Vancouver Yoga Center

Just started coming here and really enjoying it. The instructors have been great. It is very Zen like in the studio, but doesn’t have the vibe of some PDX studios where everyone is ripped and flexing in mirrors. It’s a good mix of ages, abilities and body types. The 3 instructors I’ve taken classes from have all been very knowledgeable and open to suggestions or areas people would like to work on. It’s relaxing and makes me feel lighter and sore all at the same time :)

I’m the friend that Al M. refers to his review. I started taking yoga classes last January. After the first class I thought this woman, Melonie, had a completely backwards business model. All she would need to do is put on some thigh high black leather boots, wear a corset and carry a whip. Then men would pay her 200 plus per hour to do exactly the same thing: torture them.
Their are times during class when I f_​ing hate yoga. The strange thing is that I somehow always feel better afterwards. Since I was 25 years old I have had a recurring problem pain in the left side of my neck. I could not turn my head to the left. A doctor diagnosed the problem as an inflamed muscle. I would get it 2 – 5 times per year and it lasted about 3 – 44 days. I used to have to treat it with Aleve and ice packs. No longer.
Since I started taking yoga classes once a week I have had zero neck pain. That’s about as good of an endorsement as I can give. Thanks Melonie.

So… This place has a lot of filtered reviews. Yes, yes, that means that the owner has been pumping up their rating with nothing but five-​star reviews (the hound!), right? Well, no. This place really is that good, all because of Melonie. I find it difficult to express in positive terms something which, by its very nature, is so extraordinarily painful that the day after I come here I wake up howling to an uncaring sky that my body is about to fall apart yet again. «How could she do this to me?» I whine. «I thought yoga was supposed to be restful, relaxing, good for the body and soul!» runs through my head as I tried to drag myself to a hot shower to recover. Seriously, all of you women 30 years older than I am who do this with every outward appearance of pleasure and relaxation, I hate you.
I got dragged here by a friend who told me «this is the most painful thing that you could ever do,» and then laughed at me when I scoffed at him. I, in turn, brought a young lady to whom I told the same thing. She then laughed at me as she had a wonderful time and it didn’t hurt her at all. For her part, the instructor also laughs at me as she rams the iron jackboot of relentless health down my spine. I sense a pattern here. I refuse to buy a block of lessons (even though it’s cheaper) primarily because it’s hard enough for me to convince myself or anyone else that I’m willing to pay somebody to do this to me on a semiweekly basis, and the thought of trying to explain to somebody, «I pay a woman to beat the living crap out of me every Wednesday morning on a schedule» is going a little bit too far for me.
She has other services; she does massage, nutritional counseling, and something called «prenatal yoga» which in my mind is probably one of the funniest mental images ever. I’m about as qualified to comment on any of these things as I am to explain what, exactly, the difference between styles (styles?) of yoga are. Personally, I wonder if yoga masters ever get in conflict over whose yoga is the more relaxing yoga and face each other in yoga-​offs. Somebody asked me if this was «hot yoga» and apparently my response of «I’m plenty hot by the end of it» was not correct.
Anyway, two thumbs up for this place, and if she has her way probably several other appendages as well. At the same time. While balancing on one foot.

i first sought out the Vancouver Yoga Center/​Melonie to get an Ayurvedic Nutritional Consultation. i am ever exploring different systems/​philosophies in the quest for Well-​being. i had a brief encounter with Melonie and was struck by her bearing and countenance. i don’t think one could have a better reference for the validity of one’s health counseling than if they themselves are the picture of health & beauty…
the consultation was fantastic…6 months later i am still processing and shaping my eating habits to more match the wisdom that Melonie imparted to me… i believe her knowledge is deep, true & transformative… and no i don’t think that these changes take place overnight and i think the mark of their impact on me is i am still pursuing and meditating on the guidance Melonie provided…
this is a total nutshell of the Ayurvedic Nutritional Counseling that she offered and i sought but is not actually the main reason i came to write the review…
because this was a birthday present to myself i thought i would tack on a massage from Melonie as a great way to end our session together…
Now first off i have to state… when it comes to massage evaluation i don’t think you are going to run into too many people that are more picky than i am… i actually think the trait can be a bit of a curse… i am a massage therapist for years now professionally and was an amateur for about 15 years before i decided to go professional… so someone really has to have some knowledge and skill for me to be Impressed…
i was Wowed… Melonie was/​is now one of my top 5 therapists i have had the honor/​privilege/​rapture to receive body work from… and this is an Elite list i am talking about…
not only was it an Above & Beyond experience from a purely qualitative/​aesthetic standpoint… once again this womyn has Knowledge…
i have a problem hip… and for Years lying on my stomach on the massage table was not always a pleasant experience… Melonie showed me this trick with a bolster which turned my Massage Receiving World Upside Down…
as she herself says… i am a body freak… from her knowledge of the workings of the body through her yoga studies, her immense grasp of Ayurvedic Nutritional Principles to guide one to a superior way of nourishing one’s self to her ability to physically manipulate our body/​energy field to induce a profound state of wellness…
i think that i have rarely if ever run across a person so fully knowledgeable/​experienced to provide you with a multi-​faceted path to Wellness…
and as i said before… if her Beauty, Bearing, Grace, Composure & Centeredness aren’t the best Reference for her skill & knowledge, well i don’t know what would be…
seek this womyn out!

Been going here for more than 10 years. Melonie Nielsen is a fabulous teacher who can teach to any level of experience, accommodating injuries and helping her students heal. She’s very knowledgeable about the body (she’s also a wonderful massage therapist) and is always seeking to expand her knowledge. Even after all these years, I’m still learning lots from her and have frequent «aha!» moments because she’s just explained something familiar in a new or deeper way. The community here is warm & welcoming, the faces change but many people keep coming back year after year. And it’s a good deal — you’re getting a great teacher at a very reasonable price.

Melonie is the main teacher at the yoga center. Her classes are challenging, inspiring, and affordable. There are individual classes for every comfort level, ability and day of the week.
The style is Anusara, a hatha based system. You can read more about it here:
.