Below are the 'Filtered Reviews' from www.yelp.com
Yelp is a great review site. Unfortunately for me, three people took an extreme dislike to my class and posted very bad reviews on yelp. So, I asked repeaters who loved my class to write a review on yelp. However, perhaps because they don't write a lot of reviews, Yelp has 'filtered' their reviews, meaning, in order to see them on my business page on the yelp site, you have scroll down below the non filtered reviews and then notice the very small word, "filtered." Then, you have to get through the security thing where you guess the odd shaped letters. Then, you can see these reviews on Yelp. Well, I feel that these honest reviews deserve a wider audience.
5 Filtered Reviews for The Chocolate Pineapple Sports - Yoga Studio
Note: The reviews below are not factored into the business's overall star rating.
I've practiced yoga on and off since the early 1980's. This includes several different teachers from different practices around New York State, and attending a day long Yoga event and Kripalu in Massachusetts. Yoga on Waikiki beach with Dennis from the Chocolate Pineapple is a great way to start your day feeling relaxed and stretched. If you meet him at the studio at around 6:30 a.m. you may have a chance to use some of the neat circus props. He explains isometrics better than any teacher I had in the past. I finally got it. His relaxed manner and welcoming smile is distributed to everyone equally. He will answer questions with a calm manner and gentle detail. He is very careful to provide needed correction in a respectful manner. Instead of getting hung up on the name of the pose, he demonstrates and explains each step succinctly to everyone.
The class is bi-lingual - using English and Japanese - I've found that in Waikiki there are many Japanese and many English speaking visitors. We seem to be curious about each other but don't know how to connect. This class provides an opportunity to connect interculturally without the spoken word. Laughter is a universal language and the energy connection is hard to explain unless you give it a try.
It's fun. The more you attend the more progress you can see in your stretching, and pick up another language while you are doing it. Looking forward to going to class again next year.
I am a 62 year old male who has very limited experience with yoga. In fact, the last time I attended a yoga class was well over a year ago.
I took five sunrise classes with Dennis over the course of two weeks, and I found it a very positive experience. I learned some simple yoga techniques which I have continued to use since my return home. I noticed that my body responded well to the yoga positions that we were asked to perform and this helped to make my vacation more enjoyable because I was more flexible and relaxed. The yoga gave me more stamina with all the walking and swimming I did during the rest of the time.
I enjoyed the relaxed class atmosphere and benefited from Dennis' individual attention when I was not doing something in a healthy or beneficial way. I learned to incorporate breathing into the yoga because of Dennis' reminders. This was something other yoga practicioners had not explained to me.
The morning setting was just beautiful, as the sun rose and waves gently came ashore. Finally, I enjoyed the international flavor of the class since many of the participants came from Japan. I enjoyed meeting people from other countries which is so much part of the Hawaiian experience.
Yoga in paradise! I have really enjoyed these classes. For me, meeting at 7 am on the beach works really well, because then I still have the whole day for other things. The slow and thoughtful approach taken by Dennis, the instructor, means that I have been working hard, building muscle strength but also reaching maximum flexibility and pushing my limits. I appreciate the detailed instructions about what to do and what part of the body normally will be worked (though we're all built differently). The icing on the cake is to be on the beach, feeling the warm air, seeing the sky, trees and beauty around. I would recommend this to others who are into yoga or fitness generally - great for building strength and flexibility as well as the health of joints.
I come to Honolulu once a year and always make a point of taking the classes in the park under the Banyan tree. This is a unique experience, staring up at the sky through the leaves of a swaying palm, looking at the hotels of Waikiki across the beautiful bay and all the while cooled by a gentle breeze. Dennis is attentive and charming. He gives clear instructions in both English and Japanese and the level of the class varies depending on the ability of the students. His approach is unique - a very fluid style of yoga with excellent variations on standard asanas. I guarantee you've never done anything like it and I'm sure, like me, you'll return again and again once you've tried it.
Yoga on Waikiki Beach... Fantastic! Daily at 6:30am and 9am.
The studio was an easy walk from my hotel in the middle of Waikiki Beach, on the 2nd Floor of the Waikiki Trade Center. One class costs $20, but a 3-class-pass is $45, so I went for that one.
I showed up one moring at 8:50am, purchased my pass, and was invited to look around the studio while we waited for the rest of the class to arrive. We walked down to Kapiolani Park (about a 20 minute walk from the studio - a good leisurely warm up!) and had class underneath a shady Banyan tree. The scenery was just gorgeous - overlooking the ocean.
The class was a mix of yoga and sports conditioning. The instructor spoke both Japanese and English (it was fun to learn a few Japanese words like inhale & exhale). The instructor was easy going and helpful! Class lasted almost 2 hours from the time we left the studio.
Since I bought a multiple pass, the instructor said if I wanted to come to another 9am class, to just call ahead and I could meet them there (to save the walking time). But I decided to try the 6:30am class so I went back to the studio at that time the next day.
For the 6:30am class, we met at the studio and walked to a spot on the beach. It was close to Kapiolani park, but this time the class was actually on the beach! We put our mats right on the sand. Loved it - it was fantastic!
For my 3rd class, I went back to another 6:30am later in the week. The instructor led us through a similar but slightly different routine - a mix of standing & sitting poses plus sports conditioning.
I'd highly recommend this studio! They also hold classes inside in the studio and at different times of the day. I'll definitely go back!
