YogaChai

Yoga Chai is by far the best studio in DC. The atmosphere is laid back and the owners practice what they teach. The teachers are fantastic and offer a variety of styles. But it’s the down to earth, laid back, good attitude vibe that makes this place the best. It’s a wonderful experience and great for people with kids. It’s an honest and wholesome place.

A neat studio that’s rarely overcrowded. It’s on the second floor and may be the most simple studio I’ve been to. No front desk. No lobby. Just a barely-​decorated space to practice and a station on which a laptop can be mounted and a signing sheet. There’s a rack where you can put your stuff away and a bathroom in the back. They do have cups and water available.
I’ve been to the 6:45am, 4:30pm, 6:15pm, and 7:45pm classes. Sometimes I did wish our instructor would end the class on time since I had something to go to immediately after class, and occasionally I would’ve liked a little more time to cool down/​a longer shavasana. It’s also the only studio I’ve been to so far that has students to handstands, which I unfortunately cannot do. On several occasions, I couldn’t help but wonder why the instructor would demonstrate certain complicated poses that are beyond most of the students’ level, especially in «open» classes.
Other than that, I’ve enjoyed biking over to YogaChai and practicing in a non-​cluttered room with a reasonable number of students most of the time, and not being disturbed by a receptionist or phone.

I was pretty disappointed with my experience at YogaChai. I cannot speak for the entire studio of teachers because I only took one class from one instructor. For some reason my instructor was really negative and spent a lot of the time complaining about random things throughout the class. Among other things, the instructor reprimanded students for trying to pay before class and also spoke disparagingly about students who use ujjayi breath. My teacher was also, what another reviewer described as an armchair instructor and provided very few adjustments. When instructors don’t work on adjustments it makes me nervous – if students don’t receive help with alignment they’re more likely to get injured and since this was not an intermediate or advanced class, I’m sure many could have benefited from assistance. I’ve been practicing yoga for about eight years and I still benefit from help with my alignment. I’d give it another shot, go back to try another instructor, but since my bad experience I’ve started going to another studio in the neighborhood that I’m really enjoying.

I don’t go to other yoga studios anymore. Alex and Kristen are fantastic instructors. There are many yoga teachers in DC who have done 200 hours of training and that’s it. But Alex and Kristen know a lot about anatomy and give incredibly detailed instructions so that you really work the appropriate muscles and don’t strain the joints and parts of the body that so often get strained in yoga when alignment is not correct.
Even though I have a gym membership, I will pay per class to go to Alex’s classes because it is so much more thorough and safer of a workout. I leave sweaty, exhausted and rejuvenated.

I have been going to Yogachai for 4+ years and actually my partner took me to my first yoga practice at Yogachai for Partner Yoga on Valentines Day. As a personal trainer and fitness guru I couldn’t even bend over and touch my toes. Needless to say this partner yoga class taught by Autumn & Alex (studio owners) shifted me and I begin practicing & studying yoga. I completed my 200-​hr teacher training and I will say I have tried many yoga studies in the DC are and Yogachai has some of the best instructors in the CITY! I love the variety of classes from more alignment based Iyengar style with Kristen Krash to Alex’s vinyasa/​alignment based flow classes. Each teacher is talented, diverse, authentic, and experienced. Please try it out!

You know the kind of place you don’t like to tell people about because it is that awesome? Yep, Yoga Chai is that kind of awesome.
I started going when my favorite teacher moved to this studio. (If you haven’t been to Kristen Krash’s classes, go immediately! … wait! No! Don’t! I shouldn’t let everyone know she’s the best teacher in DC … aw, f*ck it. I can’t hide it in good conscience.)
I can be kind of a yoga snob because there are so many bad instructors out there that don’t know enough to keep their students from being injured. But there is not one teacher at Yoga Chai that isn’t AMAZING!
My only gripe is I moved to Alexandria, and now it’s a schlep to this studio. And you know what? I schlep it. But Yoga Chai is that kind of awesome.

Really great yoga studio!
This is my first yoga studio that I have regularly attended, and I attribute everything I have learned about yoga to the great teachers at this studio. They will meet you where you are at, which made me feel comfortable learning as the class progressed.
The teachers at yoga chai focus a lot on helping you get the poses right. If you simply want an aerobics work-​out with a few downward dogs in it — this is not the place to go. Instead, they focus deeply on the practice of yoga by offering advice, demonstrations, and personal corrections to help you get each pose right (which is really helpful when starting out).
I am a big fan of the late night yoga offered on the weekdays and morning yoga on the weekends. The studio is a little on the small side for the more popular times, but somehow everyone always seems to fit.

What do I look for in a yoga studio? Experience and Knowledge. Every time I come to YogaChai I learn a lesson. Truly, I am not trying to be poetic here, what I am saying is a very practical take on why I should drag myself to a yoga studio if I can practice perfectly fine on my own at my convenience in a comfort of my home? For knowledge. I learn about myself, I learn about others and I learn about relationships…
Add to that a feeling of being immersed into the sea of compassion, pure joy and love — that’s what you bring out of classes at YogaChai — so much easier to tackle life this way! ALex, Kristen, Hari — all are as knowledgeable as it gets in the yoga community in DC and beyond.
I have been coming to this studio since they opened in 2008, pretty much every day, and the teachers never fail to give you a solid class. All are very different ranging from Iyengar Method (see alignment), Anusara, Jivamukti, Vinyasa, but all — and that’s paramount to me — are very vigilant when it comes to alignment. In other words, you won’t get hurt, suffrasana is never on the menu at YogaChai))
YogaChai is all about non-​judgment, and seriously they don’t just talk about it, they actually practice it. Every class is a spiritual practice and you are free to participate in this aspect of class to a degree you feel comfortable.
And then there are the usual perks — plenty of choices in terms of schedule, great space, plethora of props…

Yogachai is the premier yoga community. For those interested in rigor, alignment, strength building and individual attention to your body’s needs, it’s the place for you. The teachers are outstanding and vigilant to each student’s needs, so young and old can practice side by side here. It’s weekly class schedule is posted on
, along with workshops and guest instructors. Anusara, iyengar, jivamukti and vinyasa flow classes are offered.

Alex gave some of the best corrections I have ever received in a yoga class. The teachers really focus on correct alignment and how to do the asanas in a way that does not do harm to your body.
Yoga Chai is a very pleasant and non-​competitive studio. It is small, but not cramped. I highly recommend not coming to class late because the door opens up right into the studio.
I purchased a gift certificate for month long membership, though there is a $ 10 for 10 days of unlimited yoga for new students. It seemed like the bulk of the people in each class were members.
The two stand out teachers for me were Alex and Sandy. Alex is one of the owners and he teaches a large percentage of the classes here. The first class I took with him I thought he was a little crazy, but my the end of class two he totally won me over. He has really funny side comments and has the most contagious laugh I have ever heard. He loves handstands, so be prepared for lots of inversions. His classes are Iyengar based and sometimes he would throw in a little flow.
Sandy teaches a really nice flow class. She had a way of teaching that got me into posed I never even thought I could do. She would nonchalantly mention «and maybe put your feet in the air too» and suddenly your doing some crazy arm balance.
I was not a fan of the other teachers I had at the studio. The studio itself has a couple quirks — the only thing you see out the window is the huge Safeway sign (which always made me hungry), sometimes the floor was vibrating (I think from nail dryers from the downstairs nail salon), and promptly at 7 during Sandy’s class someone stomps around on the floor above, and I mean stomp. But part of process is trying to learn to be in the moment and not be distracted, right?

I’m doing an intro month with a Buy With Me coupon and love it! I’ve done classes with Alex, Anna and Sandy and their classes are challenging but doable and they’re great about offering modifications for the less flexible among us (like me). It’s a comfortable environment for a beginner and they encourage students to work hard but to listen to your body and stop if it’s not happy. I would keep going but unfortunately it’s not convenient to where I live.

YogaChai is a great studio. I have taken classes with Alex and Terence and both are amazing teachers. Both incorporate an Iyengar approach — allowing students to remain in the poses for a good long time and emphasizing inversions. I also appreciate that the studio offers open level classes and the teachers have the expertise to instruct the full range of students. I attend the Sunday afternoon class and it is a really challenging hour and fifteen minutes. I notice that Alex takes special care to make sure that students avoid injury — pays attention to knees and joints. Glad to have this studio in my neighborhood! Cannot beat the affordability of the classes — It’s so worth it! I am excited to check out the upcoming workshops too.

I think it’s really interesting how there are such mixed reviews of YogaChai. I had a lovely experience with my first 4 classes here. First off, they have an amazing intro deal — $ 10 for 10 days, one of the best in town. The studio is quaint and cozy and the staff is warm and welcoming. The thing I like most about YogaChai is the feeling of community in the studio. Many of the studios in DC have a strange, competitive, type A yoga thing going on; YogaChai is just the opposite. It is a place where beginners and advanced students can feel equally comfortable.
For me, so much is yoga is how I connect with my instructor. I went to a few of Sandy’s classes, which I loved. I also went to Hari’s jivamukti class, which was great but it has a lot of chanting, etc so if that’s not your bag you may not like it as much.
I didn’t get a chance to try Alex’s class unfortunately, he is one of the proprietors, and he is really nice. I’ll update once I check it out. I have gone to Megan’s and Terrence’s classes at Flow in Logan Circle and I don’t really jive with them. Terrance can be a bit demanding in class — I know plenty of people who love him but it’s not my cup of tea.
People always ask me where they should go when the are first trying out yoga — I think YogaChai is a great place to start your practice.
Oh, they also have childcare during some classes.

Went to $ 5 lunchtime yoga today and loved it. Instructor was great. Beautiful, clean studio but a little on the small size and has some noisy upstairs/​downstairs neighbors and street traffic. Some quiet background music might help that out. Right across the street from Safeway in Adams Morgan.

A demon instructor here bent me into a sweaty pretzel but it’s ok. She was really pushing me and that’s great. It’s not hot yoga but there’s no AC so you sweattttttt it out– also good for getting into pretzel shapes. The teacher was a bit austere– ok she intimidated the crap out of me– but she kept encouraging us to have fun. She threw in 2 minutes of crazy hippie banshee dancing which the other students LOVED– I don’t know. But the place is nice, the teacher was knowledgeable– completely nice.
The only real downside was the 3 year old screaming through shivasana– they were waiting for kiddie yoga– it was really hard to relax, and I wonder if my practice did much bc I still wanted to say something rude to the beaming eyed mom holding Screaming Terror Timmy when I left the building.
I guess I am mixed.

Yoga Chai is a great little studio. The classes are small enough so you can get the attention that you need from the instructors and I find that that classes are balanced with challenge and relaxation. They also have great workshops. If you are looking for a small, accessible, friendly yoga studio you should give Yoga Chai a try.
And yes, they do have child care which is a huge plus for the parents!

THIS STUDIO HAS CHILDCARE!
Not that it matters to me, but I’m sure it matters to some of you yoga-​moms out there. Darn rare, so take advantage!
Not only does this studio have childcare, it also has classes for children, and classes you can take together with your child, and even stroller parking out front. Didn’t know that was a big issue. Seriously, if I had a child, I might give this place five stars. But I don’t, so read on.
I took classes with four of their instructors, who ranged from excellent! to — pretty awful. ‘Pretty awful’ is a pretty harsh term to be applied to any yoga instructor, even a sub-​par one, so I feel obliged to explain:
This person was what is known as an ‘Armchair Yoga Instructor’ of the worse sort. Some folks like their teachers to demonstrate poses, while others like theirs to walk about the room adjusting students’ poses. Many prefer their teachers to provide an educational combination of demonstration and adjustment, but few students like their teachers to just SIT there on their ass, I mean sit-​bones, and tell their students what to do. As if in an armchair, and smoking an imaginary pipe.
Students dislike especially when such instructors give instructions without clarity, causing the student to point their arms first forward, then out, then up, confusedly-​because they don’t understand what the teacher wants. After a bit of flailing, this was the *actual verbal exchange*:
(student) «would you like to show me?»
(teacher) «No I would not. I would rather tell you».
Eek. Whatsa matter Grumpy? Chakras out of alignment? Also, this instructor kept telling us to smile — dude, I love yoga, but if I’m not smiling, it could mean I’m not enjoying your class. Telling me to smile ain’t gonna help.
YogaChai is a new studio (only a few months), and are undoubtedly working out some kinks. Go try them out, bring your kids, but don’t stand for poor instruction!