Elevate Yoga

Elevate is one of 2 downtown yoga studios that are the class of the neighbourhood.
A major reno took place when the current owners took over the studio space from Santosha yoga. The rebrand to «Elevate» and the complete rebirth of the physical studio has made it clean, warm, inviting and super zen.
The staff and instructors (I have a soft spot in my yoga heart for Miska) are fantastic. Classes range for all levels and includes classic yin, flow and hot options. There are temperature choices too for those who would like to have a variety of classes. Please note that the hot classes are truly «drip, drip, drip» classes. There is pretty much a class at your fingertips from 6:15 am (hard core types) to 9:00 pm (time to sweat it out and go for a beer).
I’ve found that the class participants are a nice mix of young/​not-​so-​young, men/​women, newbies/​yogipros.
I recommend trying one of the «ball/​tuneup» classes. They will change your life … or what you thought was your life.
Ample changerooms, lockers and showers for men and women.
Students are welcome. Discounts available. Lots of packages to suit your busy lifestyle.
Yoga mats and towels can be rented.
Yes, it’s on the 2^nd floor and there are stairs, so there is an accessibility issue.
Close to the great Elgin Street buzz post workout. Lots of parking and bicycle racks.
Get Bent. Namaste.

I came here twice on a recent work-​related trip to Ottawa. The location is fantastic, literally next door to a great restaurant, town, and close to a lot. The 2^nd floor space is really gorgeous — lots of attention to detail from little potted plants and clean hardwood floors (with stickers, so people know where to line up their mats to maximize space in busy classes — so smart!). There is just 1 studio but it is spacious with lots of props available. There is a small boutique, and the women’s change room has 2 showers as well as small lockable cubbies if you bring a lock. They have filtered water for your water bottle. Washrooms are across the hall.
I felt immediately welcome and the girl at reception was really nice. The 2^nd time I came, I was also warmly greeted. I like that they have a wide variety of classes, clearly marked on the schedule as room temperature, warm, and hot. I did a warm «go with the flow» class, which was like a vinyasa style and could be as rigorous as you wanted. I also went to a morning community flow ($ 10 drop-​in), which was also great, with lots of hands-​on adjustments and relaxing, non-​intrusive music. Both teachers I had were friendly and open in their approach.
The other students were from all levels and backgrounds. It does seem like a place where anyone would be welcome and if I lived in Ottawa, I could see myself becoming a regular here. For any info, see their website — it’s very nicely laid out and had lots of info so I knew what to expect.

By far my favourite yoga studio in Ottawa. The staff are always friendly, instructors and the variety are amazing. I haven’t done a class I didn’t enjoy, and I’ve never done the same class twice. Some of the instructors keep it strictly yoga, while others bring a nice mix of yoga and meditation.
The change rooms are a tad small. I try to arrive early so that I don’t get too caught up in the rush.
They offer a first month unlimited special for $ 40. Well worth it!

I’ve tried a few others, and I must conclude that Elevate is the best yoga studio in Ottawa, no question. Elevate offers a wide range of styles for a wide range of practitioners. The classes also range in temperature so if you like it hot, they have hot classes, but there are warm and not heated classes as well. The studio is bright and clean and the instructors are friendly and approachable. I feel so lucky to have found Elevate and I try to fit a class in to my daily schedule.

I enjoyed my experience at Santosha Yoga Studio. The staff is friendly and knowledge. I felt safe to come in a little early and relax into the space. The practice was wonderfully led by David, inviting the class to focus on breath and receive all of natures energy with each inhale. Lovely. Nice deep stretches. Worked up a little sweat. Good work out for body and spirit.

I recommend David’s class. This studio is nice, but not over the top. I took one class from David and he is an excellent teacher. He is very mindful of his students and there is reason for everything that he has you do. His class was simple, yet brought the deeper aspects of yoga. He uses few words, but says a lot. I left the class feeling great! He teaches in a very safe way, yet challenges the student to master the simple postures rather than struggle to do the complex ones. With this, he is very effective. I will go again.

Gotta hand it to you Ottawa, you have some great yoga studios. I used to come to this location when I was living in Ottawa and still just a novice yogini. I liked how the location was unassuming and accomodating for newbies to the lifestyle, and then as I grew more accustomed to the yoga practice, I came to enjoy the challenging workouts I received at the studio. It’s a healthy dose of yoga activity for everyone, from the beginner to the well-​seasoned enthusiast. Fabulous!
The people here are fantiastic and friendly, from the staff, to the actual members at the studio. There’s definitely a community vibe here, and that’s something you just don’t get to experience at many yoga studios.

My first yoga experience just happened to be at Santosha. I felt a bit apprehensive about the whole ordeal so I brought two friends, one of whom had also never done it.
This place is located on the second floor of a strip of businesses which face Elgin Street. When I arrived I found the lady working the desk to be extremely friendly and helpful. She guided myself and the other rookie to the change rooms and signed us up for our hot yoga class.
I don’t like trying new things if the other people around know exactly what they’re doing and you feel left out but this wasn’t the case at this place.
The hot yoga room was delightfully hot at first. Then it became painfully hot until it was almost ridiculously hot. In hindsight it was actually perfect and I’m sure I sweat out all of the toxins I’d consumed from too many other nights out on Elgin Street!
The instructor was really great and mindful of an arm injury I had so she didn’t push me too hard. I would definitely do hot yoga again but probably my second time would also have to be at Santosha because they made me feel very comfortable.