Quiet Mind is a really lovely studio, both because of owner Nicole Foley’s hard work and vision and the students who come here to practice.  People are supportive and respectful, both of their teachers and their fellow students.

The studio offers a great introductory deal – $20/2 weeks of unlimited classes.  After that drop-ins are $16/class but class passes and monthly or yearly memberships can knock the price per class down to $7 or less!

Yoga District, Bloomingdale Studio, 1830 First St. N.W., Washington D.C. 20001 www.yogadistrict.com :  Yoga District’s Bloomingdale Studio at 1st and Rhode Island is in a diverse and eclectic neighborhood and the studio really reflects that.  I got a warm welcome from the staff and students and enjoy the regular crew at my Slow Flow class on Tuesday evenings at 6:30 and the students joining my new(ish) Slow Flow class on Thursday’s at 8pm.  What does slow flow mean?  Well, we don’t always flow and it’s not always slow  I’d describe the class as a combination of flowing sequences and some longer-held poses.   I sometimes teach more traditional sun salutations from the Sivananda or Ashtanga traditions but I also offer sequences influenced by dance and martial arts and teachers like Suzee Grilley and Shiva Rea.  Before we get into the “flow”, I always break down the  movements.  As we build into sequences, I offer modifications for beginners and challenges for advanced students.  So, there’s something for everyone!

One of the great things about Yoga District is their philosophy of making yoga accessible for everyone.  That means offering some of the lowest priced classes in town.  A drop-in class is only $10 (you will not find a better deal anywhere in D.C.) and multi-class passes can make classes even more affordable!

Spiral Flight Yoga, 1826 Wisconsin Avenue N.W., Washington D.C. 20007 www.spiralflightyoga.com : Look out for a Yin Yoga workshop (or several) this summer at the lovely Spiral Flight Yoga studio, right across from the recently re-opened Georgetown “social”  Safeway!

Yin Yoga Teacher Training, Class Photo, 2009

I describe how studying Yin Yoga with Paul and Suzee Grilley transformed my yoga practice in an article for Quiet Mind Yoga in Washington D.C.

http://www.quietminddc.com/yin.html

Like many, I was initially drawn to the most dynamic and complex asana sequences, the most challenging arm balances and inversions, that feeling of exhaustion after multiple chaturangas. If a teacher put me in a pose and then went to adjust another student and left me there in a long hold, I grew resentful. I struggled to sit through meditation and fidgeted in Savasana. But, after several years of practice, things started to change