How interesting... I never thought I would be the first person to write a review for a Martial Arts…read moreclass, but here I am! How amazing is that?! However, let me preface my review by saying the class I experienced is not the self defense style of Tai Chi, but the relaxation and stress buster version. In fact, I went into this not even knowing that Tai Chi is a form of Martial Arts. You learn something every day! (And that makes it a good day.) My job as a Public Servant does not really stress me out much (most of the time!) But like everyone else, I need a work / life balance. I heard about Tai Chi through a retirement course I took through work (I recommend THAT for everyone! Too bad they are so hard to find for the general public!! Can't say enough good things about retirement planning which you should start when you begin working.) In one segment of that retirement course, the presenter warned us of the dangers of becoming sedentary as we grow older. He suggested that we remember to stand up and move around in our jobs and even after. As an exersize, he asked us students to stand up, and he took us through a few easy paces of a Tai Chi warm up. It was AMAZING! That little bit of stretching did help me feel better, and I always remembered it. Fast forward to work, and I joined the committee to plan a unit event. Remembering that Tai Chi experience, I began looking for and asking around for a teacher who could present something at our event, and that's how I found Laird Trimble of Tai Chi Ottawa. He put together a package to present something to our group, and I found it to be reasonable. Although we did not decide to take advantage of his services at that time, I kept in touch with him via email. He responds to email in a very timely manner! I asked him when his classes were and he provided the details. Generally, he teaches Tai Chi in Westboro and in Barrhaven. And, he offered the first class free. Here is a link to the web page: http://www.taichiottawa.com/ I look forward to learning more Tai Chi. I find it very relaxing.

My first introduction to Krav Maga Ottawa was with their Women's Self-defense Classes…read more Unfortunately, the world is becoming a more dangerous place. Violent crimes in Ottawa have increased 20% over the last year. I wanted to do something to make myself feel safer, so I enrolled in their Women's Self-defense Class. It was amazing and I would recommend it to all women. At the time, they only had Sunday classes 1.5 hours a week for 12 weeks, but they are now offering another option of Monday and Wednesday classes an hour each day for 9 weeks. The cost is $250 plus tax. The focus was on common attacks against women: stabbing, choking, kidnapping, and sexual assault. The owner and main instructor, Laurent, is superb. He's really personable. I like how he shares stories in class and even makes book recommendations. He's very nice, and also very skilled (he's an Expert 3 in Krav Maga). The other instructors are also good, especially Sam. After completing the Women's course, I decided to join the regular classes. These are co-ed classes and all levels together. You purchase a membership and you can go as often or as little as you like. Classes are Sundays to Thursdays 1.5 hours in duration (except the Sunday class is only 1 hour). Membership is about $100-$140 a month depending on how many months you purchase at a time. I went 3 times a week for the first 2 months, but then had to scale back to once or twice a week because the classes were making me too sore. There was this girl who actually went 5 times a week! She was intense. While I felt that the skills taught in the regular classes were extremely valuable, I enjoyed the regular classes less than the women's course. The regular classes are much more intense and the students are much more hardcore. I consider myself fairly fit, but I'm also very short and very light (barely 5'0" tall and barely weighing 100 pounds soaking wet and wearing a wool coat, lol) I felt that I was roughed up much more than the average-sized person. I would fly across the room every time I held the shield for my partner to kick. I pretty much left every class with cuts and bruises and was in a perpetual state of soreness. I was not the only one getting hurt though. I witnessed someone get a fat lip and saw other students with cuts and bruises too. I heard about broken bones and huge hematomas. But these were rare occurrences for other students, for me it was every class, cuts and bruises. I once got a huge goose egg-like swelling on my forearm from blocking a simulated knife attack in class. My partner said "ouch, your bony little arm hurt me!" Well dude, your big muscular arm hurt me! And I don't see any marks on your arm, but I've got this huge goose egg on mine! Lol. Sure, I learned some awesome skills, and the moves do work (I tried some on my husband who's a foot taller than me and almost twice my weight, and also on my personal trainer who's wicked strong, and they were both really impressed) but I don't like always being sore, bruised and cut up, haha. So I'm super glad that I trained for the time that I did (6 months in total, including the Women's Course), and if they ever develop a Women's Self-defense Level 2 Class curriculum, I would take it, but ongoing regular classes are not for me at this point in time. Believe me, I've been lifting those weights at the gym and trying hard to jack up, but gains are slow. Who knows, maybe when I beef up I might give Krav another try then :) The training studio is in The Glebe where Glebe Fitness used to be. Street parking only (which is usually a pain in butt to find close by). Well, there's a paid parking lot near by, but I'm frugal so I would park 5 blocks away for free and consider the walk part of my exercise routine, lol.

Amazing experience training at this place. Laurent and Shane are the best guys out there! I took a…read morewomen's self defence course and I absolutely loved every single second of it. They push you to your emotional and physical limits and helped me so much throughout the twelve week course. Whether it be for this course, or any other, please invest your time and money into yourself! This team will make you feel stronger than you could ever imagine.

I have been attending this studio for years. This new location is beautiful and even inspired me to…read morecomplete one of my first training with them. The training was so well done with the two teachers that I am now considering doing my 300 HR training here. I highly recommend this for new and seasoned teachers. It is warm and welcoming. The studio is clean and has a variety of different classes for whatever style of yoga you wish to practice in a week!

Visited for the 1st time tonight for a yin yoga session. We thoroughly enjoyed it, and liked the…read morefacility. Very clean & organized!

An Amazing Dojo for all levels of Martial Artist. Sifu Stefane is very advanced and will help you…read moredevelop mind, body and soul. He also has awesome instructors for every level. A Family oriented place as well as child friendly. Kids and adults will develop very positively at this dojo. Thank You

I found Patenaude looking for a place to start kickboxing. To qualify, I'm not young and in great…read moreshape, but I felt so welcome that I truly feel at home here. Also, when I am not applying myself, someone *notices* and holds me accountable, just what a person getting back into activity really needs- kind encouragement! Also, they have lots of awesome side courses that are really interesting and helpful- if you are looking to "go deeper" then they are there for you then too. So if you want to try (especially with kids- Sifu is a GREAT teacher) or you're looking for community, I'd highly recommend. Aussi, ils parlent français ici. :)

Great gym!! Very good coaches and very friendly. Gym is clean with a simple layout. BJJ instruction…read moreis top notch. And the HIT class is a great work out. Highly recommend to anyone searching for a new martial arts gym or just a really good work out

If you've read my review about the Holistic Clinic, you'll know that I have plantar faciitis that…read moreis a real *female dog* to keep under control. I started doing Pilates because I hadn't tried it, thought it might help my core strength, and probably wouldn't hurt my feet. I didn't anticipate that it would help my feet. As a result of the core stability that I've gained, I have started running again and am over-the-moon. Everyone that I have interacted with at Pilates Space has been great, whether it's Laura and Charlie responding to my emails, doing private sessions with Charlie and Nataliya, or doing duet classes with Charlie and Jane. Charlie took a particular interest in my foot issues and made some recommendations on Melt Method techniques I could use to alleviate the tension, which I have used at home with great success. At first I didn't like that I needed to complete and Intro program to be able to participate in group classes, but after doing the program I realized it's value: I learned a lot, I met a number of instructors, and now that I know how classes progress, I won't be a nuisance with too many questions. I have always found the space to be clean and the lockers (in the women's change room, at least) have key locks available for free - note: not all the lockers have locks, so you might to have a back-up lock with you. I'm not a Pilates guru but I like being in places where I feel valued and appreciated and where other class members talk to each other, and I get this from Pilates Space.

Nice workout. Great instructor....very observant which was great, especially for people who are new…read moreto Pilates. I wish the machines were not old.

My husband and I are big fans of Positive Movement gym! Having a community-centered gym with…read moreexcellent trainers and classes focused on mobility and strength in the neighbourhood is fantastic! We've been regulars since the gym opened 13 months ago. Personally, I've seen great improvements in my strength and mobility, and I've even managed to alleviate my neck stiffness and dizziness by receiving guidance and support from the trainers to focus on building my lats to reduce strain on my traps.

I came here twice on a recent work-related trip to Ottawa. The location is fantastic, literally…read morenext door to a great restaurant, town, and close to a lot. The 2nd floor space is really gorgeous -- lots of attention to detail from little potted plants and clean hardwood floors (with stickers, so people know where to line up their mats to maximize space in busy classes -- so smart!). There is just 1 studio but it is spacious with lots of props available. There is a small boutique, and the women's change room has 2 showers as well as small lockable cubbies if you bring a lock. They have filtered water for your water bottle. Washrooms are across the hall. I felt immediately welcome and the girl at reception was really nice. The 2nd time I came, I was also warmly greeted. I like that they have a wide variety of classes, clearly marked on the schedule as room temperature, warm, and hot. I did a warm "go with the flow" class, which was like a vinyasa style and could be as rigorous as you wanted. I also went to a morning community flow ($10 drop-in), which was also great, with lots of hands-on adjustments and relaxing, non-intrusive music. Both teachers I had were friendly and open in their approach. The other students were from all levels and backgrounds. It does seem like a place where anyone would be welcome and if I lived in Ottawa, I could see myself becoming a regular here. For any info, see their website -- it's very nicely laid out and had lots of info so I knew what to expect.

Elevate is one of 2 downtown yoga studios that are the class of the neighbourhood…read more A major reno took place when the current owners took over the studio space from Santosha yoga. The rebrand to "Elevate" and the complete rebirth of the physical studio has made it clean, warm, inviting and super zen. The staff and instructors (I have a soft spot in my yoga heart for Miska) are fantastic. Classes range for all levels and includes classic yin, flow and hot options. There are temperature choices too for those who would like to have a variety of classes. Please note that the hot classes are truly "drip, drip, drip" classes. There is pretty much a class at your fingertips from 6:15 am (hard core types) to 9:00 pm (time to sweat it out and go for a beer). I've found that the class participants are a nice mix of young/not-so-young, men/women, newbies/yogipros. I recommend trying one of the "ball/tuneup" classes. They will change your life ... or what you thought was your life. Ample changerooms, lockers and showers for men and women. Students are welcome. Discounts available. Lots of packages to suit your busy lifestyle. Yoga mats and towels can be rented. Yes, it's on the 2nd floor and there are stairs, so there is an accessibility issue. Close to the great Elgin Street buzz post workout. Lots of parking and bicycle racks. Get Bent. Namaste. elevateyoga.ca