Yoga Your Way

In the ever-expanding local yoga scene, there’s a class to suit every practitioner. These nine Rhode Island studios represent a variety of styles and atmospheres. Keep in mind that these are just starting points. Yoga instruction can also be found at your gym, your local community center, or at a little studio right down the block. Do some research and go to a couple sessions to get a better idea of which one is right for you.

For the Devoted Practitioner

Eyes of the World
One Park Row, Providence, 295-5002, innerhappiness.com

Established: 2000
Owner: Tom Gillette, who has taught for twenty-plus years and has trained many Vinyasa instructors currently teaching at this and other area centers.
Classes per week: Twenty
Cost: Drop-in: $15 ($13 student); Twelve-class card: $145 ($135 student)
Types of classes: Mainly “spiritually oriented” (think meditation and emphasis on breathing techniques) Vinyasa. Gillette developed his own sun salutation-based hybrid style after studying diverse yoga traditions, including Kripalu and Ashtanga.
The vibe: Yoga is life: Many students have been studying with Gillette for years and make class a major priority. But this crowd also knows how to have fun. Overheard: “Savasana is more joyful than a kennel full of puppies—no, two kennels full.”
Pluses: This is where local yoga teachers go when they want to take a class, so you’ll find uber-experienced class leaders who have a strong background in the philosophy behind yoga.
Minuses: Some classes can be intimidating to the neophyte, as many long-timers who don’t need as much direction practice here (if you’re new, try the fundamentals class).
Regulars know: Some classes are so packed that arriving early is a must in order to score a space. There are free half-hour group meditation sessions on Mondays and Thursdays.
We’ll be back for: Gillette’s two-hour “Open Vinyasa Long” class, which allows extra time for seated meditation and pranayama (breathwork) at the beginning of class and savasana (relaxation pose) at the end.

For the Challenge-Hungry

Synergy Power Yoga
32 Bay Spring Avenue, Barrington,
289-0966, synergypoweryoga.com

Established: 2004
Owner: Energetic Alyssa Sullivan. She trained to become a teacher with yoga celeb Baron Baptiste—who has taught his form of power yoga to stars like Helen Hunt and Raquel Welch—and later taught at his Cambridge studio.
Classes per week: Fifteen
Cost: Drop-in: $13 ($11 student); Ten-class card: $110 ($100 student)
Types of classes: Basic, which includes more instruction and a slightly slower pace, and regular (both heated to about 90 degrees) Baptiste Power Yoga.
The vibe: We’re all in this together. All of the instructors (and many of the students) are mothers of young children. Students frequently chatter before and after class and pitch in together on projects for charity, such as last year’s holiday gift drive for needy families.
Pluses: It’s one of the only official Baptiste Power Vinyasa affiliate studios in the state. You’re guaranteed a post-class endorphin high and toxin cleanse.
Minuses: Even the basic classes might be too challenging for the less athletic beginner.
Regulars know: The center offers a $6.50 “community class” taught by a teacher in training every Saturday at 4 p.m. The room is coolest next to the check-in desk.
We’ll be back for: Sullivan’s inspiring words. “Power yoga is wonderful because the sweating helps wring out tension and stress,” she says. “But beyond all that is this mystical intimacy, this connection to the body, the moment and something deep within. You have to be willing to get a bit uncomfortable to feel and to challenge your limiting beliefs.”

For the Holistic Health Maven

All That Matters
315 Main Street, Wakefield, 782-2126, allthatmatters.com

Established: 1995
Owner: Joan Dwyer, who started the center—with only seven classes a week—because she couldn’t find yoga in her community.
Classes per week: Forty-nine
Cost: Drop-in: $14; Eight-class series: $80
Types of classes: A bit of everything. From challenging heated Baptiste Power Yoga to mellow Svaroopa and a lot in between.
The vibe: Busy. With nearly fifty yoga classes and dozens of events every week, plus fourteen holistic health practitioners who practice in four treatment rooms, and a shop, someone is always coming or going. This is a true holistic center.
Pluses: The jam-packed weekly yoga schedule is just the beginning. You’ll also find tons of health, yoga and spirituality workshops and events (like a whole foods cooking class focused on grains and greens and a seminar on Wewepahtli, an Aztec healing tradition), an annual yoga teacher training program and in-house reiki, reflexology and life coaching services.
Minuses: Traveling here can be a hike for those who live or work near Providence.
Regulars know: It’s the only studio in Rhode Island affiliated with the highly respected Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health in the Berkshires. Surfin’ Tacos across the street makes one of the tastiest burritos in South County.
We’ll be back for: The free programs and events. At the start of each new schedule, the center offers either a cost-free sampler day or a $7 week of yoga. Plus, there are no-cost community yoga classes, monthly book group meetings, meditation sessions and more.

For the Baby Boomer

Innerlight Center for Yoga
850 Aquidneck Avenue, Middletown,
849-3200, innerlightyoga.com

Established: 1995
Owner: Kim Chandler, who has taught full-time since 1990, and is a former director of Kripalu Center’s yoga teacher training program.
Classes per week: Twenty-six
Cost: Drop-in: $16; Five-class pass: $70; Ten-class pass: $120; Twenty-class pass: $220; New student six-class special: $60
Types of classes: The focus is on gentle, restorative-type classes, which move slowly and bring the body and mind into a deeply restful state. Vinyasa and Anusara-influenced moderate classes are also offered.
The vibe: “Come-as-you-are yoga,” says Chandler. No need to purchase special prAna yoga wear for classes here; you’ll fit right in wearing your old sweats.
Pluses: This is a great option for the older crowd. There are special Baby Boomer classes and a 10 percent discount for those who are sixty-five plus. There’s also an impressive number of Svaroopa-style classes, which work wonders for back problems.
Minuses: There are limited options for those seeking a more vigorous practice.
Regulars know: Chandler also teaches classes through the Jamestown Recreation Department. After class, you can visit Body Matters spa next door to extend your blissful state with a massage.
We’ll be back for: The you-didn’t-know-relaxation-until-now restorative classes.

For the Super Centered

Santosha Yoga Studio
14 Bartlett Avenue, Cranston,
780-9809, yogaatsantosha.com

Established: 2006
Co-Owners: Melissa (Nitya) Walsh and Heather Eilering. Both trained with Yogi Amrit Desai, one of the earliest pioneers of yoga in the West.
Classes per week: Thirteen
Cost: Drop-in: $15; Ten classes: $143; Twelve classes: $160; Twenty-four classes: $290; Unlimited classes: $99/month.
Types of classes: Mainly Amrit. Plus non-yoga classes like Tai Chi and hula.
The vibe: Welcoming, accommodating and inward-focused. If you’re new to the studio, Walsh will make sure you can find the bathroom, changing room and props. Chanting and meditation are an integral part of classes, but it’s not over-the-top New Age-y.
Pluses: It’s one of the few area studios that offers a monthly unlimited class option. Complimentary tea, water and fruit are always available; there’s on-site massage therapy, reiki and a holistic psychotherapist.
Minuses: The schedule could use a few more evening yoga classes.
Regulars know: If you liked the now-closed Anahata Yoga School, you’ll like Santosha. Walsh and Eilering, who used to teach there, opened the center after the Providence studio closed in 2006. Many teachers followed them to the new space.
We’ll be back for: Yoga Nidra (a form of guided meditation also known as yogic sleep) on the second Thursday of the month, tough-to-find Kundalini classes and in-depth Amrit workshops, such as last February’s “The Yoga of Relationships” with Desai’s daughter, Kamini.

For the Progressive

Soma Yoga
2 Pond Avenue, Newport, 846-7662, somayoganewport.com

Established: 2001
Owner: Tonya Zaloumis, who has taught for twenty years and created her own specific asana flow (series of postures) aptly named Soma Vinyasa.
Classes per week: Sixteen, plus one pilates class
Cost: Drop-in: $15; Eight classes: $105; Sixteen classes: $190; Twenty-four
classes: $250; 10 percent discount for students and military.
Types of classes: Mainly Soma Vinyasa.
The vibe: Free spirited, fresh and modern, thanks to Zaloumis’ creative and effective adaptations.
Pluses: Soma Vinyasa incorporates unconventional ways of doing postures (including some against the studio wall), but manages to remain grounded in tradition:Classes still include plenty of breathwork and mudras (hand positions). Minuses: Traditionalists might not approve of the occasional Jack Johnson or U2 track piped in during class.
Regulars know: Many instructors here studied for their certification with Zaloumis, making for a cohesive class roster.
We’ll be back for: Zaloumis’ right-on alignment adjustments during class and her private sessions, which incorporate yoga with her background in holistic counseling and healing work and are popular with those who suffer from chronic conditions such as MS and Parkinson’s.

For the Beginner

Yoga Loft
30 Cutler Street, Suite #220, Warren,
245-0881, yogaloftri.com

Established: 2003; changed ownership in late 2007
Owner: Jane Bergmark, who saved the center after it almost shut down under its previous owner.
Classes per week: Thirteen
Cost: Members: $10 per class; Non-members: $15 per class; Membership: $40 per half year
Types of classes: Various Hatha styles, including gentle, beginner and Vinyasa. Plus, Pilates and Tai Chi.
The vibe: Low-key. The rock-bottom intimidation factor (in most classes, you’ll be in the company of at least a few other new students) and patient teachers, many of whom take extra time to explain each posture, make it a great place for newbies.
Pluses: Classes for members are just $10, one of the lowest rates in the area. Teachers represent diverse yoga style backgrounds, so if you try a class and don’t like it, you may enjoy the next one.
Minuses: Since late fall, the studio has been operating in a less-than-ideal temporary location (abutting a furniture showroom), but is expected to relocate to a new space in the same mill building later this spring.
Regulars know: Free classes and discounted memberships are available during the first week of the new season’s schedule, or “free week.” A natural foods market is located within the same mill complex.
We’ll be back for: To see what new owner Bergmark does with the new space. She has big plans for the studio, including community outreach, like free classes for troubled teens, a holistic therapies treatment area and a kids’ center.

For the Individualist

Breathing Time Yoga
541 Pawtucket Avenue, Pawtucket,
421-9876, breathingtimeyoga.com

Established: 2005
Owner: Karen Lee, who studied Viniyoga extensively with Gary Kraftsow, the country’s leading Viniyoga teacher.
Classes per week: Eight
Cost: Drop-in: $15; Eight-week session: $96
Types of classes: Mainly Viniyoga and alignment (similar to Iyengar) yoga.
The vibe: Yoga is therapy. Emphasis is less on getting the posture exactly right, and more on healing any physical, emotional or spiritual issues.
Pluses: Teachers don’t just teach pre-prescribed posture sequences but make a special effort to get to know students’ limitations and needs and orient class accordingly. There’s an inviting waiting room with couches, magazines and free tea.
Minuses: The schedule could use a few more classes. There are limited options for students who seek a more vigorous style.
Regulars know: The studio address is in Pawtucket, but it’s right over the Providence line near the East Side.
We’ll be back for: One-on-one yoga with Karen Lee, who specializes in creating individualized classes to accommodate specific therapeutic, athletic and spiritual needs. Lee will spend a ninety-minute intake session learning about what you want out of yoga and will create a customized practice that can eventually be done at home.

For the Gym Rat

The Raffa Center
1145 Reservoir Avenue, Cranston;
650 Ten Rod Road, North Kingstown, 943-2500, raffayoga.com

Established: 2001
Owner: Christine Raffa, who is certified to teach several of the more vigorous traditions, including Baptiste Power Yoga, Forrest Yoga and Ashtanga. Also noteworthy: her strong background in anatomy as a result of her work as a neuromuscular therapist.
Classes per week: Twenty-eight in Cranston, eleven in North Kingstown
Cost: Drop-in: $15 (adaptive yoga is $10)
Types of classes: Mainly heated power. Forrest Yoga and some gentle classes are also offered.
The vibe: Harder, better, faster, stronger— according to your own standards, not the teacher’s. Practitioners in power classes are encouraged to take postures to the edge, whether it’s holding a warrior pose for an extra minute or twisting an inch further.
Pluses: These classes guarantee a good workout. It’s one of the few area studios that offers Forrest Yoga. Cranston has a small shop, which is a lifesaver when you forget your yoga pants.
Minuses: This brand of power yoga might not focus enough on meditation and centering for traditionalists (think chatter about the Patriots during class and minimal meditation and breathing instruction).
Regulars know: Sweating is inevitable and profuse, so bring a towel (or two).
We’ll be back for: Ana Forrest. The Forrest Yoga creator frequently drops in for workshops and teacher training.

—Jenna Pelletier

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