There is nothing like taking a yoga class and feeling so good afterwards. I've been taking classes…read morewith Clara for a while and enjoy her friendly style and way she accomodates you in to her class even when your feeling a little less than energetic to start with. I'd highly recommend her classes and a friend of mine also recommends her pregnancy classes too.

After a long period of injury from playing sport I received physiotherapy and rehabilitation…read moretreatment at the gym. Ed has been my personal trainer for 2 years and during that time I have lost a considerable amount of weight, but most importantly I've gone down 2 dress sizes and my shape has changed considerably. It's taken until recently for me to manage my eating habits due to working shifts but thanks to Ed's persistence I am seeing the results now. Its not been easy and my muscles can vouch for that, but without the pain and the aching muscles you wont see any results. Absolute Health is a small and intimate gym which caters for the shy and reserved person. Its easy on my pocket because I can choose when to attend the gym for my personal training programme. Ed's is very flexible and understanding as well as task master who ensures you get the results on a one to one. I wont be going anywhere in a hurry Absolute Health is the gym for me!!!

Unlike most gyms ,the staff here as keen to see you reach your goals as much as you are…read more I have been training here for just over 6 months and have learnt so much information from Ed and Aaron regarding training and nutrition, it has completely changed my way of thinking. No more 1-1.5 hrs at the gym, 30 mins and I done and looking better than ever.

Beautiful peaceful place, the meditation teachers are very calm, honest & compassionate. The away…read moreretreat was mind- blowing: so many epiphanies and a complete energy renewal - thank you!

Bristol Buddhist Centre is quite simply a haven for all your Buddhism needs. They specialise in…read moreBuddhist courses and retreats but also run meditation and yoga classes. Led by members of the Western Buddhist Order, the whole thing can sound a bit elite and scary. That's certainly how I felt the first time I turned up for one of the many drop-in classes, but I couldn't have been more wrong. The reception opens out onto a big comfortable training room. A beautiful Buddhist mural at one end, the whole room is warm and peaceful. The staff, always happy and friendly, run a variety of nights throughout the week from beginner classes through to the more experienced stuff. Children's classes, parent and child sessions, and a lot more than just yoga - this is a very relaxing stop.

I have walked passed Bubalu so many time but for some reason never given it a second thought…read more Health food and non alcoholic drinks weren't really my thing until recently. But last week I read some Yelp reviews and decided to give it a go, and I am so glad I did. Now, I want to give Bubalu five stars, but I haven't used the gym or fitness facilities, so It wouldn't be right. But, based on the food and drinks, I will definitely be going back. And when I'm full of January fat blues and post Christmas over indulgence, I'll definitely be back to check out some classes. I ordered the B-Boost Smoothy which had Coffee, Banana, Honey, cinnamon and ice in it. It was by far the best smoothy I've ever had. The coffee had a real punch and all the other flavours stuck to the pallet. I never wanted it to end. When I first arrived there was nobody else there, but within half an hour it was half full with a really nice buzz and atmosphere. The food being served looked great and I really wanted to some, but I couldn't unfortunately. Gloucester Road is always full of surprises, but this has been one of my recent favorites - event though I've known about it for several years! That's the beauty with yelp, I suppose!

I've known Mike for years and was so pleased to see how the place turned out for him…read more Great coffee, good smoothies!

This is a really nice sports facility where you get a welcome as soon as you enter. There is ample…read moreparking facilities on site and the opening hours mean you have little excuse not to go and utilise your membership. The reception staff are fantastic, I really feel that nothing appears to be too much trouble for them. The facilities on site are good, occasionally, I have found the water in the pool to be a little cool, but thats maybe me. The changing rooms are always immaculate and they offer good facilities, there are lots of hairdryers and it reminds me of a spa in there. The gym itself is well laid out and is a comfortable temperature for your workout, it has never been too busy and I have never felt that I have been looked down upon for my poor physique - whereas some gyms you feel uncomfortable. The staff are all really friendly and helpful and after your workout there is a really nice restaurant which serves really nice food and really tasty coffee.

I friend of mine, who is a member of the Bristol Council's gym group, gave me a free pass to go to…read morethe Horfield Leisure Centre. I fancied going for a swim and had been warned against the Bristol South Swimming Pool so thought I'd give the Horfield option a try. I was really impressed, a nice big pool, with good changing facilities (clean showers!). After my swim I visited the gym which was just lovely, well lovely in a gym kind of way. It had plenty of cardio options and a real good selection of weight training options. The classes on offer there are fantastic, if you can't find something you like, or at least don't hate the thought of, I'd be really surprised. The other good thing about these council run gyms is that you become a member of all of them, so you can mix it up a little bit and go to other pools or centres to keep you from getting bored with exercising!

For swimming, Horfield Leisure Centre is far better than most public pools I've been to…read more The main pool is big - 25-metres long, with eight lanes, and the only thing I am not keen on is the mixed sex changing rooms. Obviously there are private cubicles, but it still feels a bit weird legging it from the pool into a cubicle past blokes in Speedos. On the other hand, at least they're kept clean and they're quite spacious. I haven't tried any of the other leisure centre facilities myself, but the gym looks well-equipped with rows of new-looking cardio and weight machines, and there are several classes offering aerobics, yoga, spinning and other types of exercise. There are also squash courts and a big sports hall for team games such as 5-a-side. If you're not going to get to the gym regularly and get your money's worth, this looks like a good budget alternative to joining a private gym.

I was a member here for about seven years. The place was really good for working out and…read moresocialising. The outdoor pool was nice in the summer to relax and have a drink by, even a dip! I left and had a problem with the required cancellation notice period. (be careful).

this fitness centre is brilliant and has the most high tech training equipment yea it may be pricy…read morebut thats what you would expect on a gym/fitness centre that has had millions spent on it.

Phenomenal gym that is always looking at ways to improve. The rooms were redesigned some time ago…read morealong with the implementation of a new 'High performance zone'. They have recently installed a new 'Functional zone' that now caters for every part of my training. The individual areas are spacious and make you feel like you are training in your own personal space. BS7 Gym is the best kept secret in Bristol.

This is a pretty average gym, it's basically made up of 4 rooms 2 with cardio machines and 2 for…read moreweights. There's also a class studio and squash court. They do offer a pretty good class timetable with all the usual classes such circuits, boxercise and yoga, which are all included in your membership. Squash is also included although you need to pay to hire rackets and balls. The gym is looking pretty tired and good do with a bit of TLC and a tidy up, maybe an upgrade of machines and certainly needs the air con sorted out. Membership is £34 a month for individual or £54 for joint. You are primarily a member of the county cricket ground which is home to Gloucestershire cricket club. Your membership gets you into the home games for free and although I'm not a cricket fan there is possibly nothing better than soaking up the rays and atmosphere whilst enjoying a glass of something fruity on a summers evening!

This brings yoga away from smelly yoga mats and old farts down the local sports centre or community…read morecentre and into the Heart of the city with fearsome challenge to your body. You get younger with every day not older surrounded by the occasional superhuman athlete to look up to not some anatomical failure. When I started, I was in regular pain and seeing myself in a pit of despair of losing my mobility due to back pain/fibromyalgia with a scoliosis about to set in. With a discounted membership for newbies, I went on a one year charge practising yoga nearly every day, sometimes twice a day, at their studio. For the most part, the effects were medical miracles, and though it took me many months to master some basic excercises, and some I am still only average at to say the least, the classes are powerful and stimulating and exhausting, and i have never found anything better. On the down side, i didn't lose any weight, and after you have been to that many classes of Bikram Yoga, even with the variety of friendly instructors, its difficult not to feel that the lack of variety to the program tends to take instructors and students into a realm of robotics, and its a shame that too few of the 'instructors' actually prove to us they can do the poses themselves on the day which is arguably immoral for a 'teacher'? Thankfully other classes are options, though too few of them make use of the heated room option. Whilst the statue of Indian Elephant-Head God Ganesh is cute, its not going to please all faiths. The changing rooms are often over-crowded especially in the most popular sessions. Special note must go to Vinyasa yoga teacher Jude Whitburn who is a breath of fresh air originality and surprise. Worth every penny, not cheap, but no complaints just suggestions.

BIKRAM - ok, this is not a class for the faint-hearted. You do indeed feel at some point you would…read morekill someone to be able to get out for a breath of cool air and I suspect that previous reviews alluded to this part of their experience. But there are two good news 1) it stops feeling 'masochistic' after a month of regular attendance as your body adapts 2) when you get out you feel absolutely fabulous ( from day one !) . It is the only intense exercise I have done where your body is buzzing with effort yet your parasympathetic system kicks in and you feel paradoxically relaxed. I have done various sports absolutely nothing compares to the sense of wellbeing at the end of a Bikram class. FACILITIES - I agree they could be a bit better; especially the showers. But overall there is a touch of care and gentleness - you find creams, deodorants, tampons in the bathroom for free. THE TEAM - I found the teachers wonderful: dedicated supportive and fun. There is a team feeling and sense of belonging. I have overshoot my 90days pass and all the unused entries were rescued added to my next subscription. I love this place!

If you're checking out Crossfit Avon, chances are you've already got a good idea of what Crossfit…read moreis, but what makes Crossfit Avon special? For me it's the level of commitment and care shown to each and every member. It's a true community spirit here. Everyone is supported, encouraged and spurred on by coaches and members alike, regardless of ability or fitness levels - the last person to finish usually gets the biggest cheer. There's little room for elitism or ego here with every achievement and performance celebrated and congratulated. The programming is well thought out with structured strength and skill work carefully dovetailed with high intensity conditioning workouts. You will find that the general focus of the training moves in broad cycles, focussing on different aspects of strength and fitness at a time. General strengths and weaknesses among the member base are constantly assessed and the programme adjusted to work on those weaknesses accordingly. This approach is not random yet it is exciting and unpredictable and there is great anticipation before each class to see what's in store in the Workout Of the Day(WOD). Beginners will find a warm welcome as well thorough instruction and assessment in the fundamental movements before moving on to the main classes. Specialist classes are provided twice a week for Olympic Weightlifting as well as ad hoc sessions such as Boxfit, Strongman and Mobility. For the more advanced members there is a dedicated Competitors programme to take strength and conditioning to the next level in preparation for competitions. Before I joined I felt fit but was bored of the repetitive, predictable and impersonal classes at the local leisure centre and frustrated by the lack of free weight equipment available in the gym. Then a friend told me about Crossfit. I was intrigued, if a little intimidated, especially seeing a class in action! Nevertheless, I took the plunge and signed up at Crossfit Avon and the transformation in my fitness in the last 15 months is unbelievable and I think I actually spend less time working out now - it is just so much more effective than the alternatives. Get involved!

This is no ordinary gym with a pool and showers and coffee or any of that stuff. This is crossfit,…read moreso expect an environment more like a lockup garage. Everything is done in classes of no more than eight, supervised by teachers who train you in the proper techniques. The crossfit ethos is based on old-style exercises like situps, pressups, squats and pullups. There's also quite a bit of work with weights and kettlebells. You never know what they're going to hit you with from one day to the next as there is a huge variety of workouts, performed either against the clock or to a set number of reps. Typically the workouts provide a short sharp shock to the system rather than endless repetition. Sounds scary I know but whether you're a superfit young fire fighter or just an average person of more mature years like me you can do it as they set your weights or number of reps according to your ability. It's all great fun (really!) and the atmosphere is genuinely friendly. You'll soon notice big changes in yourself, like thinking nothing of lifting a weight heavier than you are off the floor. This morning I even climbed up a rope something I could never do at school. CrossFit Avon is a gym you'll keep coming back and back to.