Guide To Austin Yoga Studios
by Allison Amador

Hardly an exercise fad, people have been spreading the gospel and reaping the benefits of yoga for thousands of years. Yoga, an ancient school of philosophy originating in India, has been passed down from teacher to student over many generations and continues to evolve today. All forms of yoga share the common goal of self-realization, enlightenment and union with God, as well as the requirement to discard thoughts of the past and future in order to be present in the moment. Whether modern day yoga practitioners are striving for spiritual enlightenment, body strengthening and toning, or both, there are many different styles of yoga from which to choose.
Over the past four years, Austin has seen a boom in new yoga studios offering a tremendous variety of yoga classes, in both the traditional disciplines and modernized styles. New studios that practice the physically intense, heated forms of yoga such as Bikram and vinyasa have sprung up in Austin to meet an increasing demand for a more rigorous yoga practice. For some, this kind of yoga can be a nourishing and highly addictive outlet.

At the Yogagroove studio in north Austin, a loyal and friendly community of Bikram yoga students gather multiple times throughout the week for 90 minutes of hard work and serious sweating.
“I love Bikram because it’s a cardiovascular workout that’s not high-impact,” says Yogagroove student Teo Topcubasi. “After a while the poses and even the heat became an addiction for me. I saw the results after only a month and I started to feel so much healthier.” A 68-year-old fellow Yogagroove student uses the Bikram method primarily for its healing effects.
“I started coming three years ago to loosen up stiff knees and a hurt shoulder and I’ve been coming four to five times a week ever since. I really miss it if I have to skip even one class.”
On the other end of the yoga spectrum, students of Yoga Yoga’s kundalini class enjoy the more spiritual realm of breathing exercises, chanting, deep relaxation and meditation. The breath work of kundalini yoga practiced frequently at Yoga Yoga can be intense in its own right by bringing the heart rate up and down with each set of exercises.
“I come here for the spiritual elements,” says one 20-something Yoga Yoga student. “This is a Sunday morning ritual now.”

When searching for the right yoga practice or studio for you, Yoga Yoga instructor and outreach coordinator, Jamie Hodge, says there are a few simple things to keep in mind.
“First and foremost, anyone new to yoga should experiment with different forms of yoga and different teachers,” says Hodge. “The first class I tried was Iyengar, and from that I discovered that I liked the powerful hatha postures the most. So, you may enjoy one aspect of a class more than others, but eventually you’ll find a style that best suits your own personality and goals.”
When exploring studios and classes, Clear Spring Studio owner Devon Dederich says that it’s also important to ask about a teacher’s credentials.
“There are so many different types of yoga teachers with varying levels of yoga and teaching experience,” explains Dederich. “There are those who informally learn from others, gym teachers who expand to yoga, teachers who have registered with Yoga Alliance, and those who have met a rigorous set of standards and been officially certified by their school of discipline. If you have an injury or difficulty of any kind it’s especially important to work with highly qualified and experienced teachers.”
So if you are new to yoga, use this guide as a starting place to learn about some of the various styles of yoga offered in Austin. Then check out a studio that piques your interest. And for the many of you in Austin who are already practicing yoga students, you just may find a new style to add some spice or balance to your routine.

The following list was established to provide an overview of some of the many styles of yoga that can be found today in Austin yoga studios, as well as an extensive variety of studios to choose from.

Hatha Yoga
The Western world has embraced hatha yoga for its positive effects on both the body and mind. Hatha yoga uses postures or asana and conscious breathing or pranayama in combination with mental focus to develop awareness, strength, flexibility and relaxation. Some styles of hatha yoga use a specific series of postures, while others use a flow of movements. Still others may use props such as blocks, blankets or belts to assist a posture or maximize a stretch. All styles of hatha yoga, however, encourage proper alignment of the body and bring balance, healing, aerobic conditioning, strength and calmness to the practitioner. Most American yoga classes are derived from a variation of hatha yoga, including ashtanga (or “power” yoga), Bikram and Iyengar.

Anusara Yoga
Founded by John Friend in 1997, anusara yoga, meaning “flowing with grace,” is based on a hatha yoga system. According to the anusara philosophy, instead of trying to control the body and mind from the outside, the poses originate from expressions and emotions inside the heart. This approach combines science with art to achieve not just technical precision, but also a spiritual connection.

Ashtanga
Ashtanga yoga is a powerful, continuous sequence of hatha postures synchronized with internal muscle contractions and breath. This process produces intense internal heat and a profuse, purifying sweat that detoxifies muscles and organs. The result of ashtanga yoga is improved circulation, a light and strong body and a calm mind.

Bikram Yoga
Named after the founder and creator, Bikram Choudhury, this method is often considered to be the most physically intense. It includes a 26-pose or asana series of standing, balancing, backbending and twisting poses scientifically designed to warm and stretch the muscles, ligaments and tendons in a systematic order within a 90-minute period. The room is heated between 90 and 110 degrees to allow the body’s muscles to stretch deeper without injury and flush the body of toxins. The heat also elevates the heart rate and produces cardiovascular benefits. The ultimate goals of this popular yoga form include enhancement of the mind and body, relaxation, strengthening, reshaping and healing.
Yogagroove Instructor Cheryl Alexander stresses the importance of the cumulative effect the Bikram yoga method has on the body. “Each posture prepares the body for the next posture, working and stimulating all systems of the body in the process,” she says. “In Bikram, any person coming from any experience level can engage in and benefit from the class because the more advanced students can go deeper into stretches while less experienced students can effectively work within their own limits.”

Iyengar Yoga
This popular form of hatha yoga, developed by B.K.S. Iyengar, is considered a meticulous and exacting form of yoga that promotes systematic healing of the body. Poses are held longer than other forms and use props such as blocks, blankets, belts and ropes to achieve more technically precise poses and give the body support. An Iyengar yoga class may be slow, soft and meditative if it is billed as “restorative,” or it may be extremely challenging and physically demanding if it is billed as “hard work.”
Clear Spring Studio owner Devon Dederich, who has more than 24 years of teaching experience and is certified by the Iyengar Yoga Association, prefers Iyengar because of its careful and very detailed form of instruction.
“I like its gentle, nonharm practice,” says Dederich. “The discipline is so multifaceted that you can shift the focus for every class to work on a specific issue such as anxiety, stress, lower back pain, knee strain and so on. For me, it has been a life-saver.”

Kundalini
The word “kundalini” means awareness. This dynamic form of yoga uses sets of postures and movements with meditative focus, breath work and chanting to awaken awareness. In addition to strengthening the health and well-being of the physical body, it’s quite useful for emotional balance, mental clarity, stress relief and personal transformation.

Prenatal/Postpartum Yoga
Deep relaxation, breath awareness and gentle strength exercises are emphasized as a way to restore the body’s energy, help prepare the body for labor and birth, and regain tone and body strength following birth. Postpartum classes often focus on shoulder, back and pelvic pain.

Satyananda Yoga
Satyananda yoga is a system of yoga developed by Swami Satyananda Saraswati which incorporates practices derived from ancient and traditional sources. Satyananda yoga uses postures to balance the body and mind through the physical body, breathing practices to work on the energy body, and meditation to calm and focus the mind. The Satyananda approach incorporates the whole person, not just the body. There is an emphasis on awareness and practitioners are encouraged to learn about all aspects of their personality through yoga.

Vinyasa
Vinyasa is a term to describe a number of yoga postures sequenced together in a certain way. As a class, vinyasa yoga usually describes an intermediate level of hatha yoga postures that focus on integrating breath and movement, awareness and alignment, strength and flexibility, in flowing sequences.

Experiment with different styles of yoga at one of the many yoga studios in Austin:

Austin BodyWorks
13359 Highway 183 N, Ste. 407
506-YOGA
www.austinbodyworks.com
Classes offered: beginners’ yoga, ashtanga, prenatal, hatha, hatha flow, integrated yoga therapy, kundalini, vinyasa flow and myofascial stretching.
Fast facts: This one-year-old facility has an 800-square-foot yoga studio and three massage therapy rooms. Austin BodyWorks offers combination yoga and myofascial release classes as well as unique massage/yoga integration sessions. The studio offers small classes and caters to commuters by offering most classes in the mornings and evenings.

Austin Yoga School
1122-C South Lamar Blvd.
916-4499
www.austinyoga.org
Classes offered: hatha for all levels, Iyengar, kids’ yoga, meditation
Few facts: The mission of this nonprofit educational institution is to educate and enlighten the central Texas community about the classical yoga tradition. The school offers public and private yoga classes covering all aspects of yoga as well as a teacher-training center.

Bodhi Yoga
2905 San Gabriel St. (below Granite Café)
478-2909
www.bodhiyoga.com
Classes offered: Bikram, vinyasa, Iyengar, kundalini, kids’ yoga
Fast facts: Bodhi Yoga offers an eclectic range of classes to suit different personality types and interests. The studio has one large room for the more intense, heated yoga classes and one smaller, air-conditioned room for meditative relaxation classes.

Clear Spring Studio
3918-C Far West Blvd.
231-9644
www.clearspringstudio.com
Classes offered: traditional Iyengar, t’ai chi, zen meditation, kids’ yoga, massage therapy
Fast facts: Established in 1990, Clear Spring Studio is the oldest yoga studio in town. Owner Devon Dederich has more than 24 years of Iyengar practice and teaching experience and maintains very high standards for her yoga instructors. Clear Spring Studio also offers mind-zen classes to help students find stillness, awareness and orderliness in their lives.

Creekside Yoga
900 Round Rock Ave. W (FM 620)
Ste. 212
Round Rock
671-YOGA (9642)
www.creeksideyoga.com
Classes offered: hot yoga, hatha, vinyasa, Pilates and strength training, holistic healing workshops
Fast facts: The 1,800-square-foot studio faces falling water on Brushy Creek giving the studio a calm and peaceful feel. Owners Steve and Kim Brewster opened Creekside Yoga, the only studio in Williamson County, just over a year ago to conveniently serve residents of Round Rock, Cedar Park, Pflugerville, Leander, Georgetown, Taylor, Hutto, Lakeway and Austin.
Prana Yoga
1115 S. Congress Ave.
447-9642
www.pranayoga.net
Classes offered: vinyasa, ab/core strengthening
Fast facts: The light and airy studio on South Congress Avenue is kept warm (between 85 and 90 degrees) to promote relaxation and open the body during class. Prana Yoga takes a holistic approach to yoga practice by providing every student with individualized guidance and support.

Rolling Hills Yoga
2520 Longview St., Ste. 412
288-7238
www.candudesigns.com/yoga/index.html
Classes offered: prenatal yoga, postpartum yoga, hatha yoga for all levels, and meditation classes
Fast facts: Located in central Austin, this studio offers small, intimate classes. All hatha classes at Rolling Hills focus on slow movement and breathing, allowing individuals to progress at their own pace and learn more about the poses.
Yoga Vida
3620 Bee Caves Road
480-8489
www.yogavida.net
Classes offered: Bikram, heated hatha, PowerFlow
Fast facts: Owner Dean Mahan opened this popular Westlake studio more than four years ago, offering the first heated yoga classes in Austin. Mahan attributes Yoga Vida’s appeal to a loyal following and strong community feel among Yoga Vida students.

Yogagroove
7950 Great Northern Blvd.
407-9909
www.yogagroove.com/index.html
Classes offered: Bikram
Fast facts: This yoga studio exclusively offers Bikram yoga classes for people of all ages and all fitness levels. Each 90-minute class practices two breathing exercises and 26 postures said to systematically stimulate and restore every system in the body. Every instructor at Yogagroove has completed an intensive nine-week training program in Los Angeles.

Yoga Yoga
North - 380-9800
South - 326-3900
Westgate - 358-1200
www.yogayoga.com/home
Classes offered: hatha, hatha flow, kundalini, ashtanga, restorative, prenatal and postnatal, and children’s yoga.
Fast facts: With three locations, 45 instructors and more than 250 classes a week to choose from, Yoga Yoga offers both the greatest number and largest variety of classes of all Austin yoga studios. Yoga Yoga also offers teacher training and beginners’ workshops. As an added bonus, at the end of every session, each participant is served yogi tea, a caffeine-free health tonic purported to strengthen the nervous system, energize the body, and clear the mind. In March, Yoga Yoga will team up with the Austin Parks Foundation and the Downtown Alliance to bring yoga to Republic Square Park every Wednesday of the month.