Big Ron’s Yoga College

I like the hot yoga class i went to here. I’ve been to a million different yoga classes but that was my first time doing hot yoga. It wasn’t the absolute best yoga class I’ve ever been to but it covered all the bases and I definitely felt like I got in a great work out. It went for about an hour and a half which was a long time especially for hot yoga but the last half was all floor poses. It is definitely a good place to go if you are a beginner or do not like super intense classes. It was not the type of yoga class that had a big focus on mind or meditation. No music. Focused on the work out. It was a super crowded class though when I went at 6:00 on a Sunday. There were mostly older people in the class but some younger as well. Bring a big towel to put on your mat and some smaller ones for throughout the class. You will sweat a ton in hot yoga.

I’ve only been practicing hot yoga for several months at Big Ron’s and I love it! After many years as a personal trainer and weight training I was looking for something to add to my own routine. I love the challenge and the enhanced flexibility and improved balance. Rose is the manager and my primary instructor. She has a passion for the practice that’s infectious! She is soooo knowledgeable and patient with new students and challenges the experienced ones. Louise is also a fantastic instructor in the afternoons!

I’ve only been once, although it wasn’t precisely bikram yoga, the flow was great. I felt that the instructor offered wonderful feedback to everyone in the class, she was very positive and had a good energy –overall great space.

This studio was absolutely horrible. The instructor was pompous and rude. I usually practice Bikram yoga, but live over an hour away from a Bikram studio, so I figured I would give this place a try. I was told that the class delivers every Bikram posture, but simply has 10 added postures. Each time I continued on my own into the next posture without using added postures, the teacher barked that we weren’t there yet. Bikram works for me. I only went to the studio to have a hot place to practice with a mirror. My sister is an instructor, so I am well experienced in the correct formation of postures. The fact that each posture in the floor series is only performed once, without warning, and no savasana in between, was extremely irritating. The point of savasana is to allow ones body to absorb the postures performed. Besides that, my friend had never done yoga before at all and the teacher was rushing through without any consideration for him. The teacher would even sometimes stop and say «Oh, I forgot xyz posture, lets go back.». CRAY!!!
Point is– if you want a studio with inexperienced smart a** teachers who will give you CANDY RIGHT AFTER CLASS, go here. If not, save your $ 15. I’d rather drive 4 hours than go back there again.
It especially pissed me off when both my friend and I thanked the teacher when leaving, and we were both ignored. NEVER AGAIN!!!

I love practicing yoga but I’ve also played competitive sports throughout my life and have had many hot headed coaches so I’m not easily offended by aggressive instructors… but the male instructor I had at Big Ron’s Wednesday night class a few months ago was horrendous. He never stopped speaking, nay, he never stopped YELLING. Even during savasana he jabbered incessantly. As an added annoyance he made mocking comment about my top which happened to be an awesome gift from a friend who was practicing with me that night.

Update: I’ve been to a few of the regular classes & I love the various instructors. Each class I’ve been to has had a different instructor, which means the focus changes & isn’t boring. I’ve found the instructors very knowledgable & challenging (when I want it to be). Also love that I can drink when I feel I need it. There’s even a water fountain IN the room in case you run out, so you never have to worry about that.
Here’s the thing: it’s NOT bikram. So you either love it or hate it. I choose to love it because I like that I can use blocks to help me get into poses I’m not flexible enough for… or that my arms are too short for (seriously, I’ve got T-​Rex arms for yoga). And anything I’m not comfortable with (like inversions in the heat), I just sit out. So don’t expect «bikram,» even though some of the poses are similar.
Very satisfied & highly recommend. And I will keep practicing at this studio.
Sticking with my 4-​stars due to lack of showering facilities, making weekend practices solo events…& the start time of the weeknight class. Starting at 6:30 PM means I don’t walk in my door until after 9 PM…& still require shower/​dinner/​sleep. Would be so awesome if these classes started at 6 PM instead. Those extra 30 minutes would be a real asset. I assume I’m in the minority though… I can live with that. Just my own personal opinion in relationship to how far away I live.

I only went to one class, but that class was NOT TRUE BIKRAM. The room was also not as hot as true Bikram studios. I only gave 2 stars because I wanted and was expecting Bikram, and I didn’t like the style of the additions nor the dialogue of the instructor.
If you’re going for the first time, make sure you tell the instructor before the class starts that you are new to the studio. I didn’t make this clear because I thought I would be familiar with all of the poses. But, some poses are very different. For example, I wasn’t aware that I should get blocks for some poses. It was also frustrating because he would ask if someone wasn’t familiar with a pose, so I would raise my hand (indicating that I was new!). Then he would ask the same question for something like the final breathing exercise. Because I thought it would just be the Bikram style, I wouldn’t raise my hand so he wouldn’t show me even though he had the knowledge that I was new. It was really annoying. That happened on so many occasions. Don’t make the same mistake.

This is the worst yoga studio you can imagine. Showed up to a 6pm class, no instructor in sight till 6:15, we’d have been luckier had they just not shown at all. The instructor is disgusting and rude, wouldn’t stop speaking of bagels which are like kegals apparently but for men. I’ve done bikram many times, at many different studios and this did not match up on any level. I was hardly sweating, possibly because the building was unoccupied to turn the heater on until 15 minutes after class was supposed to begin. This studio is an embarrassment to yoga. Save your time and money.

The instructor here was rude and narrow-​minded. I was new to this studio (visiting from out of town) and therefore was not comfortable with the poses and skipped or modified some of them. I am a slow learner when it comes to yoga. He actually called me out about this in front of the whole class, implying that I was a yoga snob (i normally practice Bikram).
He basically told me to practice his way or leave.
I left. The only reason for 2 stars instead of 1 is because he gave me my money back.
On another note, the studio is carpeted. Makes it difficult to balance in poses and also makes it quite stinky.

I don’t think yoga is for everyone, and I definitely don’t think Bikram yoga is for everyone; however, I also think it’s worth trying at least once.
Although I visit fairly infrequently (once a week at best, once a month at worst), I’m hooked on Bikram yoga. Whereas regular yoga seems to be all about the stretching, the 100 degree heat makes Bikram yoga seem like a cardio workout, which I love.
I don’t think Bikram yoga is offered anywhere else in Gainesville, and the prices are fantastic compared to other similar workouts (pilates and regular yoga classes). Each of the instructor’s has his/​her own style, so each class is unique.
If you’re a first time visitor, make sure you bring lots of water!

i used to live in gainesville unfortunately for 4 years and was VERY glad to get out of that awful city. HOWEVER, big rons yoga was a great place to workout and enjoy yourself and not really think about just how hard the class was. i practice mixed martial arts competitively and yoga is GREAT for flexibility and i never get injured due to practicing bikrams yoga. big ron was a great guy and i miss him and the classes i took there. i now practice at bikrams yoga st augustine.
the previous reviewer must not be too familiar with bikrams yoga and if he is then i am not sure why he went to bog rons then complained in his review. some peope just like to complain because they are just always unhappy. thats like going to burger king when you know it isnt good for you and you dont like it but you still go then complain. makes NO sense.
if big rons is still there, i highly suggest it and it is a hard work out so if you arent prepared to really work, dont go. i assume that might have been the case with the previous reviewer. he was looking for easy!

For some reason, I got sucked into going to this place for months at a time. Not sure if it helped me with my yoga practice, but I did get a good workout here. I’m not big into Bikram-​like hot yoga, but this is the place to go in town. Who would’ve though a little man in a tiny bathing suit can leave you sweating and aching in a 90-​minute yoga session. The cheesy beach scene wallpaper on one wall of the room is a good distraction while you sit in an awkward yoga pose.
For those of you not familiar with this type of yoga you go through a seriesi of 26 positions (asanas as they’re called) twice, each time deepening your stretch. With the depth of your practice it does help to work in a warmer room. Better come prepared well-​hydrated and bring a couple of towels and come Gatorade-​water drink or fear of passing out.
This husband, wife and son-​in-​law establishment provides knowledgeable information about this form of yoga and is good with helping people of all levels of practice to deepen their yoga experience. I’m not into this form of yoga but if you are try this out!