Flowin’ in Nashville

Music City is usually known for its country twang and as a major bachelorette party destination, but on my most recent visit I decided to explore something new — the yoga scene. Thanks to my husband’s family (and some fun girl’s trips) I’ve been to Nashville quite a few times, and I love it! It’s the perfect place to have a whole lotta fun. And, I decided that this time around I wanted to balance the eating and drinking with some yoga.

I’d already been to two of Hot Yoga Plus‘ studios (Franklin and The Gulch) on prior trips, so I decided to opt for a few places and classes I hadn’t tried before. I’ve been all about trying new things in my practice and teaching lately which made me really excited to practice in different spaces with new to me teachers. And thanks to the assistance of MindBody and some helpful friends, I was easily able to plan out my class schedule.

Saturday: Steadfast & True Yoga

• Class: 75-min Vinyasa
• Teacher: Gillian St. Clair (studio owner)
• Studio Vibe: Located in Germantown, right near downtown, I can imagine that this is a super convenient location for many yogis in Nashville. The studio is a house with two unheated rooms for practicing. I loved the cozy feeling of the room and everyone in it was friendly and helpful.
• Class: Awesome. Gillian led us through a challenging yet accessible flow and provided tons of options to allow for modifications and up levels. I’m used to practicing in a heated room, and got just as sweaty in this non-heated class! I especially loved how Gillian taught the peak arm-balance (Flying Pigeon). I got more access to the pose than ever before!
• Investment: First class $10, drop-in $16 (mat rentals were free!)

Sunday: Hot Yoga of East Nashville

• Class: 60-min Power Flow
• Teacher: Kelly
• Studio Vibe: This studio is based in East Nashville where my brother-in-law and sister-in-law live so I’d actually been to this studio before. The studio is welcoming and definitely feels part of the community. One room is heated (for Bikram-style classes) and the other isn’t (which to me was a little misleading based on the studio name). Both have cool wooden designs and mirrors.
• Class: Great! Kelly’s style of sequencing reminded me of how I build some of my flows. She was trained at CorePower in Denver which comes across in the structure of her class. She offered some helpful demos and believe it or not, also taught Flying Pigeon!
• Investment: Drop-in rate $15, Teacher drop-in rate $10, Mat & towel combo rental $4

Monday: Shakti Power Yoga

• Class: 75-min Shakti Power Flow
• Teacher: Kelly Carter (co-owner)
• Studio Vibe: I felt right at home as soon as I walked through the wide open doors of this cool space on Music Row. The studio is in a house (one studio upstairs, one downstairs) with eclectic decor like a HUGE dreamcatcher in the practice room. One of the nice touches was a box of mantra cards with inspirational quotes and sayings to inspire your practice.
• Class: The Power Flow class was very Baptiste-inspired which I hadn’t practiced in awhile so it kicked my butt! I really enjoyed Kelly’s power and empowering presence. Her love of the practice and the community she’s built in Nashville really shone through in the way she taught and in our conversations after class. And, in some crazy twist of yogic fate, we practiced flying pigeon in this class too!
• Investment: Drop-in rate $18 (mat & towel included your first visit)

If you’re headed to Music City, check out one (or a few) of these awesome studios!