Yoga can be practiced anywhere. You can practise at home, in the park or at a public place like a gym or yoga studio. Where do you feel most comfortable?
Which place is considered the best in terms of yogic benefits and community? Where do you receive the best guidance and can think of even completing an intensive yoga teacher training?
The most common sites to advance your yoga practice are the gym or a yoga studio.
There are a few factors which may help you to make a decision regarding the best place:
1- Affordable Cost in the Long Term – The yoga classes at the gym are cheaper in comparison to a Yoga Studio. That’s why some people prefer the gym over the studio.
Gyms are cheaper because they often operate as chains and employ various instructors that teach hundreds of monthly fixed members. Yoga studios are often operated privately and have limited seats per class to create an individual setting.
If you are looking for an exercised based yoga class packed with 40+ people, the gym might be the best option. A yoga studio can -although you pay more- provide you with a guided and balancing class that conveys the mental, spiritual and traditional benefits of yoga.
2- Culture & Convenience – Where do you find the real yogic culture? While a gym can be very convenient due to a variety of classes, styles, and mixtures, a yoga studio usually offers you a feeling of yogic culture and community.
Practicing with calm and like-minded people who love to share their passion for health, yoga and inner peace creates a profound sense of connection. Each studio has a few styles to offer and makes sure that each student finds his/her most suitable one.
3- Instructor Quality – Many Yoga Teachers give classes at both yoga studio and gym. If your yoga teacher (at any place) is Yoga Alliance certified, you can be sure that he or she has solid and comprehensive knowledge and knows how to conduct safe and appropriate classes.
Gym instructors who teach multiple classes like Pilates, Body Balance and yoga often mix their practices and focus on merely physical exercise. At a yoga studio, the teacher usually has huge expertise in yoga and can explain about the yoga postures’ alignments and benefits.
4- Ambience – The environment of a gym is designed for a work-out and a yoga studio for a work-in while maintaining its spiritual sense. Yoga Studios are designed to embrace yoga’s philosophical roots. So, if you are looking for spiritual yoga practice and a peaceful setting, turn to a Yoga Studio.
5- Community – The yoga sessions conducted in the yoga studio, are focused on building community and sharing the word of yoga afterward too.
A studio has resources that help you to gain more knowledge about Yoga and incorporate approved props like yoga straps, pillows, and blocks.
Common interests are shared in both gym and studio, however, you will likely find some other interesting events in the studio like chakra meditation, sound healing workshops, and Ayurveda lectures.
At the initial level, yoga is a very popular fitness process for beginners and both gym and studio offer suitable classes. With the expansion of the yoga & meditation industry, some gyms are looking to increase their clientele by providing yoga as a fitness exercise.
In the realm, you need to define your vision to learn yoga and look for a more individual approach. If you are looking to learn yoga for the long term, we would recommend attending a 100 or 200 hour Yoga teacher training in India . Such training can help you to learn the complex and comprehensive approaches to traditional yoga.
While studying the philosophy and anatomy of yoga and gaining a more advanced practice, you can simultaneously become a professional & certified Yoga Teacher trainer and share your passion with others.
