My first class at Bikram Yoga Richmond was my first yoga class, ever. I decided to try it out in hopes of facilitating my full-time dance training. BYR is pro-eco-friendly, which I like - their carpet is created is recycled material, their heating system is low-energy, even the shower gels are organic! The studio is located above a row of shops, with a nice reception area and large, spacious changing rooms with three shower cubicles and cubby-holes for storage. There is also a communal hairdryer and a large fan which is great for taking away the summer (and post-Bikram) heat. The studios are big enough for the twelve or so people who attended. There are mirrors on two surfaces of the rectangular room, to check alignments and postures. Another aspect of the studio which I loved was the row of much-needed daylight at the back of the studio to counteract the stuffiness of the heat. I brought a tiny towel to my first class, and Kristin, the instructor, kindly offered me a complimentary bath towel, which spanned the entire yoga mat. (The mat is rentable for £1.) It was much needed, as I was sweating buckets by the time we got to the floor series. She also gladly told me that I was working on the exact same spot that Andy Murray was on a few months ago! The class started with a breathing exercise, which greatly helped me get through the entire 90 minutes without feeling faint. I love how the instructors are constantly speaking, giving us imagery non-stop, so that there isn't really time for us to get slack or unmotivated, as we are always receiving new information to work with. The class was no doubt challenging, but the focus of the whole group was great, and I went back for a second class the next day. The shower afterwards is probably the best part of the whole thing. There is a lot - A LOT - of sweating in Bikram Yoga, and I recommend first-timers to definitely come prepared with a change of clothes and underwear, and a towel. BYR's prices are reasonable, and they've got many packages and student deals on the website. I'm definitely going back some time soon! It'll probably be a lovely thing to do in winter. read more

I've done Bikram at a number of studios in the US and the UK and BYR is one of the best, if not the best. The studio reception and changing rooms are light and fresh and sympathetically decorated. i feel like i am visiting a friends house! The heating system is really spot on, especially the humidity levels. i get all the benefits of the heat and sweat but i don't seem to get dehydrated after practice here like i have done in other studios. The instruction from Kristin is always excellent. Consistent with Bikrams unique instruction style but also personalised and encouraging. She always has a smile for everyone which is just what you need when you are struggling to make a pose. Namaste! read more

I have a passion for bikram yoga, this is the first style of yoga that i ever tried, after being recomended by a friend in sydney, i went and i loved it, i now live in kingston upon thames and was extatic when i found out, through a friend, that they were opening a studio in richmond. I went there and the people there are brilliant, the main thing about people that teach bikram, that i love, is they always remember your name, something that i am working on. They were all lovely inspiring people, and i havent been there for ages but always think about them!!!! Hope to see you guys soon!!! lots of love mahala.xxxxx read more

Doesn't it seem reasonable that with three 5 star reviews following Tessa's rant she indeed wasn't in a great place mentally, as Johnny suggests in his response to her review below? I wasn't there and it's none of my business so I'm not going to have a pop at Tessa but I can speak from my own experience. Today, I completeld my first yoga class at Bikram Yoga Richmond. I'm a newbie and Bikram Yoga or hot yoga, as it is sometimes called, is something the likes of which I have never experienced before. Johnny asked us very nicely to work hard but safely and within what we felt was our capacity before we started the class, which is exactly what I tried to do. Unsurprisingly, and on more than one occasion, I felt I couldn't take the physical exertion combined with the intense heat and wanted to bolt out of the sweltering classroom but I didn't. I sat it out quietly, trying to breathe calmly through my nose while my heart pounded in my chest. After the intense heat, I found breatihing through my nose the second biggest challenge of the class. But, when I sat it out and took a break for a couple of minutes now and then, I noticed a few things. First, that Johnny spoke the truth. He said that when you instinctively feel like gasping in a panic for breath, do the opposite and calmly breath through the nose. Absolutely counter-intuitive but my heart gradually and magically stopped pounding and the discomfort eased away. I was quickly forming the opinion that Johnny was a professional and experienced teacher. He said I would feel dizzy. He said I may even feel nauseaous. He was right. I'm glad now I didn't leave the room to recover. I felt a lot safer, albeit a lot hotter, with Johnny in the same room as me. If I was going to keel over I wanted him to be there to administer his recovery techniques. I also noticed that as the class went on I felt a lot less like bolting out and diving straight into the Thames. Johnny had taught me a technique that very effectively dealt with my discomfort. It also dawned on me that the heat of the room, even tough it was at the same hellish temperature, was somehow more bearable. Johnny had left his towel and his watch on the floor about a foot away from my space while he taught. I sneaked a look at his watch. There were 25 minutes left. I smiled; not because the whole, torturous ordeal would soon be over but because it was at that moment that I realised that this hot yoga can indeed change your state of mind. In just over one hour my own was an indestructable pillar of will power. I wanted to stay. I was overjoyed. Physically,however, it was a struggle. I'm as stiff as a board and very overweight. But I'm not in any rush. I'm happy to take my time and work to my own limits. The fact that I found the postures difficult didn't escape Johhny's attention. He continually encouraged us beginners and his encouragement made me feel alright with my lack of flexibility and oversized stomach. Johnny genuinely doesn't give a monkeys about how fat, skinny or anything else you are. He is passionate and enthusiastic about his yoga though.That was something else that made me smile. Quite incredibly, neither did Johnny miss a trick. How do you manage to see every persons' movements in a large room at the same instant? He corrected some of us and asked advanced students for more - all at the same time. And yes, to do this he calls people by their names. He calls your name and then corrects your posture. I suppose if you are in the wrong frame of mind this could seem like you were being picked on. I didn't and I don't think any of my classmates did either. And that's how I came across this site. Seaching from "Bikram Yoga" on Google; desparate to find out more. So, my class today at BKR has been a great success. When I got home and told my wife all about it she decided she wants to come along and try it out. So, I will be back to BKR with her in tow and I would thoroughly recommend that you give it a try too. read more

I survived the first lesson experience at Bikram Yoga Richmond thanks to Johnny's firm but friendly tone of voice and him keeping an eye on me during the class. Johnny's instructions were clear, his voice was reassuring and I felt like he took good care of my wellbeing during the class. I am so pleased I came across the studio with Johnny as a teacher that I already started to recommend the classes to all my friends. Furthermore the web page is very informative, everything that needs to be known about Bikram Yoga and classes have been covered in a plain and simple English read more

I have been going to Bikram Richmond for about 6 months now and I have nothing but positive things to say about it. The instruction, especially from Johnny is top notch. I am not particularly good at it but can hold my own. I have recommended it to friends who now attend regularly. It is the best studio out of the London ones in my humble opinion. It is very challenging- not everybodies cup of tea. I think some people have more of a problem with being in a class with others and not getting undivided attention of the instructor than anything else. There aren't any secrets except practise. read more

I've practised Bikram for over 5 years in 6 different studios around London, prior to coming to the Richmond studio. I agree with Leslie N's review, in that there are definite positives to the studios, but for me the negatives outweighed the positives... Apart from the challenges with the size of the studio, shower provision (ie not many!), lack of air con, etc, my main issue is with the yoga approach of the studio. I believe they practice the Mary Jarvis method of yoga, which is slightly different to the 'normal' Bikram method I am used to from every other studio. One example of this is that they do not like you to use the towel in Rabbit pose to get a dry grip (whereas all other studios I have recommended encourage the use of the towel in this pose). I have chronic issues with my lower back,and have found over my 5+ years of trial and error that listening to my body, and adjusting the poses accordingly, is the best approach and really helps me to manage my condition; and Rabbit pose particularly helps it, particularly after so many backwards bends immediately prior to it, which can make my back issues worse. Not using the towel means that I cannot do the pose properly, cannot help my back, and actually causes me problems - so I generally used the towel. Eventually I was told off in class - quite sternly, rudely, as if I was a naughty child - for using the towel. Having spoken to the owner, there was no apology for this treatment, and I was ultimately told to either do it the way they instruct (ie without the towel) or to do it my own way at home. I find this lack of accommodation of individual's physical conditions (as past reviewers have mentioned, since they do not ask about physical issues at the start of class) baffling, potentially dangerous, and contrary to the principles of yoga as I see them. It also seems that some of the teaching staff take the orthodoxy of "the practice" extremely seriously in order that this 'my way or the highway' approach to the postures holds fast. This may work extremely well for many yoga students - if you like quite a regimented practice which sticks to the letter of the poses and really pushes you to your limits, then this is probably the studio for you! But if you have physical issues that require personalised adjustments to the postures, then be cautious, and I think always listen to your body. read more

Was visiting the studio for two month and every single day was asking myself "What am I doing here?". But as I love yoga very much, I was practising different types of yoga in many places and I live in Richmond, I was continue to coming. Facilities: The exercise room is fine, but changing room is awful. There are no lockers, if you need to leave all your belongings, very small area for so many people, no air conditioning, shower plugs are always blocked with hair. Also you have just 30 minutes to get change what is not possible to do because you need to queue for shower. Teaching: Teaching style is military! Teachers make so inappropriate comments to everyone most of the time in very bullying style. I think we are all adults and every person know what his body needs and what they are capable of. It feels very strange if you think,we live in democratic country in Europe, paying for class and getting back such bully attitude. I don't think it's respectful to treat your clients as children. History: I read information online about Bikram Choundhury and he had a lot of legal issues of sexual harassment and sexual assault. He made his students being slaves to him. Suggest to read about Bikram to everyone before start it. I assuming Richmond Bikram practising his way of teaching. Health: I was practising bikram for two months and I must say it's not that good for you as you might think. Yes, you might get rid of back pains, but if you will not continue practicing your back problems will get back. Also if you do yoga more than 2 times a week you might have other problems: neck problems and knees problems. I totally destroyed my knees with "awkward" posture. I got pains in neck and shoulder practising "half moon" posture. These pains I have since than. Ladies, do not think that you might lose weight doing bikram. Never happen. It's good for skin, but sauna and spa are also good. read more

I am retired journalist from Switzerland travelling around Europe and visiting all Bikram Yoga Studios, writing about them in my blog. This time I took quite enough time to visit not only the studio in Richmond but also its surroundings. Richmond lies 15 miles southwest of central London. When you get there you are in a different world. The River Thames runs through the heart of the borough for 21 miles linking Hampton Court Palace, Richmond town centre and Kew Gardens with central London. With beautiful Royal parks and historic houses, theatres, museums and galleries rich with exhibits, and town centres bursting with shops and restaurants. The only nuisance are the planes landing at Heathrow which pass by every other minute. The studio is located in the centre in a small pretty street. The entrance to the studio isn't too promising, but the studio is quite efficiently organised. All is kept simple and undecorated but functional. The rooms are spacious enough. One has to climb several steep stairs to the reception area. The view from the corridor over the roofs of the old buildings is breathtaking. In January 2015, the studio celebrated 8 years since it opened. 11'655 classes has already been given. We are 30 Yogis. We have been taught by the owner Kristin Bergman. We are practicing mat to mat. It is hot and humid; from time to time Yogis have to lie down, even though the low-energy heating system is working excellently. Now and then the teacher shows a posture to emphasize her explanations. She makes small corrections and also compliments. We do our workout concentrated and the energy flows. When we go to the changing rooms and the showers after the final relaxation, there are already other yogis waiting for the next class: Bikram Yoga Richmond seems to be very popular. (see more: www.hotyogablog.net) read more

Very friendly and experienced staff, clean studio. This is a great place to learn about and practise Bikram Yoga. I would definitely reccomend. read more

I really liked this studio and our instructor, Kate. Her instruction was "pure Bikram" without being overly strict or uptight. I was visiting from another city and found it consistent with my studio at home and enjoyable. If I lived here, I would definitely return. The studio was small but it wasn't overcrowded and the heat and humidity seemed just right to me. read more

This is the cleanest and friendliest Bikram Yoga studio I have ever visited. Highly recommended.

I would just like to say that we had a lovely 1st visit to this studio, it was a Saturday and the teacher was wonderful and was everything I would expect a yoga teacher to be, calm, controlled and understanding and the studio itself was busy but not too busy. We decided to go and try Tuesday night's class and I have to say from the moment we walked through the door I thought we'd walked into the wrong placethe lady behind the desk was so rude and didn't come across as friendly at alloh, and yes it was extremely busy, not too bad going in and getting changed it was when we came out of the class all relaxed only to be confronted with the ladies that were there for the 8pm class just sitting and chatting in the small changing room and not in any hurry to leave or stand, so the ladies that'd just come out could get to their stuff and change, this was annoying and so inconsiderate. Anyway, when we arrived at the desk and said 'Hi' as you do,now, I don't mind being told to be quiet but I did find this lady's way quite abrupt. Now, having read the BYR website it says it's all about the students but we weren't made to feel welcome at all, we were made to feel more like we were in the way! We signed in and before we had chance to gather our stuff and go get changed we were asked rather abruptly to move, without so much as a please. Anyway the same lady took the class we had turned up for and we stuck it out to the very end, but it wasn't without her barking orders and considering we were still beginners I really don't think she had the correct manner towards us. At one point my partner did feel faint and nauseous, he had been in the seated position for a while and when he felt himself getting worse he lay down, now the thing was she didn't come over to him and find out what was up she kept barking at him to sit up, which I think Johnny wrote in point '3' in response to Tessa's mail, the correct way a teacher should have have dealt with this was - 3) Very rarely do students need to lie down. So if a student lies down in class, we'll check in with them and tell them it's best to sit first. It's quite obvious to an experienced teacher if a student needs to lie down because they have become faint. Well, my partner didn't move she carried on calling his name over and overand it was quite clear he was in no state to move, she went on to tell him off in front of the whole class, which was rather uncalled for and out of order. I actually found her attitude all a little unnecessary, I understand that she is excellent at what she does and that she has won this that and the other, but this doesn't give her any right to have the attitude that she came across as having, which was 'I'm good at what I do and I know it, so you must respect me!' Which seemed rather arrogant and felt like we were being taught by a right sergeant major!...at one point I had to remind myself I'd turned up for Bikram Yoga not boot camp! I have to say the feeling I got from the people that turned up to this class was that of love for the yoga and not for the teacher, there was just no connection or good vibe at all between her or any of the students and not one sung her praises, just saying 'that's the way she is'. It has actually put us off from going to one of her classes again as we didn't feel that she offered the kind of environment that put us at ease and in a mood to have a good session, the session is very challenging as it is and so you want to be in the right frame of mind. I'm also a teacher, a stickler for the rules and etiquette and I also like to get the best out of people, but I have to say there is a way of doing this and I would never make someone feel small and take advantage of my position. and I think at the end of the day if Tessa was having a bad day then this should have been somewhere she felt she could de stress and unwind, as it is still yoga after allmaybe the teacher, if that experienced, could have recognised this! Me personally, I wanted to write this in such a way that maybe the message would get back to this lady as her attitude and people skills let the studio down and to pre warn anybody thinking of going to this studio for the 1st time. I think it would be lovely to go to this studio and not have to worry which teacher is teaching, but after this experience there will definitely be some classes we will give a wide berth. Well, until we are world champions anyway! read more

I have been a regular for 2 years at another studio and I have also toured every other studio in London. BYR is comparable to most on price, website, facilities etc. The one thing that seems to consistently let them down is the perception of the teachers/owner. Whenever 'other studios' are discussed amongst students in my local studio, Richmond gets a lot of negative feedback and 100% of that is because of the atmosphere/attitude. It's a real shame because even I can see how Johnny and co really do know what their doing and have a passion for it. Unfortunately, the term 'military style' is always used and 'a bit of a bully' has come up once or twice. This really is a shame. Not everyone responds well to this style of instruction and in the teaching community (in London) the BYR team seem to be alone in this style. This might be how Bikram does it but he teaching potential teachers, you cant draw compressions. I would be very interested to see how many people have signed up and how many are what you could still call regulars. I suspect there are lot of people who didn't keep coming back. Like I said, it's a real shame. I have no doubt that the BYR team are very experienced and students are in very safe hands. I hope the BYR team take this as constructive criticism and don't get defensive. Compared to the other studios who have to think about spending money on facilities etc, this is a really easy thing to address. I would like to see the studio attract and keep more students. Richmond residents would be a fitter, happier and healthier bunch if more did Bikram. read more

There's a wonderful atmosphere at the studio, amazing teachers - welcoming, helpful and inspiring, fantastic yoga - i always feel energised and relaxed after a class and a fabulous community - a very friendly bunch of yogis. I love bikram yoga richmond read more