Best Yoga Retreat Center Ann Arbor Near Me

Jessie Courtney: I have been practicing yoga with Christi for over 13 years & I can say that I have learned more abt yoga & grown more as a human in that time period than I ever would have imagined. The studio is small & lends to a more private, personal, & community feel. Christy provides direct/gentle feedback & always guides the class based on a new theme each session. If you’re looking for pure yoga philosophy without the trendy yoga frills so common today, look no further!Namaste 🙏🏼

Kellie Mox Richards: I love so much about The Yoga Room. I've been attending classes for multiple years, and I expect that I will continue for many more. Christy's attention to mindfulness is something I particularly appreciate and her style that incorporates teaching students about yoga principles in practice reinforces the instruction. The best yoga classes I've taken, and I've taken many!

Kati Stoermer: I've been regularly attending classes at The Yoga Room for over a year. The offerings are well beyond just a physical yoga class, but gets at the philosophy as well. Instruction is clear during class, and the small class size allows for a personal touch and opportunity to ask questions. A great place for yoga, or a community if you are interested in more!

Dani Koel: Clear instruction, peaceful environment, and consistently excellent classes. Highly recommend!

Elaine Neelands: Christy is a skilled instructor. Her classes are small so she is able to focus on each student and assist them as needed. She makes you feel comfortable no matter what your ability or skill level, if you are a novice or have taken yoga for years. The Yoga Room is located in a beautiful, tranquil setting. The hour I am doing yoga, I feel like I am far away from everything. I inevitably leave in a better state of mind than when I entered.

Sadie Wutka: Christy's are the only yoga classes I've stuck with. They are fantastic. In her Vinyasa class, each week has a different focus and a different flow/routine. It keeps me engaged week after week. I love the personal attention and Christy's teaching style, which recognizes that everyone comes to class with a different intention. Oh, and the studio is GORGEOUS.

Donna McCauley: I have been practicing yoga with Christy for ten years now and she is the best. She offers a variety of classes to suit most anyone's need and/or schedule. I truly can't imagine going anywhere else!

Kelly Russell: I've been attending classes at the Yoga Room for over three years, and I can say with confidence that this is the best yoga studio I've practiced at, in Ann Arbor and elsewhere. Christy is a wonderful instructor. Thanks to her, I've become stronger, more flexible, and more mindful, both on and off the mat. Christy is kind, supportive, and knowledgeable. She challenges me to deepen my practice, but only at my own pace. And her new studio on Honey Creek Drive is such a calming space -- it's the perfect retreat from the hustle and bustle of the university community.

Margary Cerezo: Christy's gentle instructions walk you through a routine with ease even if it is your first class. The low lights and intimate setting make it all about you and your practice and encourage you to focus on yourself, not your surroundings, and work at your own pace.I love what the Hatha classes at the Yoga Room have done for me since I started in early 2013. In the past I tried Pilates, Crossfit, Personal Trainers, Walking, Ellipticals... and I have never had the same results and transformation I have seen in my body in the past months.

Jennifer Mitchell: I have been attending classes at the Yoga Room for just over a year now. This is my favorite yoga studio in Ann Arbor. The comfort I feel here has allowed me to grow so much in my own yoga practice. I am also current student of Christy's Yoga Immersion Program. Her guidance provides me with the perfect balance of honoring my own (beginner) pace while challenging me to expand.

Robert: I had a great experience here. I attended a Level I class, and found the instruction very thorough, detailed, and specific about how to get in, stay in, and get out of poses. The method uses props to support poses. With instruction I was able to get into some of the people-pleasing inversion poses (shoulder stand), with props. Above all, I felt the teaching was controlled and the learning was safe. I have done yoga for many years, and in other studios with less attention and focus on method injured myself. This felt more like a learning experience than an aggressive or intense fitness class. After the class I felt great. The studio was very clean, and luxuriously appointed. The wall ropes system was elegant. I look forward to using them in another class. Love ropes... don’t know if the are used for Level 1 here or not. The teacher has been doing and teaching yoga for decades, and is a warm, approachable, skilled teacher. The vibe of the studio was friendly school with a sense of community.

Alanah Haskin: Highly recommend this studio. Laurie's years of experience show when she is teaching. Becca and Dave are awesome as well! All teachers can lead small classes and with equal competency handle larger classes. Anyone looking to learn yoga and see good results in their practice should come to this studio.

Elena Ermak: I have been studying yoga with Laurie Blakeney for almost two decades. Laurie never stops surprising her students with her creativity, expertise, and uniqueness. We are truly blessed to have such a gem here in Ann Arbor!

Trudi Levine: I come from NYC and was in the changing room at the Iyengar institute and said I was coming to Ann Arbor...Immediately someone said I HAD to go one of Laurie's classes....Great recommendation as Laurie is a wonderful Iyengar teacher who designs each class purposefully and is attentive to all participants to assure proper alignment . I will go whenever I am in town and our schedules mesh.

Dunrie Greiling: Laurie is a wonderfully clear and precise teacher. She sets an example of studentship by traveling to India annually to study (usually the month of December).Her studio is well-equipped and clean. You do not bring your own props.She has improved my practice and my life.

Kathryn Leech: Laurie offers wonderful instruction for new and experienced students. Her knowledge of yoga practice and teaching is already extraordinary but she never stops learning. (She studies for a month with the Iyengar family in India every year and when she returns she has even more to offer than before she left.)Iyengar yoga is precise and detailed but Laurie doesn’t overwhelm us with too much at once. She realizes that each of us experiences the poses in our unique ways. Instead of having us only *do* the poses, she helps us focus our minds on what is happening with us individually as we experience them. We often repeat the same pose multiple times in class. For the first few times she directs our attention to various aspects of the pose. But then she asks us to concentrate on an aspect of our choice, often asking the class to state examples of what those aspects might be. In this way, she teaches us to direct our own practices. If you want to practice yoga every day, including at home, her class is a marvelous jumping-off point.She never gives exactly the same class twice because she teaches the students who are in front of her right then, with all of our varied needs. However, she gives each week a distinct focus so any class that you attend that week will have that focus.If you are curious about what yoga is, and want to try it, or if you already know something and want to know more, or if you already know a lot and want to go deeper – this is the place to be.

Michal samuel: The best yoga teacher in town.Very experienced, knowledgeable, creative. No two classes are alike. Real master in adjusting the class and the asanas to her students abilities and challenges.Somewhat strict.Get over it if you really want to practice yoga in depth.

Ben Geiger: Highly quality products. Highly recommend this establishment ❣ °}~'

Charles Keehl: EMERGANCY ROO. WAS SUPER BUSY YET THEY TOOK EACH PERSON AND PAICENTLY LISTENED TO THEIR PROBLEM AND MOVE FORWARD

Pink Rose: Omg. The service is phenomenal. This place also has flower like no other. The way the flowers breaks down is incredibly appealing to me. Lots of crystals and orange hairs on the flowers. They used to sell this lemonade that was pretty dank. But they stopped selling it. Hard to get ahold of apparently with the new laws. But the flower on the other hand is incredible and way better than anything else.

SuzAnne Williams: Very clean store, staff are very educated and polite. Excellent selection of products and top quality.

Ben Graham: Cozy studio. Took a class with Carla - so authentically loving and wise. Magical space. Great flow paired with out of this world singing bowl bath. Highly recommend!

Eric Cooper: Update: I am stepping so much more fully into my own light with the guidance and inspiration that Carla has given me. I have been inspired to build my dream, and that is what I am doing. I have overcome every obstacle so far. Very inspired. Thank you, Carla!Original review:Carla Samson is a shining light. She helped me to clearly see my mission in life. And find a gentle strength I had lost.I had let my fitness diminish over the past few years and I was feeling a bit stuck in life, at a big crossroads. I signed up for a 9 morning class, learning The Samson System. We met at a sheltered area in a local park. Talked, learned, and shared for the first half of class. Then, onward to a spirited movement on a path through the woods. Coming back for a closing ceremony at the end of each class. She made it play. Not a workout, a play-out! My heart feels strong again.She guided me to new awareness of my relationships with big aspects of life such as: health, family, work, connectedness and loyalty. We looked a lot at how we hold some things as work and others as play. By week 8 my whole life is alive and transformed, re-invigorated.My 8 sessions (so far) have been truly transformational. I am not saying that lightly. This is not yoga as your conceptions hold it. This is what you have been seeking, A true growth experience, guided by a loving, caring person who knows how to lead you where you need to go.I also did a One-on-One private mentoring session where she enabled me to see my path clearly. I know my path now. I strongly recommend a private mentoring session with her.Her inner beauty eclipses her outer beauty. She has done her own deep inner work. She is clear, and she did not project her issues onto the participants in the program.You've got to experience your own energy that you will feel when inspired by Carla. Wow!

Brandon Newell: I'm pretty new to yoga. I've done some free classes in the UofM big house, a couple of the local ashtanga/vinyasa spots, some of the fitness yoga classes at CCRB and Lifetime fitness. None of those experiences compares to Align Divine. My first class was with a friend who invited me to go to the Sunday Elemental session, that is the class I would recommend if you want to check out the studio for the first time. It was more than just a workout, Carla and the other Instructors guide you in disconnecting from the world outside of that moment. As a science nerd and someone who doesn't give much thought to emotional and spiritual aspects of life, I lack the language to adequately describe the atmosphere. My best attempt is to say that there is a sort of meditative component to the practice, and an emphasis on mindfulness and intentionality. The intensity is very good, instructors offer multiple variations and seem to really adjust the class to the level of the people attending. After a few sessions I was hooked, and decided make Align divine part of my routine several days a week. It's been very good for both my mental and physical health. I highly recommend for anyone looking for a good fitness practice and more.

Matthew Bussey: This is the best yoga in town, bar none. I used to see yoga as "just stretching" or maybe as a good workout or possibly as a type of retreat from life. Yoga at Align Divine is all of these things but it's more than that ... quite a bit more. It's healing, it's spiritual, and it's invigorating. Being there is a much deeper experience that I was used to at other yoga places. So much so that it's completely redefined for me what yoga actually is.

Billie Wahlen: Such a beautiful space filled with love and light!