Park Hill Yoga

Park Hill yoga is wonderful. Deborah teaches Iyengar yoga which is by far the best kind of yoga you can do. She’s an amazing, long-​time instructor who will give you much individual attention based on your body’s issues. It’s like having physical therapy.

Deborah has worked with my teenager to help relieve stress and depression. The reports I’ve heard is that it works! Deborah is the equivalent of a PhD in Iyengar Yoga. If you want the best, from the best, in a beautiful studio… study with Park Hill Yoga.

I have gone to other yoga classes around town and still have never found a teacher as gifted and knowledgeable as Deb Baker at Park Hill Yoga. She has an uncanny ability to find the slight adjustment you need to find relief, alignment and peace in a pose. She studies in India nearly every summer, and her wisdom about the body, about healing is like no one else I’ve ever worked with.
Her practice is Iyengar-​based — with props at times to help her students get into the pose without strain and still aligned — but don’t be intimidated: she is great for beginners and experts alike, and adjusts accordingly. And she doesn’t subscribe to the idea that the point of yoga is to put your toe behind your ear, you know? The point is to find rest in the body so that there can also be rest in the mind.
The class sizes are small, and her studio is in a remodeled garage with heated floors. She invites other great practitioners in for workshops and other healing arts, and specializes in yoga for athletes, dancers and injured people. If you have a particular issue, like an injury or chronic condition she helps you with adjustments.
She also has barre classes (she studied ballet for 20 years) which are awesome, great workouts, too.
My husband had foot surgery and also a hip injury after an accident, and she helped him tremendously to get more mobility and less pain. As for me, I just always feel better after her classes, even though she kicks my ass.
Go, you’ll be glad you did.

Deb is a wonderful teacher. She’s extremely attentive, supportive and conscientious, plus she’s alot of fun too. Her studio follows the Iyengar path which I’ve really found really helpful as it’s more introspective and works to keep the body in proper alignment. Yep Deb rocks!

I have been a student of Park Hill Yoga for only a few months now, but I am very, very happy with my experience so far. I appreciate the personal attention I receive as a student of Park Hill Yoga and the help I receive from Deborah, the owner, in class and outside of class via phone calls or emails.
My massage therapist suggested that I try Iyengar Yoga as a way to realign my body and its various new discomforts after giving birth nine months ago. I am very pleased with how this method of teaching has helped me to understand what the poses feel like when they are correctly done and am happy to have such attentive instructors who help guide me through my practice.
It is true that there are times when the Deborah can teach with too many instructions at once, however, her intention is never a personal attack, so it needs to not be taken as such. She has such passion for making sure BKS Iyengar’s message is passed on with his intentions that she sometimes gets carried away. I believe that entering Iyengar practice after being a student of one of the more fast-​paced Yoga mills can be difficult for the mind to handle, as there is much redirecting that needs to be done in order to assure each student is appropriately aligned so as not to cause injury. Taking that personally will only defeat the purpose of Yoga as it is for the mind’s relaxation through the body’s properly aligned poses.
If you would like to be a part of a small class environment where pain is not allowed and the instructors always welcome your questions for how to properly align yourself within poses, this is a great place to go!

I’ve been attending classes at Park Hill Yoga for several years now. This is Iyengar yoga, which is very different in approach from other forms of yoga. First, the instructors need to be certified and it’s not easy. Years of teaching are required between being eligible for the next level of certification. The end result is a «watch then do» format for each pose. Emphasis is on achieving correct positions using props (blocks, straps, blankets, etc.) rather than trying to simply get to the ultimate position with poor form. This results in injuries. Iyengar teachers watch carefully and correct frequently. This shouldn’t be viewed as disciplinary action, but genuine concern for each student’s well being. It’s what you’re paying for in my opinion.
Park Hill Yoga’s classes are relatively small, usually less then 12. The space is terrific, with heated floors in the winter and plenty of light from lots of windows. The props are all in good condition and frequently washed (e.g., mats, blankets). The teachers are all competent yet nuanced in class format, style, etc. This is a good thing as you learn a lot through different teachers and their experiences.
Special workshops are offered on a monthly basis that are spoken of highly by attendees. There are a good selection of regular classes offered throughout the week. Teachers are very accommodating when it comes to injuries. They understand anatomy and provide alternatives and suggestions for «homework» to help people get back on the mend.
This is a very personalized approach to yoga, not what you’ll find at Core or some of the other yoga factories around town. If you’re interested in a true partner in your yoga practice Park Hill Yoga is the place.

Overall, i did not enjoy this class. I found the owner/​instructor to be overbearing with a nervous energy, which are counter to the characteristics I seek in a good yoga teacher. She also made several assumptions about me as a new student that were not true, which was uncomfortable in front of the others in class.
Pros:
— small class size with personalized instruction
— teacher is knowledgeable about the practice
— good apparatuses/​props available to help you get into the poses
— heated floors and natural light
Cons:
— Teacher can be overly instructive. Some prefer this style, but not for me as I prefer a bit more room to breathe into the poses
— not enough time allowed in shavasana for meditation — also hard to meditate when even my shavasana pose was over-​corrected!
I would say its worth a try if you don’t mind the cons…