Five Stars on Yelp!

• Review from Patricia M…

  

  7/22/2012

  BCY has been open for 7 classes and so far I have been lucky to attend 6 of them.  The verdict?  Attend class as often as you can.  Why?  Read on.
  BCY offers you:

  1) Schedule consistency.  You can add it into your day, sure of the fact that the class happens at the same time, every day, monday through friday. This is a huge point from me, coming from a home studio that thrived on consistency in many ways.  It’s been interesting to not see that attention to detail in the triangle until now.

  2) The entry space is bright, cheerful, open, clean and inviting.  Payment methods are displayed on the front desk, easy to see.  Payment amount is also displayed and easy to understand. Waivers are easily found as is the sign-in sheet.  The yoga room is clean and inviting and is equipped with colorful mats, towels, eye-pillows and blocks, all free to use.  It is also wonderfully dark come savasana.

  3) Each class begins and ends with a vibrating and satisfying OM (again, consistency) .

  4) The pace of the class is exactly to my liking.  We move, we sweat, we breathe, rhythmically and repeatedly with an appropriate amount of time given for breaks.  Each class has a familiarity to it (consistency?).  The instructor keeps key elements alive in each class she teaches and is true to what she knows a power yoga class needs to be.  And finally…

  5) Instructor and owner, Ali Hinks.  Ali is friendly, alert, open to chat with you about your day, your yoga background, what you need or don’t like in your practice.  Her confident voice and her ability to give cues that resonate with the room really make you think of your body in different ways that promote awareness to smaller spots.  What I said earlier about appropriate time given for breaks?  Well, Ali believes that breaks are great, so if you want to be down in childs pose for the entire class, she will applaud you.  I know this because I’ve spent some time in balasana in the last six classes.  I’ve laughed when I’m in the middle of half-moon and actually plastered a big smile on my face in side-plank because i really was having so much fun.

  Confessions of a yoga nerd? I think its more like, feeling good in a yoga practice because of a great instructor who really cares about the students and really wants them to have a great yoga experience, even if they are brand new to the practice or want spend the entire time lying down. Three cheers for Ali.  Durham is happy that you and BCY are here to stay.

• Review from Kate T…

  

  7/19/2012

  Ali is a great instructor who calls a rewarding, challenging class. I’ve taken with her in other locations and always feel like I got a great workout and a real release. I like that she takes care to stress that you don’t have to do everything she says, or you can find a safe pose and wait out a bad moment or a sequence that doesn’t work for you.

  The studio space downtown is comfortable and can be made pretty dark at the end of the class, which I find restful. There’s also lots of room to lounge in the waiting area. I recommend Ali no matter where she teaches and now that she has a home in downtown Durham, I’ll be going back often.

• Review from Ross T…

  

  7/13/2012

  When I found out that Alison Hinks was opening her own studio in downtown Durham, I knew I wanted to be there for the first class, which was last night. Right now the class lineup is power flow only, which suits me just fine. She has taught in several locations around the Triangle and I’ve attended many of her power flow classes in the past, so I knew what to expect and she did not disappoint. Some sweating from the students, plenty of options and encouraging words from the teacher and a good amount of laughter all around.

  Parking was easier than I expected since, as the web site points out, there is a parking deck right next to the building that doesn’t charge in the evenings. Once inside the main entrance of the building, I was directed down the hall to the back of the building and up the stairs to the third floor, where the studio is located. It’s a beautiful space with old hardwood floors and high ceilings. I used one of the two bathrooms as a changing room since I headed over straight from work; everything is clean and well-lit. The studio is totally enclosed (no windows) and very quiet, which kept me focused and made for a great shavasana.

  Ali’s charm and teaching style, not to mention the amazing space at BCY, will definitely keep me coming back.