Where is the best place to take yoga?

The best place to take yoga would be an environment that is comfortable and convenient to your enjoyment. There are a variety of options ranging from yoga studios, instructional dvd's that you can watch and perform in the comfort of your own home, yoga videos on the internet from various sites such as You Tube.com, or free yoga classes that many fitness centers offer to their club members.

A good yoga studio will be clean, well lit, and will provide a variety of classes taught by highly qualified and trained yoga instructors. A qualified yoga instructor will be certified and will have hundreds of hours of practice and training teaching yoga to others. When looking for yoga studios look for these things in the studio and the instructors.

There are a lot of factors to consider when choosing where to take a yoga class such as: location, cost, availability of classes, type of yoga you are interested in, instructor knowledge and your goals.  So the best place to take a class is the place that meets your needs.

Most people will not drive a great distance for a class over time, so a class that is close will often be more attended.  Similarly the classes must be at a time that is convenient for you to attend and must fit reasonably within your budget.

Another big consideration is the type of yoga you are interested in.  Hatha yoga is the form we typically think of when we talk about yoga.  Vinyasa yoga connects one breath to one movement.  Bikram yoga is done in a warm (hot) studio following a pattern of 26 poses.  Power yoga is a more athletic form of yoga.  These are a few of the most common types of yoga.

Also the training, background and personality of the instructor will make a big difference in your yoga experience.  Some yoga professionals study yoga very deeply and have a deep knowledge of all of facets of yoga.  Other instructors come from various fitness backgrounds and will approach the study and practice of yoga accordingly.

One final factor to consider is how much of the spirituality of yoga you are comfortable with.  Some classes and instructors have a distinct lean to the more spiritual practice of yoga, while others lean more toward the physical movements (or asanas) of yoga.  You must be comfortable with the amount of spirituality in the class or you will not continue to attend the class.

As with any other class it is a wonderful idea to take a class or two with the instructor or facility before you commit to that class or facility.