FAQs
As provincial guidelines have now lifted we are able to operate at full capacity – 14 students.
Our props and mats are once again available for your use, but we continue to encourage you to bring your own, which we do sell at the studio. While we strive to clean our props reasonably often, please note that props are “use at your own risk”.
Please sanitize your hands upon arrival, and we ask you to wait in your vehicle until 15 minutes before class to limit your time in the studio.
We continue to clean and disinfect on a more frequent basis, and our ventilation system is new and heavy-duty. We leave the fan circulating all day. The main studio room where you practice is also equipped with two air purifiers.
You can view, book, and pay for classes by credit card through Mindbody. You can access Mindbody through our website here, or through the Mindbody app which you can download to your phone.
To pay by eTransfer: send your payment to info@willowptbo.com. Include the name, phone number and email address of the account we should apply the classes to. Please note you will still need to go into your Mindbody account to book the dates for your actual classes once we have added your payment to your account.
To pay by cash or cheque: email us to set up a time when you can drop cash or a cheque off at the studio.
To pay with account credit: use the Mindbody link at the top of our website to pay using credit you may already have on your Mindbody account.
Unfortunately not. Walk-ins (i.e. students showing up at the door who haven’t pre-booked their class) are not permitted. We prefer that everyone pre-books their class as it can get very busy at the front desk before classes. This policy helps to limit crowding in the studio and provides for a contact-free payment process.
Please bring a water bottle, yoga mat and any props you might want to use (e.g. a blanket, pillow).
We do have mats and props available for you to use for free if you need, and also a boutique where you can purchase your own.
We recommend you dress in layers to be able to adjust your temperature throughout class.
We are not a scent-free environment. We often diffuse essential oils in the lobby area, and we carry handmade bar soap in our retail area that gives off a scent. In the studio itself, essential oils are occasionally diffused – the paper copy of our schedule (available in-studio) indicates which classes may have essential oils diffused in them and which ones don’t. We also occasionally use beeswax candles in some of the evening classes as well which give off a light scent.
We don’t use any artificial scents in our studio.
You don’t need to dress like a Lululemon model to do yoga – just wear something comfortable that you can move in. Nursing scrubs, that old race t-shirt, whatever you can find in your closet, throw it on.
For slower-moving classes or those involving a lot of time down on the mat, we recommend you dress in layers. You may wish to bring warm socks or a blanket. Please note that we are not a hot yoga studio and we have a variety of people coming for classes, including pregnant and menopausal. We try to keep the temperature at a comfortable level for everyone, but we recommend you dress in layers so you can adjust your own temperature as needed.
Bare feet are typically worn for yoga and Pilates. For fitness/HIIT classes, a clean pair of indoor running shoes is ideal.
If you don’t think you’ll make it to class, you have up to 8 hours before the start of class to cancel your booking. We prefer that you do this online through your account (emails or calls may not be received in time). You can log into your Mindbody account here.
Cancellations made more than 8 hours before class have no penalties. If you’re using a Class Pack, the unused class will go back on your account to be used for a future class.
Cancellations after this 8-hour window are considered “Late Cancels”.
If you use 1, 5, or 10 Class Packs – you’ll be docked that class from your pack for Late Cancels and No-Shows. We can no longer reimburse clients for Late Cancels due to illness. While we still ask that if you are experiencing symptoms related to COVID-19 that you stay home, we have decided that for financial reasons, we can no longer credit those missed classes.
Unlimited Membership clients who have 3 or more Late Cancels or No Shows per month will incur a $20 No Show Fee charged at the end of that month, as these spots could have gone to waitlisted clients.
We are implementing these policies for two reasons: (1) to cut down on Late Cancels and No Shows, which make it trickier for us to manage waitlists and attendance; and (2) to give you that extra incentive to make it to class!
Check out our full set of cancellation and return policies here.
We appreciate your understanding as we strive to ensure our studio runs as smoothly as possible for everyone.
Please check out our full set of cancellation and return policies here.
Currently our waitlist auto-notifications aren’t working – this is a bug in the software that Mindbody is aware of. (Normally you’d receive a text message letting you know that you were added to the class from the waitlist, and asking if you want to decline the spot).
We ask that if you sign up for a waitlist, to keep an eye on your Mindbody account to see if you’ve been added. Front desk staff try to watch the waitlists and notify you as well, but we don’t always catch them.
Please note that once you have been added from the waitlist to the class, the expectation is that you want the spot, will be attending, and will be charged. If you no longer want the spot, please remove yourself from the waitlist as soon as you know you wouldn’t attend if the spot became available.
Class cancellations due to inclement weather are rare – only when the instructor isn’t able to make it in to the studio.
If we need to cancel a class due to weather, we’ll cancel it through Mindbody, and you’ll receive a notification either by text or email, depending on what notification settings you have set up. We usually decide if we will be cancelling class between 1 and 3 hours before class (i.e. we wouldn’t know in the morning if we would be cancelling an evening class).
If we keep a class running but you don’t feel comfortable driving, you’re welcome to get in touch with us about cancelling your spot and using your pass for another class instead.
Unfortunately not. Out of respect for everyone’s schedules, we strive to start class on time, and don’t allow latecomers into class, which can be disruptive to the other participants.
If you arrive late, we’ll gently turn you away (or the door may be locked). We know how disappointing this can be, and we appreciate your cooperation and understanding on this matter.
We occasionally make exceptions for baby-friendly classes as these are less formal and all of the other participants are in the same boat – getting out of the house with an unpredictable baby in tow can be challenging.
We encourage you to arrive 5 to 15 minutes early so you have time to get settled and relaxed before class and to give you a buffer in case you run into traffic.
You can learn more about our cancellation policies here.
5 and 10 class packs must be used within 6 months – if you don’t use all the classes in your pack within the six months, you will lose them. You can check out our full set of cancellation/return policies here.
Check our current schedule to see if there are any baby-friendly classes that work for you – some classes do allow you to bring your baby. Please bring anything you may need to care for your baby at your spot, as our studio baby supplies are not available. (We do have 1 change table available in the large bathroom – please spray this down after use).
In your Mindbody profile, you’ll see that you can choose 3 different types of notifications to receive from us:
- Account Management
- Reminders and Schedule Changes
- News and Promos.
If you are adding yourself to the waitlist for a class, please make sure that you have “Text” enabled under “Reminders and Schedule Changes”. When someone cancels their spot in a class, Mindbody will automatically send a text to the first person on the waitlist to offer them the spot. If you don’t have this checked off, you won’t get the text! If only “Email” is enabled here, you won’t be notified either.
If we have to cancel a class (due to low enrollment or teacher illness), you will also be notified by Mindbody of this as per your settings under “Reminders and Schedule Changes” (ie. either by email or text).
Please note that we never send out “News and Promos” by Text, only by email. We send 2 Newsletters a month – a longer one at the beginning of the month, and a “Mid Month Update” part way through the month.
Yes we can!
Please email us at info@willowptbo.com and let us know the nature of the issue, so we can get things working for you.
Our treatment room practitioners are separate businesses from The Willow Studio. As such, we are unable to book or change appointments for you. Please visit your practitioner’s website to book or change your appointment, or contact them directly with any questions.
Our Prenatal Yoga class is appropriate for all stages of pregnancy. No prior yoga experience is required. If you don’t feel comfortable with a movement or position, you’ll be shown modifications to adapt the movement or pose to your body. Additionally, some of the other classes on our schedules are prenatal-friendly – the hardcopy flyer version of our schedule which you can pick up in-studio indicates these classes.
We also recommend that ALL who are expecting see a pelvic floor physiotherapist during pregnancy, and take ONE of the following:
You’ll learn a lot of valuable info to prepare you for the later stages of pregnancy, delivery, and postpartum recovery. In addition, you’ll have the prerequisite needed to take our postpartum recovery class!
We believe that everyone should have access to yoga. Here are a few options for you:
We sometimes hold Pay What You Choose Community Yoga Classes on Friday evenings, to remove the barrier of cost. Please bring cash or a cheque and pay what you can. Suggested donation is $10, but feel free to leave less or more depending on your personal circumstances. A box is available to discreetly drop your payment into. Check out our schedule to find the next available class.
To encourage diversity in the yoga community and promote the benefits of yoga to a wider population, we have two bursaries available for community members who identify as Black, Indigenous, or Persons of Colour (BIPOC) and for whom cost is a barrier to attend classes at our studio. Each bursary will subsidize 3 months of an Unlimited Membership at 75% off. The recipient would be responsible for paying the remaining 25%. You can learn more about this program here.
We sometimes exchange classes with other professionals who may have skills we are looking for. We’re currently looking to trade classes with someone who:
- is a professional photographer;
- is skilled at SEO optimization or social media marketing; or
- grows fresh flowers (trading flowers for classes).
If you’re interested in an exchange, contact us to set this up!
Check out our page with more information about the Love Your Brain program here. Please note that while The Willow Studio provides the physical space to run the program out of, we do not manage registrations, classes, etc. We recommend that you contact the Program Coordinator at lybyogaptbo@outlook.com with your questions.
Unfortunately not. We have discontinued out studio rental program at this time as our schedule is expanding and we no longer have space on our schedule for outside classes.
At this time our treatment rooms are fully booked, and we don’t have space to accommodate additional practitioners.
At this time, we have a full roster of instructors and are not looking to add instructors or additional styles of classes.
Our thyme-scented mat spray and general studio cleaner is Safeblend Bio Thyme Natural Disinfectant Cleaner.
The washroom soap, our essential oil blends, and teas are sourced and created locally by Willow’s Bark. We sometimes have these items available for sale at our studio, or at Ritual Apothecary in downtown Peterborough.
The marbled lavender eye pillows are hand-dyed and manufactured in Toronto by Sam Yoga.
Our mats, blocks and straps are from the Toronto-based B Yoga.
Our blankets and bolsters are from the Vancouver-based Halfmoon.
The pink water-resistant pillows are from Jysk, and other fitness supplies from Fitness Depot in Pickering.
And our beautiful luxury vinyl flooring? That’s from Whelan’s Flooring Centre in Peterborough.
Yoga is one of the few forms of exercise that you can do your entire life, and you can even get better at it as you age.
If you’re a bit science-y, you’ll find this interesting: a 2010 review paper examined more than 80 studies that compared yoga and regular exercise, and found that yoga equaled or surpassed exercise in such things as improving balance, reducing fatigue, decreasing anxiety, cutting stress, lifting moods, improving sleep, reducing pain, lowering cholesterol, and more generally in raising the quality of life.
Yoga has been shown to have positive health benefits on blood pressure and osteoporosis. It helps to counteract the deterioration of disks that lie between your vertebrae, keeping your spine “youthful” and preventing that hunching that happens with age. Studies have shown that patients who do yoga have fewer hospital visits, less need for drug therapy, and a smaller number of serious coronary events ranging from heart attacks to death.
There are many other benefits that we haven’t mentioned. Yoga is good stuff.
No. Yoga is for everyone.