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FAQ

Everything you wanted to know about FORM yoga. 

That’s a tough question to answer because Yoga can mean so many things depending on the style and lineage of this ancient Eastern practice.

We could tell you about the history of the Yoga and how it began before there were even poses involved. We could tell you about meditation and the focus on breath, the Yoga of devotion and non-harming, or we could theorize about the motives of ancient sages and the “true” path of yoga. Here at FORM we see the beauty in the antiquity of the practice and we believe in an ongoing innovation of what Yoga is.

In the west, when people think of Yoga they often envision a focus on the poses, this is just one aspect of the practice. To be frank, if you never touch your toes or always lose your balance that’s totally ok. In fact, that is part of the journey of Yoga, non-attachment to the outcome.

Our approach to Yoga is grounded in the roots of the practice while being steeped in mindfulness, presence, and support. Rather than preaching about what Yoga is or is not, we embody the teachings and lead by example.

We believe Yoga is for everybody and every body. We believe there is no perfect pose, only the perfect pose for you in each moment. We believe the “no pain, no gain” approach is absolute BS. We believe vulnerability is a superpower. We believe in encouragement. We believe in taking risks. We believe in the power of community. We believe in being seen and seeing each other. We believe in laughing when we fall and supporting our friends when they fall.  We believe in the beauty of trying again (and perhaps even finding the levity in the experience!). We believe you belong here. 

If our approach intrigues you then perhaps you have found your permanent Yoga home at FORM.

Heck no! If that is your vibe we understand, but it’s not what you will get at FORM. Let us educate you…

Hot Yoga heats the body from the outside, using the room (and our precious natural resources!) to generate heat. This heats the body artificially and unevenly which can lead to overstretched muscles. Overstretched tissues more easily develop tears and strains. It can also overstretch the ligaments, which can make joins unstable and lead to long-term injury. Yikes! Once you over-stretch the ligaments your joints can become unstable leading to chronic issues in your tissues. *insert another snort laugh. 

Most hot Yoga studio’s only focus on the physical parts of Yoga (and we just told you those may parts actually be harming you!). Yoga is never about pushing you to your max, it’s about finding a balance to grow sustainably We want to be with us for a long time.

At FORM yoga you are the heat generator! Of course we heat and cool the room appropriately to keep you comfortable, but all the sweat will come from your efforts and hard work, not from an external source. You’ll know you are the one exerting the energy to create the heat, and that’s hella badass.

Is it hot in here? Nah, that’s just you.

Yay! Welcome to a practice that can literally change your life!

There are a few things that are part of Yoga culture & etiquette that may make your first visit more enjoyable:

Arrive at least 5 minutes before start time. The time you see listed is when class BEGINS. Our doors close and lock at the start time of class. Sorry, for the safety and enjoyment of everyone in attendance, no late admittance is allowed. When you arrive, check in by stopping by the front desk. Let the teacher know you are new and any injuries you may have so we can help you remain safe. They will show you the ropes and help you settle in.

Bring a mat and some water to stay hydrated. If you don’t have a Yoga mat yet we have them for purchase or rent at the studio. We will have anything else you may need for class such as blocks, straps, bolsters, and blankets.  No need to bring them! The teacher will place the props needed for each class out in the front of the practice space.

Turn your phone to silent and stow it away in the cubbies. Please do not enter the studio if you are on your phone.  Instead we invite you to finish your conversation on the bench outside then join us when you are available to be greeted. Yoga is about being truly present with each moment, and we want to be present with you too! So forget about the outside world for the next 60 minutes or so. And we double-dog-dare you to ignore those notifications on your Apple Watch too. Or better yet stow it away for class. We promise you’ll feel even more liberation that way!

Take off your shoes before hitting the studio floor. Yes, we do sweep and mop the floors after every class but removing your shoes is a sign of respect for the sacred space and the practice itself. Some students like to practice in socks but we find that unless you are in one of our restorative classes socks can a hinderance.

Do you have to be in shape? Heck, no!

Remember Yoga is called a practice for a reason, it’s not called a perfect. *Insert snort laugh here. No matter if the shape you’re in is the shape you want to be in, or if you’re looking to reFORM yourself, you’re welcome here.

Our studio is body positive, we encourage you to embrace where you already are! Our classes offer personalized attention in a safe, sacred, and supportive group setting. So come as you are! FORM is – as the Beastie Boys would say – for all lifestyles, sizes, shapes, and forms. 

NO! Yoga is perfect if you are inflexible! This isn’t gymnastics, where the most flexible person gets a medal.

Yoga – like stretching – is a process. And a fun fact for all of you out there that may struggle to touch your toes, flexible students actually get injured more frequently than those who struggle with flexibility, so you’ve got a leg up (see what we did there?)!

We practice in a group, but Yoga is a very personal practice. The only flexibility you need is mental. Just stay open to new possibilities to get the benefits of Yoga.

Just show up, breathe, move, and honor where you are today. Again, that’s the very reason Yoga is called a practice. As you continue, you’ll witness your body beginning to open up, allowing for a greater range of motion and increased strength and stamina.

How about a whole month to check out our classes so you can FORM your own opinion?

We encourage you to check out our New Student Trial, 1 month of unlimited classes for $59. This offer is only available to purchase on your first visit and comes with some extra perks (and some freebies too). You can learn more by going here

We want to incentivize you to make your well-being a priority. We believe in the power of Yoga, and we also know that you may need time to decide if this whole Yoga thing works for you. 

Did you attend your first class and are now kicking yourself for not purchasing the New Student Trial? First off, no kicking yourself, it’s not nice. Secondly, email us and we will take a look to see if we can help you out.  

 

Well, that really depends on your personal goals.

If you are new to Yoga, you are welcome in ALL of our classes… really! Yoga is truly about being in and honoring your body, and at FORM  you get to decide how much you wish to stretch yourself and how much you wish to chill. We hire only the best teachers who can help you feel safe and supported on your mat, no matter the class style, our quality of teaching and instruction is one way FORM yoga blows other studios out of the water. In each class you’ll be offered rich and meaningful instruction filled with inspiration and breath. Take a read below to get a feel for each style. We are always here for your questions!

Do you have a current Yoga practice and are looking to explore some challenging poses and transitions in a playful atmosphere? 
Sacred Playground: Advanced Asana:
 In this kula style class (the teacher practices with you)  you can expect to explore some of the more mystifying and challenging poses of Yoga. We guide you safely, in our signature playful and light-hearted way, to explore these poses with plenty of stopping points. No need to already be advanced, this class allows you the space to explore and learn with support. For maximum benefit, some Yoga experience is suggested.

Looking for a faster paced, sweaty, cardio and strength based workout?  
Happy Hour: 
At a more fast-paced tempo and lots of poses to strengthen and stretch, not just your muscles but also your sense of playfulness! You’ll certainly sweat and get a great cardio work out – or shall we say work in? This class will certainly challenge you as a beginner but you’ll be offered options as well as time to rest . . .we are pretty sure this style of yoga was why Child’s Pose was invented!

Want to move and strengthen without too much sweat or too much challenge?
Yoga For Everybody: Our signature all-levels practice. This modification-rich class is a studio favorite with a beautiful balance of strength, stretch, and stillness, or as we like to refer to it, the Yoga trinity! You’ll be offered plenty of options to back off poses and rest or go deeper and challenge yourself.

Flow & Let Go: This class is structured to balance the breath-to-breath offerings of vinyasa yoga with the integrity of stillness. The first portion of this class is fluid and mildly paced to mobilize, stabilize and strengthen the entire body before we take it down – all the way down. The second portion of class is pure stretching and restorative poses.

Upper Body ReFORM: This class emphasizes the mobility, strength and flexibility of the entire upper body including the neck, shoulders and upper back.  Perfect for anyone but especially for those seeking better posture and more freedom from ailments like tension headaches, TMJ, and forward head, as well as those who spend a lot of time working at their desk.

Looking for a more chill way to stay strong and mobile?
Easy Like Sunday Morning: Offered only once per week, this gently flowing class offers a perfect balance of both effort and ease. Get a healthy serving of deep stretching both in the strengthening poses as well as in the seated and supine yin poses. This class is chill AF.

Hips Don’t Lie: The first half of this class explores functional movement through kneeling, standing and balance-based poses to stabilize and strengthen the tissues of the entire lower body. The second half of class is dedicated to postures based on mobility and flexibility to stretch and open the lower body. You’ll certainly make Shakira proud!

Are you interested in ALLL the good yoga stretches?
Stretch & Relax: Stretchy poses featuring long holds, and deep breathing. Do we need to say more? With a nod to our yin roots, we focus on our fascia (connective tissue), stress release, and mobility. Through long holds, guided breath, and intelligent sequencing, this class works with your nervous system to leave you feeling calm, cool, and collected.

Need pure stress release and nervous system regulation?

Restorative Yoga for Sleep: With support from our yoga props, you’ll snuggle in and deeply rest as you are guided into comfortable shapes, each held for several minutes. Ahhh.

Restorative Yoga + Yoga Nidra: Another signature offering featuring the deep relaxation of holding comfortable poses with the support of props as well as the added bonus of Yoga Nidra! Yoga Nidra, loosely translated as Yogic Sleep, is a proven method of initiating a deep state of relaxation through guided meditation and visualization. Your teacher will guide you into a position to hold for 20-30 minutes while she guides you into a state of deep relaxation through a process known as Yoga Nidra. It’s absolute bliss!

Our most economical pricing is always, always, ALWAYS a monthly or yearly membership.

With membership we give you a significant discount on your classes in return for your monthly commitment. Membership comes with perks like discounts on retail, discounts on workshops and events, and new for 2023, free members events each month! Our unlimited membership includes our On-Demand platform as well. With that you can explore 170+  classes which can be filtered by style, length of class and even subject matter. And as an extra perk, some of our memberships even come with monthly passes for your friends! We know how important it is to share what you love with your loved ones – and it never hurts to gain some gluten-free brownie points. Our memberships are affordable and  begin at $59 per month. That’s the best deal in all of ATL!

If commitment is not your jam, we understand. A class package may be more your style. You get a bundle of classes for cheaper than purchasing single classes when you need to get down(dawg). All of our class packages have a 6 month expiration so you can feel confident in your investment.
Want an insider tip? The more classes you commit to the cheaper per class rate you pay.

Find the right membership or package for you on our pricing page.

ABSOLUTELY! We’re of the mind that there’s no better complete body workout than a flow-based class, filled with breath and intention.

Fluid pose-to-pose movement strengthens and stretches your muscles and mobilizes your joints. And it’s a great cardio workout too! We can not forget to mention the hormone balancing that happens when our nervous system is regulated.

Ever hear of that pesky little thing called a cortisol response to stress? When we are stressed our body tends to hang onto excess resources in case it is needed. So even the slower paced, relaxing classes can help you achieve your fitness and wellness goals! Win-win!

OH, YES! 

Check out this nifty little parking map. We have ample parking in the parking lot off of Howard Avenue. If this lot is full there is a back parking lot off of Atlanta Avenue. You can also parallel park on Atlanta Avenue next to Thinking Man Tavern. And speaking of Thinking Man, you can also use their lot if there are open spaces. We share parking with the whole complex.

There is no right answer, it really depends on your personal goals.

Want to see fast results across your physical, mental and emotional realms? Then we recommend practicing 5+ times a week.

Great results come from taking 3-4 classes per week consistently. But use your own judgment in developing a schedule that’s right for you, even if it’s 1-2 days per week.

The secret to success? Consistency, plain and simple. Stay consistent, and your practice will help you gain strength and energy, decrease stress, and build (or rebuild?) an open, pain-free body. 

And to keep you practicing we offer three levels of membership that will help you achieve your practice goals. Membership, with packages beginning at once per week, is the most economical way to keep your mat unrolled. Go here to see all our membership options!

Yes! These colors, as well as how much of the circle is filled in, give you an idea on how many students are registered for each class.  

A green circle is a spacious class with less than half of the spots full, an orange circle is around half-full, and a red circle is close to capacity. When the class is full the circle turns dark brown/black. If a class is full and you hope to attend we highly encourage you to use the waitlist function. 

When a class is full we encourage you to use the waitlist function, it works great!

If a class is full and you click to be added to the waitlist you’ll automatically notified if a spot has opened up. Just make sure you enable push notifications under your settings in the FORM yoga app so you will receive the notification!

Once you receive the notification you may choose to register or give up your registration. If you do not replay the system will move to the next person on the waitlist.

Please note that simply receiving a notification that a spot has opened doesn’t guarantee you have a spot, you must respond and click through the prompts to be added to class. The amount of time you have to respond depends on how close to start time class is, it can be as little as 5 minutes when class time is within a few hours. 

Traditionally it changes based on the level of community risk.

We have taken a conservative approach to the pandemic and are honored to say that we have had no community spread since reopening our doors in November 2020!

You can read our extensive COVID-19 policy on the homepage of our website by clicking here. For the comfort of all our students beginning October15, 2022 we offer all mask optional classes.

Check the studio schedule to choose the perfect class to help you feel safe on your mat.

Congratulations and welcome to our community!

We told you we were awesome and now we are more awesome because YOU are here!

Stay connected. For more awesomeness you can even hop over to our online community in our private Facebook group. You’ll have a chance to say hi and likely meet some friends. There is always lots of fun dialog and interesting things going on in there, just request to join us.

Notice the changes. A day or so after class, you may be a bit sore in places you haven’t thought about for years. Or you may feel less anxious and a bit more optimistic. You may have more patience with your family or co-workers. You may sleep better or have more interesting dreams. You may feel more spacious and free. You may find yourself missing that post class ease. All of this is change!

Book again! Yoga classes may have you using muscles you probably haven’t used in a while (or ever!). You may think that coming to class all sore up and tore up is the last thing you should do, but it’s really the BEST thing to do. As you move your muscles and stretch, you can relieve the soreness.

Whatever you do, don’t delay. Yoga is a continual process, so waiting too long to attend another class might feel like starting all over again. The more you practice, the more your body responds. Our bodies are amazing like that!

Make a schedule. To get the most out of Yoga, schedule time each week for your practice – and stick with it! Life happens. We get that. But yoga helps you approach whatever life dishes out.

No matter how you spell it – Savasana or Shavasana – this is the most important pose of all!

Each Yoga class ends in Savasana, where you lay quietly on the mat for usually somewhere between 5-10 minutes. It may seem like not much is going on, but we promise this is where so much of the magic happens!

There are literally thousands of different poses and this single pose is included at the end of every class. This speaks volumes about how important it is to the wholeness of the practice. The goal here is to rest in stillness to allow your practice and everything you have learned to resonate and imprint.

We often spend so much time doing, doing, doing, we often forget to enjoy what we have already done. Savanna is an opportunity to just be.

Class isn’t over until after Savasana but if you really must leave be sure to let the teacher know in advance and quietly sneak out to not disturb others. 

Don’t worry, it may not be what you think. 😉

Some of our teachers burn Sage, Lavender, or Palo Santo to clear the studio energy before or after class. These plants have been used across the world and across cultures in ceremony and ritual to help create a sacred container for transformation. You may catch a whiff or two, and if you like it you can visit our intention boutique to pick up some for yourself. 

Some of our teachers sing Om and others don’t. You may be asked to sing, or not, but you always have the choice.

Om is believed to be a sacred sound, and similar to the use of sage it can be used to foster time for a sacred offering. And just like all the offerings at FORM, you can try it out or remain silent. And always remember if you try it out your Om doesn’t have to be perfect.

Singing does create a inner vibration that is said to help release tension and clear energy. Chanting together is a wonderful way to create community and to practice using your voice. We all need that don’t we?

We encourage you to give it a try, especially if you are scared! That is one way we grow.

Saying Namaste is a highly individual choice. you can choose to say it or remain silent. 

Just like chanting, some teachers may offer a Namaste at the beginning or end of class and others may not.

For many saying namaste is a gesture of respect to the practice, the students in class with you and the teacher as well. For others they feel that the term has been appropriated from the Indian culture.

Namaste is a Sanskrit word, Sanskrit is the language of Yoga. To overly simplify, Namaste in its original meaning means I bow to and recognize the light in you. Namaste is a very common greeting in India to this day. Some say it’s more formal, a way you would greet and elder.  And some say it’s more like saying “hi” or “bye”to someone as you walk past. 

While the jury is out, there are many ways to show respect before or after class.  You can say “thank you” or simply bow your head. You can bring prayer hands to heart in Anjali Mudra or say Namaste. Namaste is never, ever required.

Now, whatever you do please do not use the term as a play on words. “Nama’stay in bed”  or “Namaslay” are two examples of an offensive misuse that all experts on the matter – and many Hindu’s – argue are highly offensive.

 Oh, that’s our Saraswati! Saraswati is the Hindu goddess of learning and creativity, spoken and written word, as well as music.

Saraswati is one of the goddesses associated with the Tantra Yoga Tradition that our owner Mandy is from. Mandy actually received this goddess from her teacher Mitchel Bleier and his wife Tracey Bleier. You can read about that here

We figured she was the perfect murti (sacred statue) to have in our space! She anchors our altar, a sacred space for our staff and community, and if you are feeling called you may leave her offerings and ask for a blessing. She especially loves gemstones, personal notes, prayers, and flowers placed at her base (please do not place anything on the altar shelves). Traditionally you’ll offer her something first before asking for her blessings in return. Reciprocity runs deep in goddess devotion.

We always have extra tips to share, just ask!

Focus your attention on your own body, listen to the verbal cues from your teacher, and apply what you see and hear to your posture. Move mindfully and intentionally as you build your poses and take each pose a breath at a time. If a pose is too much, that’s OK. Honor the need and rest. Take a child’s pose or sit and watch and learn. Remember, this is a practice, and none of us are perfect.

Remember to breathe. This ain’t swimming, but it’s common to find yourself holding your breath. But your muscles NEED the oxygen to work effectively. When you feel tense, focus on a long powerful exhale. In with the good, out with the not-so-good.

Look for the ease. Try to find your edge in the practice where effort and surrender meet. Challenge yourself while at the same time respecting your body and your abilities. Patience is one of the most challenging aspects of Yoga, so be sure to honor your body in each breath. Yoga is the art of balancing. Let go of expectations, but be prepared to work. And never sacrifice the body for the glory of the pose. Enjoy the journey of getting into the pose.

Willingness to try is key. Yoga guru Pattabhi Jois said, “Yoga is 99% practice and 1% theory.” Most of the effort of your practice is in simply getting to the studio regularly each week. A balanced and consistent practice is the biggest contributor to a lifelong transformational practice.

Release your rigidity. With practice we learn that we’re all students (even us teachers, too). So, be flexible mentally as you increase your physical flexibility, and remain open to trying something new. Be kind, be compassionate, try not to judge or compare. Go with the flow and NEVER take yourself too seriously. We sure as heck don’t.

Absolutely! You can schedule a private or semi-private sessions directly on our FORM yoga app or by emailing us.

Scheduling a series of private lessons with one of our teachers for some one-on-one guidance gives you a tremendous foundation – plus many beginning practitioners find them inspiring and motivating.

Now if you feel like you want to study a bit more at home we also offer an on-demand intro to Yoga, Yoga 101: A Beginner’s Guide to Yoga. For a one time fee you’ll get access to a comprehensive array of offerings to guide you though the fundamentals of beginning a Yoga practice. It’s like having your own personal Yoga teacher in the comfort of your own home, whatever time of the day you wish to practice!

Still have questions? Email us at questions@formyoga.com. We’re happy to help!

Testimonials

“A MILLION THANK YOUS… For awakening my soul and allowing it to heal and grow in ways I never thought were possible.”
"This is the most beautiful studio I’ve ever been to! Every teacher fills the space with love and strength and as a student, this love and strength is empowering! I have visited many studios in the Atlanta area and none compare to FORM!"
"I had a wonderful experience! The space is cozy. The teacher’s voice was great, very comforting and a beautiful tone! My body felt great after the recharge and restore class!"