- Restaurants |
- Nightlife |
- Shopping |
- Movies |
- All
Midtown Yoga Center
Rating Details »
- Good for Kids:
- No
6 reviews for Midtown Yoga Center
I'm no longer living in Baltimore, but when I was there I thoroughly enjoyed going to Midtown Yoga in Mt. Vernon. The Ashtanga classes were really great and the price wasn't jaw dropping. The more I look around for equivalent studios here in DC the more I realize how much I enjoyed going to Midtown.
Parking was always a bit of a headache depending on what time your class is, but the quality instruction makes up for it. The changing facilities are nice and the atmosphere in the studios themselves give a boost to anyone's practice. I loved going in the summer time when they'd open up the windows.
Try the belly dancing classes too... they are lots of fun!
I love charm city yoga @ midtown! Walking distance from my house, it changed my life. The month pass is at economy prices right nowfor $109 which is a killing. The hot yoga is their signature and it's especially wonderful in the winter time because you go in feeling so cold and vulnerable and you get out feeling amazing and warm.
The best thing about charm city is the instructors. Many yoga studios have a lot of teachers who are fit and teach "yogaerobics," which is not what most people are looking for when they think yoga. Kim, the founder, leads an amazing class that gets incredibly full with a faithful flock of yogis, and so does Tami. They are my favorite, but i find that most of the teachers are also very capable of leading a great class. Charm city cares about your spirit, not just your body.
Behind a painted door, up a wooden staircase, you'll find the Midtown location of Charm City Yoga. A man in front of me tried to pay with credit card but they asked him if cash was possible. I overheard one of the staff tell another student "Bring the money next time." The store space/reception area outside the classrooms and showers is narrow so I thought I'd try to get out of the way by presenting my money but the employee must have been feeling overwhelmed despite working in a yoga studio because she tensely asked me to wait while she took care of the man in front of me trying to find $6 in cash. On the counter, there's a sign-in sheet but I'm not sure what it's for because our instructor wasn't able to spare much personal attention to learn names of drop-ins.
There are coat hooks and cubby holes to store your belongings. Yoga mats inside the classroom if you don't bring your own. I'm not surprised that most people bring their own. The hot yoga room reminded me of the poultice rooms at Spa World because of the smell, but it was definitely less hot. The room is heated with a couple heaters suspended from the ceiling. When we arrived after 8pm, the studio was mostly full for the 8:30pm class but the instructor had people scoot up their mats to make more space.
Before the class started, one of the other students in the Community Hot Yoga class told my friend that she liked this particular instructor, Camille, because she goes fast. Our class included four chair poses, numerous Chaturanga Dandasanas, two crow poses, three wheel poses, side twists, full boat pose among others. At the start, Camille mentioned that she saw a few familiar faces so her class is full of regulars. She did call out the poses quickly so beginners may feel outclassed but it is challenging trying to keep up and good having a goal to work towards.
Ladies definitely outnumbered gentlemen, but there were quite a few gentleman for a yoga class. The instructor mentioned that there were showers but the studio would be closing soon if people wanted to take advantage of them. I'm glad that my friend advised to bring a towel and water. Both came in handy. When you leave the building, don't push to open the door, pull.
I've been here a couple times but I haven't been wowed.... annd when I was there for community hot yoga, it was packed and not hot, well not hot enough. I'll give it a couple more tries I'm sure I'll find a teacher I like and hopefully they'll get on top of making hot yoga actually hot!
The best yoga studio in the city, no doubt. Check out Kim, Will, and Lorraine's classes. Midtown's signature style is hot yoga, but there are other options if you don't want to sweat.
I have attended numerous yoga studios in quite a few yoga meccas of the world. I would rank this place as easily top 5, on par with famous studios and schools in south east asia, SF, NYC, and Costa Rica. I am always looking forward to daily attendance upon my return to Baltimore.
There are 2 locations, the original is in Mt. Vernon and the newer studio is in Fells Point. Most teachers alternate teaching in either studio, so there is a few options for catching your favorite. Both studios have a hot room and a 'room temperature' room, although the schools emphases and attention is on the hot classes. If you, like me, enjoy hot yoga practice, but hate the mundane uniformity of Bikram - go here. I will avoid recommending a teacher, as they are all very good. The practice seems to change seasonally and all teachers will adjust to this, while teaching their own variation of the current class plan. Most teachers provide a spiritual, but non preachy environment where the students are encouraged to explore their body and mind. I was disappointed by recent price increase as is the general trend with Baltimore these days, but they do still have community classes at $6 a pop.
