6 Must-Try Yoga Studios In Nashville
While yoga may be a relatively recent fitness fad, this mind-body practice is steeped in thousands of years of history that serve as a testament to its innumerable mental and physical health benefits. Studies have shown, for example, that regular yoga practice can help to relieve stress and anxiety, as well as improving fitness and minimizing risk factors for heart disease and high blood pressure. Whether you’re a practised yogi or a beginner interested in trying yoga for the very first time, Nashville offers an abundance of studios offering a myriad different yoga classes – from sweaty hot yoga to gentle prenatal yoga to meditative yoga and everything in between.
Shakti Power Yoga
Yoga Studio
Music Row’s Shakti Power Yoga studio is dedicated to empowering students both on and off the mat, and it does so through its simultaneously challenging and uplifting heated power yoga classes. The heated space and power flow aims to link body movement to breath in order to tap into each student’s inner ‘Shakti,’ or creative energy. Challenge yourself to an all-levels Shakti Power Flow class, or try one of the studio’s many other dynamic heated and unheated classes, which include Yin Yoga (in which students hold deep stretches for long periods of time), Meditate + Flow (which incorporates meditation practice) and even a donation-based Karma Yoga class, from which 100% of the proceeds go to a local non-profit dedicated to making yoga more accessible throughout the greater Nashville area.
Hot Yoga Plus
If you’re looking for a place to practice hot yoga in Nashville, then Hot Yoga Plus, located on Elliston Place, is one of your best options in the city. This studio is a favorite amongst locals and offers a variety of different hot yoga classes, taught at temperatures ranging from 85-100 degrees. And if you’re not feeling the heat, Hot Yoga Plus has you covered: it also offers non-heated options, including a relaxing Restorative Yoga class and a Deep Stretch class aimed to help promote healing and relieve tension. Every class is open to all levels, and kids over the age of 12 for non-heated classes and 15 for heated classes are welcome with parental/guardian permission. https://instagram.com/p/BJ8xm42j7mp/?taken-by=hotyogaplusnashville
Hot Yoga of East Nashville
Another local favorite hot yoga option on the eastern side of the Cumberland River, Hot Yoga of East Nashville specializes in ‘Hot 26,’ a 90-minute class in which participants cycle through a set series of 26 postures in a room heated between 100-105 degrees. And while the studio emphasizes the mental and physical benefits of practicing yoga in a heated environment, Hot 26 is not the only class option; the studio also offers a fitness-driven ‘Power Flow’ vinyasa class (practiced in a slightly less heated 85-90 degree room) as well as a gentle and strengthening Prenatal Yoga class for expectant mothers. https://instagram.com/p/BFd3j51IFwd/?taken-by=hotyogaeastnashville
outh Yoga
Yoga Studio
Located in the heart of Nashville’s thriving 12 South neighborhood, 12South Yoga is the only certified Iyengar Yoga studio in the city. This specialized form of yoga emphasizes detail and precision in order to help students get the most out of each pose by learning how to properly align the body during each and every movement. Class options range from Beginner (for first-time and new Inyengar students) to Level one and two (devoted to foundational practice) to Level three (for those with four to five years of Inyengar experience). The studio also offers Gentle Yoga classes, perfect for those who may need more support and assistance through the various poses.
Healing Spirit Alternative Therapy & Body Work
School, Yoga Studio
Svaroopa® yoga is a special form of yoga aimed to use the movement of body and breath in order to ‘access your innermost essence‘ by decompressing the spine and opening the core. Teachers of Svaroopa® yoga are known for their precision and their high levels of training, and owner of Nashville’s Healing Spirit Ryoko is no exception – in fact, she is the only certified Svaroopa® yoga instructor in the state of Tennessee. Both beginners and advanced Svaroopa® yoga practitioners are welcome to these unique classes, which unlike other forms of yoga tend to be gentler while still building strength and flexibility. If you’re searching for a new yoga experience, check out this Sylvan Park studio (just be sure to contact Ryoko before dropping in for your first class).
Steadfast & True
Yoga Studio
Germantown’s Steadfast & True Yoga studio is a favorite amongst yogi locals for its variety of classes and its stellar instructors. Offering everything from faster-paced Vinyasa yoga classes and healing Hatha classes to Acro-yoga (a combination of yoga and acrobatics) and classes devoted to the Basics of yoga – there are even classes strictly for children – at Steadfast & True you’re guaranteed to find a class to suit your specific needs and level of experience. For yogis looking for out-of-the-box practice, the studio also offers a number of special event workshops, including an upcoming ‘Acro Solar Immersion‘ class in which participants will practice their acrobatics during an immersive one-week time frame.
By Katie Miller
By Katie Miller