Well, my friend and I had a girl weekend in Asheville and tried a few fun workouts while we were in…read moretown. My girlfriend has been an aerialist for 4-5 years now and I've only taken one class before but we knew we'd love it. I figured if I couldn't manage any of the moves well, at least I could provide comic relief, right? The other young lady in our group was an Asheville local who just started lessons a month and a half ago, so between us there were many skill levels represented. Being a compact space, there are only four silk stations available so we had the privilege of watching the instructor on a set of silks as well. Carly lead us through a stretching warm up before we practiced with the silks. When Carly saw what we were able to manage she would add to it, varying the tasks for each of us as we all had wildly different strengths and weaknesses. The music was fun, Carly was patient and had wonderful verbal cues as well as demonstrating for me when the verbal clues left me scratching my head. I wish I lived closer and could build my upper body strength and enjoy this unique workout more often. It was hard and fun and two days later my shoulders and back are still sore but I'd go back tomorrow if I could! Now, where is my Cirque du Soleil contract???

Um. I love this place. If I had the power to teleport, you better believe this is one of the places…read moreI'd hit up very, very frequently! (As often as my bruised limbs could allow. The lyra really digs into you, but what doesn't kill you makes you stronger, and doubling up on fabric would probably also be pretty helpful. I'd been itching to take either a pole class or an aerial silks/lyra class for ages, and since I plan my travels around food and awesome fitness classes (priorities, right?), I definitely had to make a stop here before leaving Asheville! I called beforehand to make sure that it was okay for me to take the aerial lyra class, and the lady I spoke to was really helpful and friendly. (I'd only taken one class before, and that was quite unfortunately back in early 2012, so uh...it's been a while!) ...But my goodness, this was a super fun class! Evan was our instructor, and there was only one other student, so we started the class off with a light warmup, and then jumped right in. Evan was really good about explaining everything, and also in evaluating where we were at so that he could tailor the class to our level. We took turns going through a sequence and learning how to clean it up and make it look pretty + fluid. He was also really great about giving us pointers and cues, which was definitely helpful when we were puzzling out a couple of the moves. All in all, super super fun, and I really hope to come back to Asheville at some point again to visit, and so I can take more classes here! The handbalancing class that Evan teaches looks like a lot of fun, and I'd love to take more aerial lyra (+ silks!) classes!

Hi I would like to address Sandy H of the JUNE 30, 2025 review of the Silent Meditation Retreat. In…read moreit she headed it with: "it's Cult, STAY AWAY". LOL She also stated "...we noticed a level of unquestioning reverence for the AOL founder that felt more like cultish devotion than the pursuit of wisdom". And "...In our view, AOL does not represent a genuine path toward spiritual growth. For those seeking meaningful insight, authors like Alan Watts..." etc. I've been on this spiritual path for 50 years! yeah forever! hahahha - and I love Alan Watts and Ramana Maharishi and some of the other great Advaita teachers and lectures. And after 30 years of meditation and even teaching meditation, I also took the "Silent Retreat Course" several time and frankly - IT CHANGED MY LIFE. I FINALLY GOT WHAT SILENCE ACTUALLY MEANT. As far as it being a cult - Well everything can be considered a cult if one is devoted to it. Have you every been to one of those "Krishna Das cults" hahahahha? I live here on the mountain near the Retreat Center, I'm not a teacher nor a "cult member" lol. I'm just happy here with the knowledge I've gained here at the retreats. As far a Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, the founder is concerned - Yes, he's my Guru, so was my mother. But the beauty of Sri Sri was that he (by example) showed me what SILENCE REALLY MEANT. So I would encourage people who want to come here to this beautiful retreat to remember that the PURPOSE of words, critical thinking, spiritual discourse is Silence and rejoicing in your own Being. Conversation is nice, interesting But the revelation of Silence is inner peace and true wisdom. (in my humble opinion :D ) and for sure my dogs love it here too! :D

I am writing this because I would not want another traveler to experience what happened to me…read more On April 13, 2026, I booked a weekend retreat at the Art of Living Wellness Retreat Center in Boone, NC--approximately 350 miles from my home. I received an immediate confirmation and was charged $1,594 in full. During the week of the retreat, I received no pre-retreat information. I emailed three times and received no response. I then called twice with basic questions about what to bring. On both calls, staff took my name and answered my questions. Not once was I told the retreat had been cancelled. So I drove approximately seven hours to the center. When I arrived, the registration employee could not find my reservation. I offered to show her my confirmation email, but she declined. She asked me to wait, then disappeared from the reception area. About five minutes later, the manager, Christy, came to the desk. She told me the retreat had been cancelled on June 24 because of low enrollment. I was stunned. I had just driven seven hours to attend a retreat I had paid $1,594 for. Her response was that there had been "no other way". I asked why no one had successfully notified me. She said the reservation notes indicated that a voicemail had been left for me on August 1. No voicemail ever reached me. I reminded her that I had spoken with staff twice during the week immediately before the retreat, and neither person mentioned the cancellation. The only immediate alternative offered was to sell me a room and a meal for the night. As I stood there trying to process what had just happened, another employee walked by and said, in what I felt was a remarkably dismissive tone, "Everything will work out." I left and began the seven-hour drive home. After I regained cell service, I received a voicemail from Christy. I expected an apology--for the wasted trip, the expense, and the fact that I had been allowed to drive 350 miles to a cancelled retreat without being told. Instead, she maintained that the center had sent two emails I never received and continued to insist that the situation had been handled appropriately. I understand that retreats can be cancelled because of low enrollment. What I cannot understand is cancelling a retreat, waiting weeks to notify paid participants, then speaking with a customer twice in the week before the retreat without mentioning the cancellation--and ultimately allowing that customer to drive seven hours to the facility before learning the truth. This was not simply an inconvenience. It was deeply upsetting and, in my view, completely avoidable. At a minimum, I believe I deserved a sincere apology.

I took a lesson from Sandi at Pilates Performance inc....she knows so well how to deal with issues…read moreof the body. She showed me how to properly move so as not to injure my knees and lower back....I cannot thank her enough for her knowledge, compassion and laser sharp abilities to work with varying individuals.

A highly respected modern dance teacher in South Florida, I had the pleasure of taking privates…read morewith Sandi while in town recently. She communicated things about Pilates in the most practical and essential terms that anyone can benefit from. She brings her knowledge of dance, anatomy, kinesiology and performance to support any client in any situation. Sandi is a well spring of knowledge about the body and how to move efficiently. More importantly, she is compassionate about her clients and inspired by the work which makes it all the more an exceptional experience to be at her studio and to work with her.

This was a fun little dinner show, the food was really simple and your typical faire for a dinner…read moreshow in that area. Fried chicken, barbecue, corn on the cob, mashed potatoes, coleslaw, and their signature creamy vegetable soup. The show itself was fun natured and the cast were fun and energetic as well as funny. Our server, chip, was hilarious himself, and that just added to the front of the experience. At the end, you're going to find yourself wandering through the gift shop, and I'm not going to encourage you or discourage you either way, but it's a great place to meander while you're partner or spouse are in the bathroom.

Took my wife for date night and was sat at a small table with strangers! Talk about awkward!…read more Second the food was pretty gross. Warm greasy fried chicken and some sides. The service was attentive but that can't make up for it. The show was subpar and corny. It could keep kids entertained for a little while. Overall for $180 we expected a lot more so I don't recommend this one.