Almaden Yoga

I've been trying a bunch of the yoga studios in San Jose using various online deals (Groupon, Town Hog, Living Social, etc.) -- I bought the 10 classes for $20 deal for this location.

It's located in a pretty sad-looking plaza, but since it's not busy, parking was never an issue. The entrance to the plaza is actually located on Via Valiente, not Almaden.

The studio itself was pretty sad too. The lobby area is quite cramped and can be a little claustrophobic at the beginning and end of classes. They only have one yoga room -- hardwood floors, single-wall mirror, two doors, no windows.

Staff and instructors were pretty good though. Barbara, who teaches Medicine Yoga, was by far the best.

This review is based solely on their customer service.
I came into the studio to inquire about prenatal yoga class specifically (and making very clear I was interested in ONLY that class) the weekend before long weekend. They explained the class happens EVERY weekend - even if just 1 person may show. They described the class and offered me a 30 day trial for $30. So far so good.
I come in the long weekend and first thing they tell me class got canceled because of the long weekend. Okay I can understand that. I come back the second weekend after and they tell me they cancelled the prenatal class for good!!! Apparently that was decided a month earlier - so even before I came in the very first time! Who gives (a pregnant girl) the runaround like that??? Ridiculous!!!

3.5 stars...

Almaden yoga is a small, cozy yoga studio towards the southern part of San Jose... I actually stumbled upon its Livingsocial deal ($20 for 10 classes). So far, I've been going to the Vinyasa classes since my work schedule prevents me from attending anything else, and I'm way too chicken to try Acro yoga, as awesome as it sounds.

I'm used to going to huge yoga studios, so going to a smaller one like this is new to me. So there are some good/bad things about small studios.

The good: smaller class, easier parking, attentive instructors, clean
The not-so-good: limited space, not a lot of classes to take/variety, no locker room...

I guess it's a bummer I can only attend one class a week because of my schedule and I'm only interested in Vinyasa... also, the studio is a bit out of the way for me. If only it was next door to my house or work, I'd be here all the time!

Free Sunday classes!! Which was a great opportunity to drag my brother (a newbie to yoga) along.

I attended this studio for 1 month with a trubates coupon (otherwise I don't think I could afford it b/c yoga studios in general are pretty pricey) and I loved how many different yoga classes they offered.

They even offer a yoga course in which you work with a partner which I thought was very unique and fun. There is only 1 yoga room which is smaller than most yoga rooms I have been to but it is well kept and clean (though it can get stuffy in there when there's lots of people).

The instructors there are great!

I have only been here once, but my first experiences was very very pleasant. This is the first time ever in my life I have tried yoga. I bought a groupon on groupon.com through Meta Body Fitness, which included 5 classes at Almaden Yoga. The first time I came in I was greeted by the receptionist, she made me fill out some papers and I was all set. She sent me into the room.

I tried Flow yoga, my instructor was Noell. She's very nice and she helped me and corrected my poses when I was wrong. I was really really nervous trying out yoga for the first time but i'm glad my first experience was at Almaden Yoga! I will be back, but now since I start school I need to work around my school schedule in order to attend classes.

Such a pleasent experience.

Almaden Yoga is a friendly, unpretentious yoga studio that seems especially welcoming to newbies. Since it's much closer to my work than my usual studio (Breathe Los Gatos) and one of my favorite Breathe instructors Alex teaches at both, I tried their introductory offer of $30 for unlimited classes in a month. Sadly, the month coincided with some really hot, exhausting days of fieldwork, so despite best intentions, I only ended up making it to five classes. Still a great deal!

Almaden Yoga has two locations; this one is on Via Valiente in a dying strip mall. I got there early the first time I went to this studio and was dismayed that there wasn't even a cafe in the vicinity to hang out in until class started. The other one, located in the big shopping center on Almaden Expressway just off 85, is much livelier. Both studios are nice; the one at Via Valiente is narrow and long and has mirrors, while the Almaden one is a bigger room with mellow natural light. I love the way they sell affordable yoga mats and clothes (seriously, $10 yoga pants and tanks for the unprepared, instead of the $80 designer ones Breathe sells). You're also welcome to borrow a mat for free; I noticed a lot of people doing that. They wipe them down with alcohol wipes after class.

The classes were a bit of a mixed bag. I really enjoyed the flow classes with Kathryn (you can absolutely tell she did ballet for many years) and Anuja (who has a more hands-on approach in correcting your poses and encouraging you to find your personal limits). I didn't care as much for the hatha classes with Maria, who talks a bit too much about chakras and third eyes (how can I possibly focus my third eye on anything when I'm thinking about anatomical impossibility?) for my taste. The yin class was packed to the brim with people, and (this is not the fault of the instructor at all) I learned that I prefer classes that give me a workout.

Overall, the students seem to skew older and less experienced; there are definitely fewer Lululemon trophy wives than at Breathe. I think it would be a really great, non-intimidating place to start doing yoga. I do prefer my flying lotus and vinyasa beats classes at Breathe, though.

One quick note: if you're allergic to any essential oils, particularly lavender and peppermint, you might want to talk to the teacher beforehand, as they are sometimes used during savasana.

The last time I ever did yoga was when I took a class at a gym 3 years ago. Needless to say, I was really nervous about becoming a yogi, and that I would be an ugly duckling in a class full of beautiful yogi swans. I was completely and pleasantly wrong!

Almaden Yoga offers the nicest, sweetest, and most patient teachers. If there is a struggler, the teacher always comes by to help us out and talk us through fixing our poses.

Some of the more relaxing yoga classes such as yin, restorative, meridian, hatha, etc. are perfect for beginners. They focus on breathing and poses. My favorite, however, are yoga flow and yoga tone (have yet to try yogalates!). Those are the more intense classes that make you sweat bullets for an hour. I feel so much more awake and refreshed after these workouts. Don't be worried, at nearly every class, at whatever intensity level, there are always beginners and advanced students, so you're not alone! The beginners are there to learn poses with you and the advanced students are great as a model.


Here are my thoughts on the classes and teachers:

Flow w/ Trisha is a real workout. One of my friends said she probably teaches the most difficult flow class of the ones that they offer.

Flow w/ Wei. Wei is SO nice. She helps to correct your poses and demonstrates the correct alignment.

Gentle yoga w/ Maria is the most relaxing class I've been to. Her voice is soothing and all the moves help me to calm down and forget about the world!

Meridian yoga w/ Barbara was great. She tells you exactly what parts of the body are affected by the different moves. It was a very intimate class and she talks to each person individually and welcomes them. You don't need a mat for this class.

Yoga tone w/ Sarah is the best class! She teaches you handstands and shoulder stands and crow pose. It's so exciting and fun!

If you want a hard workout, try and find a yoga tone class with Maria Martinez. Her class killed me but the burn was oh so good. Hardest class I've ever taken here.


In case you're brand new, I'll break down the routine. You come into studio, sign in on a clipboard at the receptionists desk, leave all items, including shoes, cell phones, and bags, in the cubbies against the wall, take in your yoga mat once the previous class is done, grab a blanket and a block from the cabinets on the right once you walk in, and maybe a towel from the box on the left in case you sweat, and voila! The teacher might tell you to grab other materials such as a strap, small bolster, big bolster, sandbag, or they'll bring out things from the back closet.

The one-room studio is darkly lit and there is a mirror facing the yogis. It's not usually cramped. It's absolutely perfect for relaxing!

PS I don't think they offer online sign ups, so just come in 10-15 minutes before class to guarantee a spot.

I was excited when this place opened, since there aren't too many options for Yoga in the Almaden Valley, but I was kind of disappointed. Here's my take on the studio:

- It's nice that it's small, very quaint, but it becomes cramped for evening classes.

- Very few classes incorporate music into the routine and the air conditioning is usually off. Instead, the back door of the studio stays open, and because there isn't any music playing, the sound of traffic, phone ringing, receptionist chatter and people walking by (the studio is in a busy plaza) is distracting. The overall ambiance isn't very Yogi like

- The classes are a bit on the slower side, and unlike more meditative, relaxing Yoga classes the lack of attention to ambiance at this studio leaves you feeling like you want more -- i.e. it's never a full workout, nor is it set up to be as relaxing as it should be. So I wouldn't recommend this place for someone looking to do Yoga regularly.

- Reiterating what people have said already, the customer service can be difficult to deal with.

After practicing Yoga for 5 years, I'd say that unless you have no other access to Yoga, avoid this studio.

There are some really awesome Yoga studios and instructors at full service gyms in San Jose that have better quality classes, and far better studio organization. I'd suggest checking out other local gyms and studios before making any commitments to Almaden Yoga -- especially if you want to practice regularly or it's your first time doing Yoga.

It's crazy that I am going to 4 different yoga studios at the same time but I am going through a very difficult time in my life right now and yoga seems to be the only thing that relieves me of that stress. I have been to 3 classes here and I really liked it. I bought a Groupon deal and I am really glad I did!

The instructors are very knowledgeable. I am in no way advanced but they are really very encouraging to the point that I even attempted to perform the Birds of Paradise and the Crow pose. I've had very little success with both poses but this time, they taught me a few tricks that seemed to take me closer to my goal. So hopefully, before the end of 2011, I will be able to do both poses successfully:))

I also particularly enjoy the Meditation classes by Anuja on Friday nights. It is THE perfect way to end a very stressful week and to prepare myself for the weekend. The students who come here are very serious about their practice and I really like that. There is always an air of calmness in the room when I come in and that puts me at ease instantaneously. I want to try Hatha and the Yoga tone classes because those classes seem to be unique to the studio. So far, I really like this studio and I think I will keep coming....

Yoga at 6am - sounds horrid, and well yes getting out of bed is not easy, but by the time we get to 7:15am I'm buzzing from the yoga flow class and ready to meet the day - and I'm at work well before 8.

On the weekends for me, it's hatha yoga for a deeper stretch and strength - and gods do my thighs hate me for it! Heh. I keep telling them they'll appreciate it later, when we can be doing a chair pose and manage to lift one leg off the floor and then up to the toes with the other foot, but my thighs aren't listening to me right now. Ah well, they'll learn.

I'm super thrilled to have yoga so close to home - and classes early enough to do yoga before work on weekdays. The studio is fabulous: wooden floors, soft lighting, a wall of mirrors to help get alignment correct for the poses. They also have reasonably priced yoga clothing and mats/bags/etc for sale. The whole studio is clean and just feels wonderful to walk into. I felt welcome by the space, as well as the people, the first time I walked in (bleary eyed at 6am) and the more often I go, the more comfortable I feel.

And to top it off teachers are friendly and encouraging. And I just adore the owner, Anuja. She's friendly, funny, encouraging, full of enthusiasm - and has the most lovely voice. It makes the quiet portions of the practice easier, having her directing your relaxation and return to motion. She even appreciates laughter in class when she suggests we take a move to the next level and those of us who are having trouble holding the easier pose snicker at the idea of getting a foot off the floor or being able to reach all the way around with arms to grasp our hands together while doing a standing twist. ;)

That said, I can't wait until my muscles catch up with my enthusiasm and I'm able to manage four classes a week - right now every other day-ish is all my body will tolerate.