Looking to get in shape, but don’t know where to start? Start with yoga and all the places Atlanta has to offer to unlock that inner guru. With most studios costing hundreds of dollars for memberships or even up to $30 to just take one class, it’s not the most affordable hobby.
However, yoga can be done anywhere. As long as there’s a mat, there’s a way. Here are some affordable and even free places in Atlanta to get bendy.
The most popular free yoga in Atlanta would have to be King of Pops Yoga on the Beltline. Located at the Historic Fourth Ward Skate Park every Sunday from 6:30-7:30 p.m., yogis of all levels lay out their mats for an hours worth of flow. To get even more zen before Monday approaches, every Sunday before the flow at 6 p.m. yogis can practice a basic guided meditation learning posture and even breath techniques to get anyone through the week.
For those wanting to expand their yoga practice even further, for free every Tuesday at 5 p.m. till dark at the same location, acro jams come alive. Acroyoga is acrobatic yoga with a partner or multiple people doing poses by lifting one another up.
“I like to go because I get to learn new methods and ways at approaching a pose,” Eleanor DeHitta, a regular at acro jams, said. “Acroyoga requires strong communication between partners so there’s always a new angle to see a pose or sequence.”
If the party from Saturday night rolls into Sunday, no worries! Decatur’s Wild Heaven Beer hosts a free yoga flow every Sunday at noon and offers a free cold pint to any participants. However, if Friday night wasn’t too crazy, there’s free Saturday morning yoga in the city at 9:30 a.m. with stellar views of Midtown. On the rooftop of Coda Tech Square, yogis can pay $20 or follow these steps to have a free hour of flow.
Whether it’s acrobatic yoga or traditional flow, the different types of yoga are endless. Yoga can even be less intense physically and simply just involve laughing.
For free every third Thursday at Atlanta Kick Karate and Kickboxing, yogis gather in a laughing circle to, well, laugh. No intense flexibility is required or even a mat, just a willingness to practice yogic breathing techniques while laughing and an open mind to understand the psychological benefits of the simplicity of breathing deeply and laughing hard.
For those wanting to practice yoga but aren’t into the whole “zen” movement and sitting in a silent meditation, there’s even yoga in Atlanta for that. Calling all metalheads because Tough Love Yoga studio in Decatur offers metal yoga, where yogis can head bang without judgment. For only $10 for a drop-in class, it’s upbeat, out there and less expensive than most traditional yoga classes.
If metal isn’t on the playlist, but EDM is, there’s yoga for that too. Held at the end of October every year at Atlanta Brewing Company, black lights, neon lights and fist-bumping are combined with intense down dogs for a yoga rave party. For only $25 for two hours, the price is just the same amount or even less than a one hour drop-in class, plus the fun.
