As yoga climbs steadily in popularity, yoga studio chains like CorePower Yoga, YogaWorks, and Jivamukti continue to pop up and flourish across the country and beyond. Some folks scorn the studio chain the same way some scorn the supermarket chain, opting instead for the intimate, more personal vibe of the independently run studio as they would the local health-food store. But others love going to a yoga studio that offers lots of different class options and has a consistent brand so that no matter where you are, you know what to expect. Plus membership at one can often allow you to take classes at another location.
Whether you're traveling or just curious about these big players in the yoga market, here's the lowdown on some popular yoga studio chains:
CorePower Yoga
Where: More than 20 locations throughout California, including Los Angeles, Berkeley, and San Diego. East Coast studios in Washington, DC, and Boston are on the way.
Flavor: CorePower focuses on body transformation and offers intense, strength-building vinyasa classes set to music that will make you sweat.
Styles: You’ll find a lot of power yoga at these studios, plus hot yoga, and even a Yin-inspired class or two. There are also a variety of hybrid classes that combine yoga with Pilates, Barre method, bike work, and more.
YogaWorks
Where: More than 20 locations throughout California and New York.
Mission: YogaWorks puts emphasis on smart, skillful practice, and employs mainly seasoned teachers with several years of experience.
Styles: Though it is a predominantly Vinyasa-based studio chain, YogaWorks also offers everything from Iyengar to AntiGravity yoga, Kundalini, Spulptoworks TRX, and yoga for seniors. There are also YogaWorks signature classes, which emphasize alignment and precision.
Yoga at Equinox
Where: Dozens of locations on both coasts, including California, Boston, Connecticut, New York, and Florida.
Flavor: Equinox, a high-end gym, raised its yoga profile last year with two sexy videos featuring yoga teacher Briohny Smyth doing beautifully executed asana in very little clothing. Located mainly in urban centers, Equinox caters to a busy, professional clientele who want quality classes in a state-of-the-art fitness environment.
Styles: Equinox offers flow yoga, but there are some variations on the theme, including Deep Flow Soul Yoga and Stiff Guy Yoga. You’ll also see mellower classes like Yin on the schedule.
YYoga
Where: Eight locations throughout British Columbia, including Vancouver, Whistler, and Burnaby.
Flavor: YYoga (created by music mogul and yogin Terry McBride and partner Lara Kozan) offers an all-inclusive environment with multitple classes plus wellness services such as massage, acupuncture, and chiropractic. Studios are fairly upscale, and include showers, tea, and towel service. Some locations have a sauna, too.
Stile: Hier wird eine breite Palette von Kursen angeboten, darunter die üblichen Flow- und Hatha-Kurse sowie Signature-Kurse „Yhot“ und „Ywarm“ und Yoga-Kurse, darunter Wandern und Indoor-Cycling.
Yoga für die Menschen
Wo: New York, San Francisco, Berkeley, Arizona State University (ASU)
Geschmack: Yoga to the People wurde als Antwort auf die hochpreisigen Studios im ganzen Land entwickelt, beide Ketten und unabhängig voneinander. Alle Kurse basieren auf Spenden (außer bei ASU) und das Yoga steht allen offen.
Stile: Meistens starke Vinyasa-Klassen, seien Sie also darauf vorbereitet, warm zu werden und zu schwitzen. Der Fokus liegt mehr auf Bewusstsein und Gemeinschaft in diesen Klassen als auf Präzision und Ausrichtung in Posen.
Jivamukti Yoga
Wo: New York, Charleston, London, München, Berlin, Sydney
Geschmack: Jivamukti Yoga, gegründet von David Life und Sharon Gannon, ist spiritueller als die meisten anderen Yoga-Studio-Ketten und betont, dass das Üben von Asana ein Weg zur Erleuchtung ist. Diese Kernphilosophie drückt sich in fünf Grundsätzen aus: Ahimsa (nicht schädlich und Einhaltung des Veganismus) , Bhatki (Dienst), Dhyana (Meditation) , Nada (Zuhören) , Shastra (Studie). Die Praxis hat eine engagierte Anhängerschaft bekannter Persönlichkeiten wie Russell Simmons und Kris Carr, und in den Studios finden beliebte Kirtan- und andere Musikveranstaltungen statt.
Stil: Offene Kurse finden im eigenen Tempo statt und umfassen Asana, Meditation und spirituelle Lehren. Grundlagen, die vier Wochen lang die Grundlagen der Yoga-Asana durchlaufen; Anfänger Vinyasa; Spiritual Warrior, eine einstündige, rasante Vinyasa-Klasse; und Meditation.
