Sumits Yoga

Amazing studio and wonderful teachers! I highly recommend Kait Williams; she is really amazing! Great energy, music, and makes you feel welcome :). This class is a perfect mix of flow and poses… check it out!

Great place! The instructor was polite and went through the class with great energy! I will be coming back when I make it up to Scottsdale again!

I was visiting from out of town and looking for a hot yoga studio. I had left a message at this studio since their website wasn’t working correctly earlier in day to have them call me back. I wanted some detailed info about their classes and studio. Didn’t receive a call back but did show up for their 5:30pm yoga class. The excuse i got from their front desk person as to why she didn’t call me back was payroll was more important. Well unfortunately she doesn’t get it. Customer service is key! Wouldn’t recommend this studio if you are looking for a friendly/​experienced yoga studio.

Beautiful, clean spacious studio. Teachers are devoted and fabulous. The practice is done in a heated, humidified room. Yoga poses are basic, for any skill level but you get a great workout because of the humid heat. Helps with deepening your practice.
It’s a great workout that will transform your body but most importantly, one day you will realize it has become your moving meditation. That is the reasons why their sequence doesn’t change. so that your meditation part gets deeper. There’s also fun, great music too to keep things fun. There’s nothing like this out there. I’m not a granola yogi, never been interested in yoga or gyms but Sumits hot yoga makes me want to go, practice, get better. Amazing for your skin, body & mind.
Try Lynn’s class Saturday at 10am. She is one of the best Sumits hot yoga teacher in the valley along with Sumit, Kim Ewan and Dani Solomon. Actually there are too many to mention but those named are my fave so far. Enjoy, transform your body and mind.

Wow what a great place to do hot yoga!
I highly recommend taking Lynn Highsmith classes. Her words her music are on point!
This yoga studio is super clean and there customer service is five star!

This is by far the cleanest, most fun yoga studio I have ever been to. The instructors give positive feedback and good instruction throughtout the entire class. It may take you about four or five sessions to follow the flow but once you know the moves you can challenge yourself and take it to another level. I watched my roommate lose 10 lbs doing this four days a week and now I’m coordinating it with a detox from Metagenics with weight loss goals for myself. No matter your athletic level if you are looking to take yoga to another super hot level this is the place.

It’s too bad that this studio follows the misguided trend of heating and adding humidity to the studio. The sequence is a nice flow, but hot yoga is so stupid. There is ZERO evidence that it does anything good for you. Just because you’re sweating more, doesn’t mean you’re burning more calories. In fact, you’re probably burning less because you can’t push yourself as hard. It’s also a really good way to injure yourself. It is easy to overstretch tendons and ligaments in heated yoga. You are also dehydrating yourself. Your body needs water to function properly during a workout and repair properly post workout. Don’t believe the crap that you’re sweating out toxins, this theory is garbage. You’re just sweating necessary water and electrolytes.
Also, it’s not environmentally friendly!

I have no doubt my stars will increase upon revisiting this Sumits location. This review is *solely* based on my first visit. First off, Beri is a great instructor. Her voice carries pretty well, and her instructions were clear. The studio is HUGE, with a wonderfully large practice room, and gorgeous locker room. HUGE lobby (space could actually be utilized better – there’s so much of it!), with great retail. Giant parking lot, too!
This being said, here’s my review on my experience itself: I arrived 15 min early to an 8am class only to find the door locked and no sign of anyone inside. I was crushed, having been so proud of myself for getting out of bed to attend such an early class. I sat and waited, but wasn’t very hopeful since there were no other cars in the parking lot, and no other students waiting for the class. There was no indication of it having been canceled online, so I began to get frustrated. Eventually, around 7:55 a woman arrived and made for the door. I immediately asked, «do you work here?» (in a pleasant, non-​judgmental voice) She said yes and proceeded to open the door. Ultimately, it seems as though her coworkers had left her a bit stranded, as she explained that she doesn’t work the front desk. Thus, I don’t think she had time to check anyone in prior to class (I could be wrong but we didn’t do so with me since I was new and using a Groupon – which is an awesome deal btw. Check it out!!). Everything with that worked out in the end; my lower rating is simply for this: there should have been someone at the studio at least 15 min prior to the first class for any early birds. I know life happens and this could have been a once in a blue moon thing for them, but like I said this rating is for this particular experience of mine. Also, despite the fact that there wasn’t a front desk person, the fact that the instructor arrived less than 5 min before class started didn’t allow some of us enough time to get our mats ready and/​or to stretch. I missed the intro sun salutations, actually, as I had to use the restroom beforehand. Again, had there been a desk person, the fact that the teacher was only 5ish min early wouldn’t have been an issue. But this time it was. Overall, though, I look very forward to returning, especially bc they have yoga sculpt which many yoga studios – including other Sumits locations – do not offer.

I go to the studio all the time. Great teachers everyone that comes here is friendly !!!
Tonight there was a new teacher named Courtney. It was her first class ever !! Her energy was awesome, the heat was perfect, and the music was great !!
In general every time you come to the studio you have a great experience !! The students are super nice and have a great admiration for each other.
And the teachers are warm sweet and welcoming !
If you like it hot fun and full of energy this is your studio !!!
Congrats Courtney on your first class tonight !!
Great job Sumit Grayhawk! You are all amazing!!!

I was reluctant to try hot yoga again since I didn’t like the mundane static repetition of Bikram. But, I’m hooked on Sumits since the postures and combinations offer enough of a variety and flow to keep me in the game. A couple things I wish for: our guide could articulate more ‘challenges’ for advancing students in each pose and remind us more often of proper alignment. I also miss hand stands or other inversions near a wall. Lastly, a wish about hygiene: After we all say «Namaste” – could we (men in particular) wipe off our sweat with our towel BEFORE tracking an unsanitary swath of flop-​sweat through the class and marking territory in the lobby. The only man’s sweat I want between my toes is my lovers :-)

Similar to another review here, I had a bad experience with Sumit — he tried to lift my shirt during practice and told me I needed to be able to see my abs in the mirror in order to practice correctly — this is absolutely inappropriate behavior from a yoga teacher. A male teacher moving a woman’s shirt without her permission is unacceptable. Ladies beware.

Sumits Grayhawk is such a warm (literally!) and welcoming yoga studio. Sumits practice is for people of all levels, from total beginner to experienced yogi.

Came here for the Yin class and was not disappointed. It was nice and relaxing although I wish I could hear the teacher better. There were times when I could not quite get on what she was saying.
The yoga room was nicely dimmed and clean but the music from the other yoga room was a little distracting, maybe just needed to be turned down just a tad?
I had a Groupon and it was expired by a week but when I emailed them and asked if I could still use it, they were very receptive and told me to go ahead and use it although it was expired. Now that is what I call good customer service.

Great experience!
I haven’t been to hot yoga in about a year. I went fearing the strain, it was tough but great. Jennifer Rivers was the instructor, she is friendly and encouraging.
I feel like I went through a mini cleanse. Feels good to do an alternative workout, and feel a different type of burn. This class can really help you relax and loosen up. Its worth a try. I am for sure going back already bought a package!

Ring me out and hang me up to dry. That is the drenched sentiment walking out of class — through a set sequence and flow, you get in tune with your breath, ask your body to do what it needs to hit the reset button, and come out feeling like you’ve gone through a personal rinse cycle (mentally and physically). It’s lovely, rejuvinating and best of all consistent — making it worth each and every sweaty minute.
I’ve been to a couple of different Sumits locations, but I really like this space. It’s a very large room with decent acoustics and pretty good airflow. When the room is 100 degrees with 60% humidity, those brief moments when the door opens mean a lot. Sure some people can tough it out and practice far away from them, but I’ve been practicing for 11 years and still rely on those gusty breezes to restore my focus in class. The only thing unreliable elememt is how often each teacher actually opens them — some do more than others.
The sequence is really well put together and the emphasis on only doing what your body needs on any given day is a reassuring message that circulates throughout class. If it’s too much, there is no barrier in getting into child’s pose for as long as you need it. Come Savasana, pretty much every thing in you has dripped out in sweat and it’s probably the most peaceful 2 minutes you’ll have in your day!

Sumits Yoga combines the best of the best. I have been to Bikram Yoga where you practice hot yoga with stretching type movements. The focus there is on repetition and improving in practice. I have also been to regular yoga where you can do more difficult types of moves. Sumits Yoga is a great combination of the hot room concept with regular and complex yoga moves. In addition, you do a bunch of pushups and situps in the room as well. This would be like yoga on steriods. In the end, you come out of the room feeling amazing!

I went to Sumits for the first time today because I purchased a Groupon for the studio. I had an excellent experience! The studio is large, clean and comfortable. The class was different from what I am used to but the instructor was nice and helpful. I liked the progression and flow of the class! Can’t wait to go back!

I’ve been to tons of yoga studios all over Phoenix and Scottsdale and I can say that Sumits ranks among the best. The staff is extremely friendly and welcoming unlike a lot of studios that make you feel like an outsider on your first few visits.
The instructor made it a point to learn everyone’s names and kept the class lighthearted. I will say that I found it a bit odd that there weren’t any lockers to stash my keys and phone during the class. All around I enjoy my experiences at Sumits.

Sumits was my gateway to yoga.
When I first moved to AZ, I tried a (non-​Sumits) Bikrim class and hated it. The heat was unbearable and I was so grossed out by the humid, surely fungus-​infected carpet, not to mention turned off by the drill sergeant, vaguely cultish, you must stay in the room BS.
Several years later a friend took me to Sumits at McCormick Ranch. Much more appealing. A set-​series, Sumits flow is a nicely-​composed hybrid of Bikrim and vinyasa, perfect for people who crave a lil’ motion in their practice. The class emphasis is more about feeling good, staying positive, and sticking with it than about how well you can do the pose. If you are new, the staff will take time to introduce themselves and learn your name. After you finish your first class you’ll be congratulated and encouraged to return (smart marketing eh?). If only all studios and fitness clubs treated people that way!
Though hot, the room temps aren’t as stifling as traditional Bikrim. Luckily Sumits has wood floors so when you do sweat — and you will — it’s not going to be memorialized into a bio hazardous carpet. Thankfully they mop the floors between each class.
Only the flow portion of the class is conducted to music. Like the other reviewers I too wish they’d turn the volume down, it doesn’t accomplish anything. Shavasana is a bit perfunctory — they don’t really give you enough time to melt into your nothingness, but you can stay in the room longer if you like.
I am perplexed why all women don’t race to the showers after class — the changing rooms and showers are always very clean and stocked with cleaning products. A cold shower feels blissful after sweating your brains out for over an hour. Their loss, my gain I guess.
Sumits is a great choice for people of all ages and abilities who like a good (HOT) workout or want to try yoga in a positive environment. If you are a more experienced yoga practitioner, Sumits is a nice addition to a more robust practice. Do not expect to receive adjustments, tips on technique, or to explore more advanced poses — that’s not what this experience is about. That said, Sumits has been expanding its offerings over the past few years — from integrating flow classes to workshops — so there appears to be new opportunities for yoga growth within the Sumits brand.
Bring water, a hand towel, and invest in a yoga towel mat. Smile. Have fun!

People always ask what Sumits is… it’s a hot studio that starts with a bit of standing bikram, then four vinyasa style flows, then floor bikram — about 20 minutes of each with breaks and abs in between. Yoga is a practice, it’s different every day for everybody and it’s not a performance or a competition. The instructors here are good at reminding you to listen to your body and do only what it needs and wants to do.
The Groupons I’ve picked up for this studio make it worth it to me because I like going in and getting a good sweat on, but I don’t think I would do a membership. The flow kind of bores me and doesn’t feel like too much work. Honestly it feels like rich white people patting themselves on the back for doing what they deem «tough.» Yes, it’s hot and yes, it’s work, but I’d rather be challenged to hold poses or focus on what the instructor is saying to think about where to move next instead of just doing the same thing every time.
The people are friendly and the space is nice. I hear they are moving to a two-​studio space closer to Shea during Fall 2012, so maybe they will start to offer a little more variety.