CorePower Yoga

This three star review should be taken very literally. Sometimes I see 3 and think it’s a bad review, but really it’s just average.
My favorite thing about Core Power in Portland is the dual locations. I live in SW and work in SE, so having one on each side of the river is really awesome. Parking around the SE one can be a pain depending on the time of day, but it’s nice that you don’t have to pay for it once you find it.
My other favorite thing about Core Power is their locker room setup. While the layout is a little cramped particularly in the locker area (as opposed to the shower/​sink area), it’s a super nice feature to have full showers with sundries and a big counter/​getting ready area, etc. Unfortunately, I did see a girl have stuff stolen during a class (they are supposed to lock the door to the studio itself when class is in session — but that doesn’t prevent other yogis from getting to your stuff). This is the risk of a private locker room, as opposed to another studio I’ve been to that has more of a communal prep room that allows for cameras, since no one is walking around nude in it, but that isn’t as complete as amenities go.
My class experiences were mixed depending on instructor, as, in fairness, they are at most studios. Some were good, some were very average. None were downright bad. In general (with the exception of the work out class) they seemed to take a more calm, slow, and quiet approach to teaching. I prefer a little more energy, but to each their own.
The studio space itself was ok. It would remind you of a dance studio with high ceilings, huge mirrors, and some windowed walls with shades. I prefer more earthy, home-​y feeling studios and CP’s are definitely more on the functional/​modern side. Again, not a huge thing. One thing to note is that the hot classes never felt as hot as they have in other spaces.
So that’s that on CP. Others have mentioned it does feel more corporate. I would say that’s a fair assessment, and it’s reflective of their business model. It’s either for you or it’s not. Comes with ups (locations) and downs (lack of intimacy).
The end!

I have to say I wish I could give this place 4 ½ stars but since Unilocal won’t let me I’ll mark it down to four.
Is this the best yoga studio in Portland probably not is it the worst far from it. I went to a heated vinyasa class. I thought it was good I didn’t really like the use of so much Sanskrit I am used to hearing some of the other poses in Sanskrit but not all of them so to hear only the Sanskrit Asanas sometimes I had to look around the room to figure out what I should be doing. Overall the instructor was very upbeat and pleasant and had a good flow. Not much time in corpse pose but I guess that’s OK everyone in the class was basically a pro so if you’re a beginner this might not be the class for you. It is a intermediate class I would say they did inversions which I appreciate.
I plan on keeping my free week and using it the best that I can. I like that I don’t have to sign up in advance but know that sometimes the classes will be really full.

This CPY is great. The studio has a cathedral feel to it. There is plenty of space to let your consciousness expand! :)

So I am not a big exercise in the morning kind of girl. To add to that, the sculpt classes here are super tough and super awesome. You definitely sweat, you definitely get your cardio in, but you always come out with that wonderful sense of peace and overall bliss. I came here for the first time yesterday, that is my first time to the SE studio. The NW studio I had been to many times. I had to be in by 1:00 pm at work and I decided to do the sculpt class at 10:30 am. I am so glad I did, it was incredible. The instructor was great and the class had like 4 people in it which was awesome!!! Some people love really crowded classes and talk about the amazing energy. I am not one of those people. I like my small classes. I like being able to breath more easily and not be in a room dying because of all the bodies which equals more heat and less air in my opinion. The rest of the day I was tired, after the class, but had this really great positive vibe. I also usually need to take something to get to sleep at night. But I didn’t last night. Core Power Sculpt classes really rock!

I used to really appreciate this place. Unfortunately I have had a less than enjoyable experience and will never return. Yesterday being Mother’s Day, I thought I would treat myself to the Groupon I had purchased for $ 70 and was told it could not be honored. I accept that I didn’t read the fine print but honestly how the whole experience was handled left me deflated and wishing I had never gone in. Happy Mother’s Day to me.
For this place having a ‘yogic’ atmosphere, I sadly realize how corporate this place is.

I wish I could give this place four and a half stars. The facilities are really nice, the instructors are super friendly, and the classes for the most part are great. Then why don’t I give them 5 stars, you ask? THE SUN. The situation with the sun in the studio is just out of control. The staff at the front desk can’t even see to check you in in the morning classes, and the sun in the studio is blinding. It’s crazy to complain about the sun in Portland, right? But if you don’t believe me, go to a 9am class there on a sunny day and see for yourself. It’s a hot mess.

This is my favorite studio in Portland. I have shopped around a bit… I love the location, great workout, clean and fresh studio. There are so many different teachers that you are never stuck doing the same predictable class over and over. I really adore this place…

I live in Orange County, CA and came to Portland to visit a friend and got her to try the free week because I absolutely love the Corepower classes and instructors and wanted my friend to experience the awesomeness I experience 4 times a week!
We walk into this studio and the girls at the front desk seem decent, they ask her to fill out the free week form and when they asked her for her ID she handed it to them, she has a CA ID because she’s in Portland for school, has been for 4 years but hasn’t changed her residence at the DMV from her parents address, they gave her SUCH a hard time about how she wasn’t a local resident (when she lives down the street) and we almost walked out after the hassle but they finally agreed to let her in.
Phew that was done, we get into the studio and set up our mats then the ruder of the two ladies up front walks in as our instructor (GREAT),
1^st off you could hardly understand her with her thick accent which was a huge struggle in itself…
2^nd her flow was all over the place! There was no sequence to what she was doing, and she was moving very quickly. Which brings me to my next point,
3^rd yoga is supposed to be focused on your breath, this class definitely intended for you to forget about your breath and just try to keep up with her fast pace and predict what would be coming next.
4^th the supine twists are supposed to be done right to left, not left to right because it can clog your colon and can you some… discomfort to say, she had no knowledge of this or just didn’t seem to care
Over all, this was the worst yoga studio I’ve been to. And am confused as to why some studios within the same chain are held to higher standards? Although this experience was not good, I’ll continue going to Corepower in OC because the instructors are AMAZING and my body has never looked better!

pros: I love this studio’s existence. Mostly because i love hot yoga, and this studio makes it a possibility without draining my wallet/​schedule (60 minutes as opposed to 90 traditional style). Centrally located, great space. Variety of classes and i can actually make it after work without a traffic struggle (6:15 start is perfect).
cons: It’s still so damn spendy. Changing room is claustrophobically tiny. Not good for beginners: do not expect any personal attention, whether class is tiny or overflowing, in 6 weeks no instructor assisted me with form; it’s either a hands-​off policy or low teacher standards, as my more serious practitioner friends imply. Group-​on is the way to go!
Still, I wish i could afford this on a regular basis. The bathroom mouthwash and showers make it all worth it.

I came to Core Yoga searching for my first Hot yoga experience. Tanya was my teacher and it was really one of the best classes I’ve had for a very long time. Bless her yogi soul.
I go to yoga to meditate, stretch, and challenge myself. I don’t want to sing songs and chant. I’m not into hearing the entire back story behind each vinyasa or each pose and I don’t really care about sandskrit (sp?). I’m also not a fan of spending a whole class jumping from one strange move to another to perfect my splits because it leaves me feeling unaccomplished and misaligned.
Tanya did all the right things and I was so grateful to have an instructor who only said what needed to be said so we could really get into our meditation and breathing. She gave students the time to absorb what they were feeling and to make their own adjustments or observations. Additionally, I really liked the sequence of poses and I left feeling satisfied and centered.
Thanks for the great pick me up Tanya! There need to be more yoga teachers like you.

My first yoga experience and what a great studio in SE. It’s a clean and modern studio, if you’re into that kind of thing, and the instructors and staff are professional yet fun and informative. From the tea in the waiting room, to the music and the instructors themselves, the place has a very good zen vibe to it, which is important for yoga. I was a beginner when I started, but they made me feel welcome and helped me make subtle adjustments instead of making me embarrassed by telling me what I was doing wrong. Shout out to Collen and her Candlelight Flow classes on Thurs night!
I’ve recently moved to the Bay Area and have tried a few studios here that haven’t quite lived up to the bar that Core Power set, so I’ve started going to the Core Power in Berkeley now and am very happy with my yoga practice again.
I highly recommend going here and they have a «first week free» deal, so how can you go wrong?
Namaste.

So you’re in Portland and you want to practice yoga. There is a huge number of amazing, high quality, local studios. Why would you ever go to Corepower? It’s the McDonalds of the yoga world — a large corporate chain with over a hundred locations offering watered down «fitness» yoga. Some of the teachers are good, most are well intentioned but minimally trained. Try Yoga Pearl, Yo Yo Yogis, Bhaktishop, Yoga Shala, or Yoga Bhoga for a more fulfilling and authentic experience. Trust me, you can do much better.

I’m outa shape. Its a fact. A friend of mine had mentioned that she wanted to check out Corepower. They give a week free so that you can see if this is for you. So I went. So I mentioned that I’m out of shape right. Well a few years ago I had surgery that cut basically thru my core. Before that I had been pretty big into Yoga, but after recovery I never got back into it. Then a couple of weeks ago I thru my back out. And I mean thru it out where I couldn’t move for a week and that was while I was being adjusted at the Chiropractor. So I was a little nervous about going to a fancy studio for yoga.
But I’m so glad I did. The staff was really warm and welcoming. The studio itself is beautiful and clean with nice locker rooms. Most of Corepower Yoga is hot yoga, which I had never done before. But the staff encouraged me to go at my own pace. They push you to become better but in a reassuring way that doesn’t make you feel silly when you can’t do everything right off the bat. The heat takes a bit to get used to but I feel sooooo much better. I haven’t had as much back pain over the last few weeks. I’m also positive about going, which for me doesn’t happen when talking about working out. I would recommend this to anyone, and I’m actually trying to get my husband to go a few times. I liked it so much after my free week I became a member.

This is my favorite yoga studio. I love hot yoga, and they have tons of classes that fit my schedule. The teachers are overall great, there are a couple that I don’t like and a few that I love, most are very good. Nice clean facilities, calm environment, challenging classes. A+

This is an open love letter to the teachers at Corepower. The studio has an awesome teaching crew, each instructor has an individual teaching method but every single one is great. I am 54 years old and from my first day I felt welcomed, encouraged and cared about. I love corepower and almost everyday I am so thankful that last October I took advantage of my free week.

Clean, friendly, studio. I enjoy the vinyasa style that is at the «core» of their teaching — and they provide good solid routines that I can master, while (usually) introducing a little variation each time depending on the requests of our fellow yogis and the instructors interest level (or maybe just lack of memory?).
I’ve been going here off and on for a couple of years, and I find pretty much all of the instructors nice, well-​spoken, helpful when I’m faltering, encouraging when I’m improving, and well-​versed in the poses and philosophies of yoga.
After a good sweat/​strain it’s nice to head back to the big, clean showers and scrub off all the «old me».
I’m wary of anything that resembles a «health club», and I was suspicious of any pressure tactics by the instructors/​managers to pay more per month than I already am (discount drop-​ins plus free classes). I’m happy to report after a couple of years that they’ve been very low-​key about it — offering new programs and trainings to the classes as a whole, but leaving me alone and feeling welcome each time I interact with the staff. I know I’m probably on the lower-​end of the $$ they collect from their «ideal» clients, but they’re never making me feel bad or like I «owe» them more.

Before 2010 comes to a close, we should drop in and check on the ongoing bizarre meetings between PastKim and FutureKim. This conversation finds PK and FK at the CorePower Yoga studio on SE Morrison, because neither PK and FK can resist the allure of yapping to each other about each other, amidst the chair poses and sun salutations and avalanches of sweat.
FK: *deep breath* Really, this year wasn’t the best of times. They can’t all be.
PK: *phhhhphhh* Why? ‘Cause we turned 30?
FK: Well, that’s there, but it’s not the biggest deal. It’s just all the things that could’ve happened this year but didn’t, for whatever reason.
Instructor: Downward!
FK: *groans* Like this. Ugh, my downward dog is still terrible. This makes me think being a dog is like the worst thing in the world.
PK: They don’t make you do downward dog in Bikram.
FK: No, because Bikram was an asshole who was laughing all the way to a bank while his followers did their odd, prescribed yoga in super-​saunas. CorePower’s better, in that respect. At least you get more than one kind of yoga here.
PK: The showers are way nicer than that place in the Haight.
FK: That’s not too hard, but agreed.
Instructor: If you can, kind of thread your right foot through the crook of your left elbow. Yeah, like that!
PK: *urrrrrughuh* What in the hell is she asking us to do, FutureKim?
FK: Something that will, ow, make us feel better. She’s actually one of the better ones — she wants you to work for it and not just let the heat get you there. *coughs* We need it, if all the colds and cycles of ennui this past year are any indication of our future.
PK: Not really your fault. I mean, you did the best with what you had. You even got two trips to Hawaii.
FK: Yeah, but I was hoping for more travel to places other than where the families are located. More writing. More –
Instructor: We’ll meet in downward.
FK: *krrraawwuugh* More elasticity, here and other places. I don’t know. Sometimes I just feel like this adult lifestyle I’ve worked so hard to get just doesn’t allow for a lot of spontaneity or, you know, the stuff that you’re into.
PK: I hear that. But you’ve still got that job? And all those friends you met on that big dorky drunk website?
FK: *ermmph* Yeah.
PK: You’re still with your tall, fair-​haired sweetheart?
FK: Uh huh.
PK: *grawwauh* And he, in spite of his own troubles, has stuck around to help you with all of yours? And taken you to eat a ton more tamales than he would ever get on his own?
FK: Mmm, tamales. And yes.
PK: And you’re happy?
FK: Well, yeah. I mean, right now, happy is kind of relative because I might throw up and pass out.
PK: Well, you suck, FutureKim. So many small, nice things happened and kept happening, and all you can think about in this place that’s helping you become stronger and calmer are the things that didn’t happen. Boo fucking hoo.
Instructor: And now, when you’re ready, please take your final shavasana. Just let it all go, let everything melt into your mat. You’ve worked hard to get here.
Silence for several minutes.
FK: *deep breath* Wow. You done?
PK: *deep breath* Not just yet. I just want to say, no matter how crappy things look from your current perspective, based on your past experiences, which are kind of totally my experiences too? This year, you had it pretty sweet. And here we are, you are, getting all limber and focused in time for 2011. *another long breath* There. Now I’m done.
FK: Yoga’s made a sage out of you, huh?
PK: Ha. Far from it.

I’ve been doing yoga at various Core Power studios off and on for five years.
Enjoyed…it’s been awhile since I’ve attended a class here, but for the past few months I’ve been going to Jill’s classes at 24 Hour Fitness Hollywood. She was teaching twice a week there, but scaled back about a month ago because of her work at CPY. I LOVE Jill’s classes. I felt pretty sneaky getting the equivalent of an unheated CPY class with my gym membership. When Jill stopped teaching as much at 24, I decided to start attending her class at CPY. I took my first class at CPY, after a long break from the studio, on Sunday morning. It was a level two, and was just a great as I remember them being, even better because I like Jill’s style.
Disliked…I’ve long had a love/​hate relationship with CPY. I casually attended classes at the NW studio a few years back and loved them. When I moved to CO for a few years, I attended classes in the Denver, Colorado Springs and Boulder areas. I enjoyed the classes there too. Depending on my financial situation I would either buy a monthly membership or a punch card — usually a punch card, because I was also out of town for work a lot. Granted, this was a few years back, and they may have worked out the kinks by now, but I was VERY unhappy to find that their computer systems weren’t linked together to help me keep track of my punch card usage. While visiting Portland, I bought a punch card to save money on taxes. When I tried to use the punch card in Colorado Springs, it was very difficult. Every time I checked in there was no record of me or how many classes I’d used. So I started having to keep track and hope the person signing me in trusted me. It was a lot of stress every time I checked in and the last time I tried to go to a class they turned me away and said I didn’t have any classes left — I didn’t have the money to buy more classes and I had been keeping track and knew I had one left. I wrote CPY off for a couple years, because it was more stressful trying to get into class than the relaxation of the class could make up for.
Since then, I’ve attended a couple one time classes to see if I could get back into CPY. I didn’t care for the last two instructors I had. With one, it wasn’t personal, I just wasn’t feeling it. With the other, I never quite feel up to par when I sign in — she feels a little stuck up to me, and since I’m not buying a monthly membership or wearing lululemon, I probably don’t pass her sniff test (no pun intended — see below). Could be in my mind, but I don’t feel comfortable with her. Coincidentally, she was taking Jill’s class with me on Sunday. In the lobby I heard her talking to another student about a class she’d taught recently. She said that one of her students «smelled like pickles». WOW! That’s really mean and indiscreet. This was in the lobby for everyone to hear. I thought it was tacky — if you have an issue with a student’s hygiene, try to take it up with them, don’t talk about them behind their backs.
Like I said, Jill’s class was great, but I did have a an issue with signing in and paying. Jill was working the desk and had sold a monthly membership to a new student and was getting her all signed in — great, big sale! When I told her I just wanted a 5 class punch card, I didn’t feel like I got the same attention. It was a very perfunctory transaction and she didn’t even offer me a receipt. With my past experiences with CPY, this makes me uncomfortable, because they were unable to keep track of my classes back then. Since I’ll only be going to her classes on Sundays, I’m hoping she’ll remember me if there is a problem. We’ll see.
Bottom line… I love the challenge of CPY classes enough to still love their studios after much poor customer service and unprofessional behavior. Besides, as a yoga student, I have to wonder how much of my experience has been a result of my own behavior and expectations? I’m willing to let it go — especially after having vented here– and move on. Really — the classes are that great!

I did the free week and was impressed with the classes. During my week I took part in 3 hot yoga classes. I really wanted to try their core power classes but was never able to make it to any of them. I was also impressed with the cleanliness of the studio. Even though people sweat like crazy there is not even a hint of BO in the air.
The classes are priced lower then most yoga studios. I’ve found that most yoga studios in Portland are $ 14 per class. Corepower Yoga has $ 14 classes but also has hot yoga classes for $ 8 for an hour class.
My only disappointment was when I rented a towel from them and was told I needed to rent each towel I used. Not a big deal but at the time me and my towel were soaking wet from hot yoga and I didn’t have another $ 1 on me. I went back and asked the lady at the desk if she could just let me use a towel and she agreed if I agreed to pay her a $ 1 next time, which I did.

Oh yeah Oh yeah…
I started my 2009 the right away. I finally started doing yoga. I dragged my lazy butt to the Core Power Yoga studio on Saturday morning. They have their FREE introduction to Vinyasa class on Saturdays from 10:30 — 11:40. Basically you started a FREE week of yoga after you attend the introduction class. That’s so cool!
They have a nice locker room. The instructor always lock the door before the class starts, so no one will try to steal your stuff. Mat rental is $ 2. I have my own yoga mat that I got at Ross Dress for Less for $ 7.99. Bring your own towel, towel rental is $ 1.
The studio is nice. It has a very relaxing and warm atmosphere. I think they can put like an incense or candle or something smells good because it does smell like feet in there. You will get use to with it after you start the class.
The class itself was really relaxing and it works you out. The instructor Dina is very nice and she pays attention to you. She even let me put my hand on her left shoulder when I couldn’t do the tree pose. Yes I’m very stiff, but that’s just for now. Watch me, after few weeks doing yoga I will be stretchable and hopefully tone.
After the class, I felt really relax, sore, and stretched out. It’s the most relaxing activity you can do besides massage and it’s much cheaper.
I’m a yoga fan now. :)