I'm going to check my personal needs at the door when it comes to this review, because although I didn't get what I needed out of the class I attended, this had nothing to do with any deficiencies of the centre and everything to do with what sort of yoga I personally practice.
The centre itself was lovely. Everyone was really welcoming, and you'll be pleased to find that the first class you attend is complimentary. When you do start paying for classes after this, I dare you to find a cheaper yoga class anywhere in London. Because Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centre isn't a for-profit institution, you are basically paying the cost of staffing and general upkeep of the centre. The entire atmosphere is calming, clean and conducive to yoga. The centre has a reception area and a shop at the front, a tea room across the quaint courtyard to the back and two light-flooded yoga rooms past the fitting rooms and toilets in the practising area out back, adjacent to the tea room.
The centre offers classes on a drop-in basis, but you can also take courses to correspond with your personal level. It also runs workshops on things from chanting to mastering the headstand.
Having said all this, I'm pretty bummed that I probably won't return to Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centre, even though it's pretty close to where I live. You see, for anyone who's not done sivananda yoga, it's a slow-moving practice. Lots of savasana and balasana. Lots of lying on the ground. Not a lot of movement. While I totally appreciated the attention to breath work at the beginning of the class (you'll be hard-pressed to find any yoga class that dedicates 30 minutes solely to pranayama), the asana series just wasn't active enough for me. I need an active asana to centre myself and relax my mind; otherwise, my mind wanders like crazy and I don't get out of the practice what I really should. But if you like a slower-paced practice, if you're an iyengar yoga type of person, you'd probably totally dig the sivananda style and you'd totally love this centre. read more