Main Street Yoga

I'm writing from the perspective of someone entirely new to yoga. Aside from having watched a DVD or two & of course the wise teachings of Jedi Master Yoda in The Empire Strikes Back, I'd never actually practiced. But after years of injuries from running, rowing & other sports, I'd been looking to vary my range of physical activity & in the process, expose myself to something new & engaging.

After exploring options online, I settled on Main Street Yoga for a number of reasons. Initially, it was the convenient Over-the-Rhine location, just a short walk from my office downtown. Second, was the number of classes. As a beginner, I still had friends & family who were very much into yoga & I knew the complexity of some of the movements & that I would have a long way to go. I wanted something that I'd feel comfortable & be able to follow along, where I would not feel completely hopeless. Just moderately. And lastly, I wanted something affordable. As I was just getting into it, I had no idea if it was something I'd take to, so I didn't want to spend a fortune.

Main Street Yoga offers a number of classes suited for beginners. It's located on the third floor of a space that doubles as an art gallery & benefits from a good bit of natural light. I began attending a series of classes on restorative yoga, because as a beginner, I figured it'd be best to start slowly, with not too much movement, where the focus would likely be on holding the poses & learning to breathe. I'm still doing these classes periodically, as I've found they do help in a number of ways, but I've also moved on to Viyasa Flow, which is considerably more involved.

The teachers are patient, attentive & nurturing. They'll ask you if you have any injuries or anything else they might need to be aware of to facilitate your practice. Yes, there's a bit of that "Reach out with your feelings" stuff & I was admittedly disappointed that I will likely never learn to levitate rocks ala Luke Skywalker, but I'm still getting something out of my weekly visits. There's soothing music playing throughout the hour or more you're on the floor. And as other reviewers may note, there's also a considerable sense of community at this studio, that I'm not sure exists at a place where hot power yoga is practiced. I do plan to find out at some point, but I'm still a long way from standing on my head while dripping with sweat.

While I don't recall seeing any Groupons, they do have specials for new visitors & their rates seemed comparable to other area studios.

For beginners or more advanced yoga enthusiasts, Main Street Yoga is well worth your time.