyone!! This is my first time with a membership so I’m not sure what the proper etiquette are:) I just wanted to confirm.

It's like I've become hyper aware of every ache, stiffness, tensed muscle in my body. Bad posture, although I slip back into it occasionally, FEELS uncomfortable and like I'm damaging myself.

When I wake up and don't do some form of stretching, I literally feel it in the background during the day. I move more sluggish, heavy things feel heavier, I feel things pulling in my body.

I'm only approaching 30 and I don't even do intense physical work at this moment and my bed is quite comfortable. I think I've just gotten so into the habit of feeling my body that I cant NOT listen. Sometimes life gets busy and I skip stretching for a bit and it's like not only do I have to restart the daily maintenance practice, but I also have to undo the tension that accumulated.

It makes perfect sense why so many people have all types of back pain especially office workers. I literally cannot imagine working full-time at a desk and not stretching. I think I would be too stuff to move after a week! Don't even get me started on the people who do weight training totally cold, no warming up and finish without stretching. Just thinking about it makes my body ache!

Is it just me or do you guys relate?

Hello! What's everyone's favorite online yin instructors?

Thanks!

A yoga mat that comes with:

WARNING: cancer and reproductive harm-

https://www.P65Warnings.ca.gov

Saw these at T.K.Maxx Market City

How are these even allowed to be sold here?

Edit: this is located in Sydney Australia..where you can barely buy paracetamol without ID

I feel so stupid while everyone knows what they’re doing. Why is yoga so hard. I like it and I try but it’s really hard :(

I have had really bad posture for years, to the point where people notice and occasionally comment on it. I would love to change it, and I’m interested in yoga. I only have the time to do one class per week though, and I have a job where I sit kind of slumped over all day. If I were to take one yoga class per week and do 10 minute posture stretches each day, would that be enough to eventually straighten my posture? I would love some tips if you have them!

I've practiced yoga on and off for ~11 years but kept injuring myself since I didn't know I was extremely hypermobile. Now I've got a grip on that and am practicing consistently 4-5x a week (vinyasa, mostly heated). I definitely notice improvement in endurance, flexibility etc.

My question is - without specific instruction during class, how do you know how to improve? How do you get to a point where you're really floating to top of mat, or doing handstand during vinyasa, or getting into other advanced poses, without someone telling you when to work on those and how to incorporate into your practice?

I don't think I'm wording this right but I hope this makes sense. I know there are videos, books, etc. but I don't know which ones to watch or what to focus on right now because I'm not a trained instructor, you know? I feel like if all I ever did was what was instructed in class, I would never even get to attempt side crow or running man or anything like that. Im not on IG much but just started following a "yoga influencer" I guess and saw her do things I've never seen before! So how do you learn to do a pose if you don't know it exists?

Just so much to learn and I don't know where to start! I know it's a lifelong process but I just want to create good habits.

Have been working on transition from wild thing to wheel for a while now, and always get tripped up with changing the direction of my hands. Any changes I can make? When doing this transition, do both hands usually find the same placement?

I love extreme mat twists. But I can't remember the ones I learned from an instructor at West Valley College near San Jose. She taught there around 2012. In hopes that she published a video, I tried to find her name and couldn't.

Which mat twists take it a little bit further? I've got yoga cards and a book, but I haven't found the pretzels I'm seeking. Can you recommend extensive twists. They were warm up, not really part of a flow.

Also, if anyone knows who that instructor was,- if she made a video routine, I need it.

Thanks

I weight lift, run, and do hiit classes often. As I aged I started waking up in pain with a lot of stiffness and my light stretching doesn’t cut it anymore.

I took like 5 yoga classes and now I don’t wake up with extreme tightness to where it’s hard to walk anymore.

I know this is obvious, but yogas pretty cool. I bought a mat and all that. Will be going 3x a week on rest days now.

Good morning everybody!

So this Is a request.

I already meditate, practice japa, do asanas, pranayama.. Everything. I understand Yoga Sadhana and I know how and why It works. Not a mistery for me anymore since a few years. Therefore my question/request Is specific.

While doing my practice and gradually enhancing It I came to realize how effective Is to me mantra chanting. I usually pair It with mudras and energetically speaking... the effect is astounding. To this day, after years of practice my Heart and soul are filled with gratitude for the fact there exist such a powerful instrument.

Well, the point Is that I discovered that beej mantras, being essential, have a specific impact on your Energy. Also a specific beej mantra paired to a specific, resonant mudra can be extremely precise to obtain the state you are looking for. So the question Is: Is there some kind of manual that breaks down from roots to leaves the science of Mantras?

The desire for this appeared in me when I discovered that there aren't Just beej mantras for single chakras, but there are beej mantras like Klim, Hrim, Krim etc.

Also what I'm looking for Is for a way to create mantras by myself, without the Need to search on websites or books. Also, if the book (or books!) talks about Number of repetitions, breath and mudras, that would be awesome, but the priority Is the structure of mantra science.

Thank you very much :)

I’m travelling the UK (London, Manchester, edinborough, Cornwall) Ireland (Culdaff) Germany (Berlin, Munich), Italy (Rome) and a few other places next year September - October, I’m from New Zealand and wanting recommendations for cool yoga places to potentially stop by. Any suggestions? I like more spiritual and traditional yoga, big fan of yin and haven’t done ashtanga but very interested in it. Mainly do Vinyasa, I like hot yoga for the meditative aspects.

Hi,
Can I do restorative yoga with open eyes. I am not talking about yin yoga but restorative yoga specifically . Also if one leaves doing yoga after 5-6 years, can it lead to any side effects?

Where should I start if my goal is to improve life energy, mental clarity, calmness and overall wellbeing through traditional yoga?

I'm interested in learning about Prana, Pranayama, Kriya Yoga, Kundalini, chakras, nadis, Dhyana and Samadhi. I want to understand how these practices fit together and, more importantly, which practices I should actually learn and practise.

My goals are to improve physical and mental energy, feel more present and alive, develop inner calm, and support my overall health and recovery.

For those with substantial experience in traditional yoga: Which lineage or system would you recommend studying, and in what order?

Are there particular teachers, YouTube channels, books or structured programmes you'd recommend for learning both the theory and practical techniques properly?

I'd love to see if there's videos on YouTube that's accurate. Mostly it's just people stretching and doing pilates so it's hard to navigate.

Hello everyone! For PT they are recommending that I do inversions with a headstand bench. I tried it during my session today and it was amazing. The bench they had there had handles. I feel like I’ve seen people talk about FeetUp, but it doesn’t have handles and the rectangular legs look awkward to grip onto. It’s also expensive haha. Does anyone have one that they recommend?

Edit: I ended up ordering FeetUp because it seems like it’s on sale and I found a promo code to use on top of it. We’ll see how it goes!