The Lotus Pond

Lotus Pond is a yoga studio in a wooded area off Lynn Rd. It’s been there for years, though if you weren’t looking for it you might never come across it– the studio has undergone a transformation and it is now expanded to three classrooms (one outside and screened in) a juice bar and small retail area.
The class variety ranges from beginner to more advanced although anyone is welcome in all classes. The teachers are all capable and well trained — as is the case with yoga each has a different «style» of teaching and it is a matter of getting to know which classes and which teachers are best suited for the students preferences.
I’ve been coming here on and off over many years so I can recommend a couple of teachers in particular. Nancy macDonald is a excellent Yoga Nidra and restorative teacher (guided meditation and gentle yoga) and she makes an appearance very few months usually on Saturdays or Sunday early evenings.
Shelly and Mel are great for the regular classes.
The only things I’d the owners to improve is to make a policy that stops late students from coming in once the class starts, it’s pretty disruptive to others who made a point to be on time. There’s always 3 or 4 who are walking in a few minutes late and once the initial stretch has begun. Also would like them to pave their driveway and parking area. Even though students leave their shoes at the door, dirt gets tracked inside and feels icky on the feet as you walk around barefooted inside.

I came here to take a beginner’s yoga class for the first time in my life. The building and studios are as beautiful as their photos. Welcoming stuff upfront. My class was kind of cramped up with around 30 people and not a single spot left on the floor. So zero personal attention although overall instruction was good and easy to follow for a beginner like me.

While the building and grounds are beautiful, the clientele are some of the rudest people I have ever encountered. Maybe it was just the classes I attended. I hope so. To me, yoga is supposed to about taking time to take care of your mind and body. It’s not supposed to be about interrupting class to the point that the instructor has to stop and wait for you to finish your conversation about shopping and going to the beach to drink, etc. It’s not about you fundraising for your political party while class is supposed to be going on (if it hadn’t been stopped by the teacher, I was ready to walk out on that one). Or just generally being a rude ass and only caring about yourself. This happened so many times that when my schedule didn’t allow me to attend my regularly scheduled class it was a relief. That’s when I decided to stop being miserable and paying for the privilege.
I do hope that their clientele has improved and the rude people have gone onto the next ‘in’ thing.

The Lotus Pond and The Lotus Room owned by Valerie is one of the most healing organizations in town. I have thanked Valerie many times in the past for her work and organizations. I went to the Lotus Room for years and did yoga and meditation. It helped me get my mind and body together in the years that I really needed it. The teachers were wonderful. I was always amazed at how caring everyone was in these places. If I ever had any kind of a problem emotionally or physically the Yoga teachers were always there to talk to and help. They gave me more than therapies, but they gave me a family.
I followed them up to the Lotus Pond after the Lotus Room shut down and it was wonderful out there. There are awesome wonderful workshops on meditation and drumming and chanting and everything else under the eastern sun. There are fantastic weekend workshops introducing eastern philosophies in healing. I will always refer everyone I meet to the lotus pond for getting their mind and bodies together.
I would give this review five stars but I had a horrible experience with the Ayurveda School and practitioner at this facility. They really hurt me physically, financially, and were outrageously harmful to me in every accord. In fact, I have never had such an outrageously horrible experience in my life. Please go to a real Vedic doctor for such therapies and not Balance and Bliss, as they have shown me to be people who do not care about the clients they treat. If you stay away from the Ayurveda therapies at the Lotus Pond, but rather stick to the yoga, meditation, and weekend classes your experience will be wonderful.
I have thanked Valerie a few of times in the past for what she does and the place she put together and I still do.