We're bending over backward and sweating through our yoga pants for you, Dallas. For this list of Dallas' best karma palaces, Katie Womack and I combined our yogi knowledge and crawled out of child's pose to try new studios. We downward dogged for days on end to present you with the following round up of the city's best yoga studios. Namaste, Dallas.
-Lauren Smart
Bikram Yoga Dallas Be prepared to sweat. And sweat. And sweat some more. If you're looking for some seriously hot yoga, look no further than Bikram Yoga Dallas. This yoga studio does one thing and one thing really well: 90-minute Bikram-style classes in a huge studio with the heat turned up to 105 degrees. Each class follows the exact same sequence of 26 yoga poses and two breathing exercises led by a variety of headset-microphone-wielding, always-enthusiastic Bikram-trained instructors.
On a typical weekday, BYD offers a dozen Bikram classes between their two locations (West Village and Lakewood), the earliest starting at 5:30am and the latest beginning at 8:15pm. With these classes offered throughout the day, there's no excuse not to sweat your guts out no matter how bizarre or busy your schedule. You'll need to bring your own yoga mat and towel: both are offered on a complimentary basis for your first class, but after that mat and towel rentals are $2 a pop. You'll want your own anyway. Because sweat!
Notes: -Drink water. Lots of it. Before class, during class and after class. -Don't overdress. It's really hot, so wear as little as possible. Don't stress showing some extra skin. You'll see people practicing yoga in next to nothing. Did I mention it's hot in there? -This is not the kind of studio you just pop into once in a while. A single class will set you back $20. This studio cultivates dedicated, committed members and they have plenty of motivational challenges to help you be consistent.
Price: You can try unlimited classes for the first month for $49. After that, unlimited yoga for one person on auto-pay is $99 a month. A variety of family packages and discounts for students and military personnel are also available.
Locations: Lakewood (6333 E. Mockingbird Lane #253) and West Village (3600 McKinney Avenue #200)
--Katie Womack
Karmany Yoga Want to try out some yoga but feeling a little non-committal? Karmany yoga is the perfect no-strings-attached studio. There are no packages, plans or contracts to navigate. You simply show up, sign in and pay for the class you take. There's a suggested donation of $15 per class, but if that is outside your financial reach, you're asked to just pay what you can.
This little donation-based studio has a lot of heart, great instructors and a welcoming vibe. You can bring your own mat or borrow one at no additional cost. There are a limited number of classes to choose from - usually just two to four per day. The style of yoga offered varies based on instructor and includes Ashtanga, Power Flow, Barre and Iyengar.
Notes: -This is a great place to catch a class on the fly or try out a few different styles of yoga to see what suits you. -The name is no joke - there's a lot of a good karma flowing in and out of this place. It has a homey, welcoming atmosphere and fantastic instructors. -It's hard to figure out how to make a habit of this place, although you might want to after you check it out. There are a limited number of classes offered, and the pay-by-class method can add up quickly.
Price: Suggested donation is $15 per class.
Locations: Dallas (5014 McKinney Ave.) and Fort Worth (2735 S Hulen St.)
--Katie Womack
Super Yoga Palace Super Yoga Palace belongs in its Deep Ellum neighborhood. The studio is as quirky as its surroundings. On the back wall a bright pink mural greets yogis of all levels and your classmates won't look like walking Lululemon ads. The instructors are warm and friendly, helping advanced students reach headstands and lightly pushing beginners to their first tree pose. When owner Jessica Jordan teaches, she sometimes recites Sanskrit mantras, which creates a zen atmosphere that's almost spiritual.
Jordan, who happens to be a member of The Polyphonic Spree, keeps the vibes flowing in the space with good music to accompany the deep stretch of the classes. At 6 p.m. Monday nights, the studio hosts Yoga on Vinyl, where everyone is encouraged to bring records to class, in hopes their album will be randomly selected for class music. It's a groovy way to spend a Monday night.
Notes: -The studio can get pretty warm, so dress lightly and bring lots of water. -It's not easy. Come to workout and be prepared to leave sore.
Price: $10 suggested donation, cash or credit.
Location: 2803 Taylor St.
--Lauren Smart
Sunstone Yoga With eleven locations scattered around the metroplex and four in Dallas proper, Sustone is incredibly convenient no matter where you find yourself. With memberships that offer you access to all their locations, it's easy to find a studio near your office, home or both. They also make it incredibly easy for newcomers to try out their six signature classes. A free, 30-minute orientation is informative and welcoming and they offer a week of unlimited classes at no cost.
Sunstone's studios are heated to a balmy 90 degrees with 60% humidity for most classes, but the heat is turned up to body temp (98.6 degrees) for their signature 60-minute "Fire" class. In addition to their "Fire" series, Sunstone offers hot Pilates ("Metal"), a power flow class ("Earth"), and other variations on the theme. Hot Pilates is no joke. It will kick your ass and strengthen, tighten and tone every muscle in your body. If you want to see your abs defined, or at least feel them intensely, give that Metal class a go.
Notes: Sunstone has customer service down. Forget to bring water? They have large, ice-cold bottles on hand for just a buck. And while you are welcome to bring your own mat, they offer clean mats and towels available at no extra charge. Sunstone uses "focus wristbands" to help keep you motivated. When you reach a certain number of classes (10, 25, 50, etc.), your instructor will announce your name at the beginning of class and award you a colored wristband.
Price: Pricing varies by location so you'll need to go to orientation to get full details. Newcomers can try out unlimited classes for a week free of charge. An unlimited membership, which includes access to all classes at all locations and other perks, will run you $99 a month.
Locations: See website for full list. Dallas locations include two in north Dallas (14902 Preston Rd. #612, and 11661 Preston Rd. #206), one in Lakewood (1920 Skillman Ave.) and one in uptown (2907 Routh St.). --Katie Womack
Dallas Yoga Center The instructors at Dallas Yoga Center are unparalleled if you're looking to hit a challenging pose. They can talk you into your first crow long before you thought it possible. At least, that's been my experience in Nicole Payseur's classes. That woman nudges you into deeper stretches and stronger backbends without losing her calm sense of humor.
The Center is great for students who are serious about their practice. You can chose from Vinyasa Flow, which is more active, or Somatic Yoga, which is more calming. There are also specified classes for meditation or alignment.
Notes: -Don't overestimate your level here or you'll feel left behind. Pick a class you know you can handle for the first few weeks and the instructors will push you to more advanced levels. -With over 70 classes per week to choose from, it can be overwhelming to decide when to go. My suggestion is visit a few at an appropriate level and find an instructor you enjoy.
Pricing: One class is $17 and a monthly unlimited pass is $125. There are packages in between that vary on level of commitment.
Location: 4524 Lemmon Ave.
--Lauren Smart
Yoga Sport Yoga Sport is a tiny, no-frills studio tucked into a shopping center above Gloria's on Lemmon Ave. While they welcome all levels, this is a seriously hard-core yoga studio that teaches Baptiste-style power yoga. The instructors are excellent and the classes are fast-paced flow classes that will challenge your physical and mental strength and kick your ass - and your arms and your thighs and your back and your shoulders -- into shape. Oh, and you'll sweat. Literal buckets of sweat. This is partly because the studio is heated to 90 degrees, but mostly because Baptiste power yoga is a fantastic workout. Want some definition in your arm muscles? Try doing what feels like a million chaturangas per class at an aerobic pace.
This little studio has a changing room and cubbies for your belongings, but there are no showers and you'll need to bring your own mat and towel. The one studio space is well, intimate, so you'll get to know your neighbors if a class is full, but the energy is high and the vibes positive. There are two to four power flow classes available per day, with options as early as 6:00am and as late as 8:00pm.
Notes: -A handy online app makes keeping up with the schedule and signing up for classes easy. -There's a strong sense of community here. A bulletin board in the dressing room features pictures of featured members and messages from staff.
Price: It costs $18 to drop in on a single class, but a variety of packages are available to members. New clients are offered unlimited classes for one month for only $39. After that, members that set up monthly auto-pay get unlimited classes for $109 per month.
Location: 4140 Lemmon Ave., Suite 280
--Katie Womack
