Shiva Shakti

Shivi Shakti rocks my socks.
I brought 5 people there so far and recommend it to anyone that will listen.
Brandon is increds and this is yoga like you never experienced. A perfect balance of instruction and explanation of how our practice manifests into our lives.
The most real, non new-​agey class ever. GO!

Naima’s class keeps getting better. Definitely a great yoga class and studio!

Brandon is the most amazing, inspiring teacher EVER and this studio is wonderful. When he moved in ²⁰⁰⁷⁄₂₀₀₈ from Boston to Western MA I made a point to visit the studio.
Brandon is skilled, professional, incredibly funny and passionate about what he does. While I understand he is not everyone’s favorite teacher (i.e. Bill’s Unilocal!review says it all) I think it is worth a chance. Love it or leave it, but at least don’t knock it until you try Brandon’s class. I have done yoga at the Baptiste studio with Brandon since 2004 and commend this studio for opening and staying in line with the goals of yoga: to inspire people and push them to new levels!
Go go go!

I only took classes taught by the owner, Brandon, so this review addresses only those classes and him as a teacher. I have been a serious practitioner of yoga for five years and usually attend an excellent studio in San Francisco often considered to be one of the most «hardcore» and challenging in the Bay Area, so I am used to, and like, strong challenging «power yoga.» Here at Shiva Shakti, Brandon had little to no warm-​up, which is very dangerous to the body, especially to the lower back. His vinyasa sequences, at one point, were ridiculously fast and there was no possible way to align breath with pose. In one class, my last there, listening to my body (essential in all yoga classes), I slowed down to a sane, healthy vinyasa pace, knowing I could easily «meet everyone in down dog» at the end of the sequence. Brandon came over to me and loudly exclaimed: «Cant you stay with the class?! Dont you LIKE us?!» I replied that I was staying safe, to which he retorted: «You’re TOO safe!». A few minutes later, I walked out of the class. (In five years of taking yoga almost daily, at studios all over the world, I have only walked out of classes before the absolute end, about three times.) This man should have his studio shut down. It is shocking for him to address any student this way. When I think of all the spectacular true teachers I have had out there, not one would dream of speaking to a student this way, but then again they wouldnt teach in such an unsafe way. When yoga first began, centuries ago in India, there were many fakes and charlatans. This is the tradition Brandon carries on. I wont even go into what an ego-​inflated blow-​hard he is who spouts contradictory factoids of what he thinks are yoga wisdoms, a mish-​mosh of utter nonsense.

Yaaaaahooooooooooo
this place is the greatest thing since Anotnio’s slices of pizza!
The studio is HOT! the instructor Brandon was super high energy and pushed us through the difficult poses and had me walking on a cloud when I left the place.
I will be back very soon… next time I am in Western Mass this is a MUST DO!
I even got myself a Shiva Shakti baseball sleeve shirt!
I love this place and love Northampton!

The beginner’s class is very focused on making you feel comfortable when you are unsure, and voicing your concerns when you are upside down and worried that your butt is in your neighbor’s face.
The class had a nice pace, was filled almost to capacity, and the instructor (Naima) was really hot and very serious. I’d also have to take a star off for the changing/​bathroom/​spiral stair case situation. But if you are in the area, it is a great place to practice.

I really enjoy this studio! It is located in downtown Noho so it is better to bike or walk than to deal with parking. But the location is great! The studio has really positive energy. It is a vinyasa flow practice is a heated room but it is not as hot as Bikram style. I really like Naomi’s class alot and love her energy. I practiced Bikram for a year and it is a nice addition to my hot yoga practice. I could not give this studio a perfect score because of limited bathrooms and the fact that it lacks showers! It is really difficult is you are planning to go to work after practicing or out to dinner in the evening. It is also not structured well as the changing area is located downstairs off of a small staircase and it gets really backed off after class. But overall, this is a great place.