let's yoga in a toga

i got into yoga about 4 years ago. then, i belonged to 24 hour fitness, and all classes were free. i went to power yoga twice a week before work for an hour each time, and i felt good after class. once i canceled my membership, though, my yoga dedication seriously lagged, and one of the reasons was the cost. $12-$15/class is in itself not so expensive, but if i went twice a week, the costs could soar above $100/month. that's $1,200/year. when i worked in the financial district, my company had an in-office gym, so i could go there and use the machines for free and then not feel so guilty about going to yoga every so often. but then i bought a class card, which was $110/10 classes, and that seemed doable. except i had 30 days to use 10 classes. which meant i had to go 2.25 times a week to use my card or else i ended up losing money on it. and i did. twice.

when i joined club one last year, classes were again included, but yoga was always scheduled at a wierd time like 1-2pm or 7:30pm. and i only had an hour for lunch and never wanted to stay downtown until 8:30pm when i had to be back 12 hours later. so i never went then. and now i've joined the koret center and classes are included. so i need to get my butt moving. one of the bigger drawbacks to included classes, though, is that if i have a yoga buddy, she/he has to be a member to also take the class. there's no drop-in rate. and i have a semi-frequent yoga buddy. we've hit the mindful body, yoga tree on stanyan, international orange, and yoga loft. this weekend we're even going to try yoga garden (formerly castro yoga but it's not in the castro anymore so the name would sort of be meaningless) just to get a hint of the full spectrum of offerings at the above-market yoga studios. i've come to realize that the investment is worth it; i get good quality friend time along with an hour and a half yoga class plus i'm not yogaing with chirpy college students. plus, i've gathered some good info on these places.

my findings so far on the yoga classes and instructors:

International Orange (one class), $14/class
small rectangular room, good natural lighting.
Katie Lewis: killer class, more active and power yoga-like. tons of lunges which after 30 minutes my knees can't handle. and i'm 25.

The Mindful Body (more than several classes), $13/class
one big room separated into two by canvas drapes. some natural lighting, but can be claustraphobic-inducing. FREE towel service. sigh.
Andrew Barrett: nice body, calming demeanor, really enjoys plank position.
Jason Crandell: good sense of humor; varies class well among lunges, balances, and stretching.

Yoga Loft (several classes), $14 for most classes (Tony Briggs classes are $17)
huge ballroom-like rooms with tons of natural lighting. used to be anna halprin's dance studios. great couch in waiting room.
Jason Crandell: more hands-on classes than at mindful body b/c more space and less students than mb. still great instructor.
Sabine Kuehner: loves, loves, loves props. class doesn't flow like jason's does. or anybody elses. go if you want to contort yourself with ropes and chairs for an afternoon. a razor would be nice.
Bria Larson: more introspective than sweat-focused, but great workout focusing on stretch and alignment.

Yoga Tree (many classes), $14/class ($12/class with student id!!!)
one room with no real natural light unless drapes are pulled back from entryway. lit candles, sometimes incense. tiny waiting room.
Dina Amsterdam: motivating, invigorating classes focusing on breath and flow. hers are some of the more popular, so get there early. and be prepared to get to know your neighbors well. real well.
Michael Cooper: the first time i took his class, he played madonna. both her chanting stuff and vogue. go figure. slightly kooky, but nice and very informative. good for the beginner. movement oriented.
Charu Rachlis: focuses on core strengthening and alignment. sometimes i don't get "warm" enough, though.