Black Swan

Black Swan is a yoga studio located at 1114 West 5th Street, in the heart of downtown Austin. The studio is run by donations only. The suggested donation is between $10–$15 per class, but any amount is accepted.

The studio welcomes students of all levels with a wide range of classes.

The studio recommends that beginners attend one of their Hatha+ or Vinyasa classes, but they also offer classes such as sweaty yoga, power yoga, and kundalini.

The studio also provides mat rentals and clean towel rentals for $2 each.

One thing that patrons love about Black Swan yoga is the atmosphere — the classes never seem competitive, the minimalistic decorations are not overwhelming, and the room is always set to a comfortable temperature. The music is also a plus. Instead of constantly having to listen to Enya and birds chirping during a yoga practice, Black Swan’s yoga playlists are dynamic and include great artists such as Massive Attack, Sea Lion and LCD Soundsystem.

The instructors are all incredibly friendly and very helpful; they are always around to help with a pose or to adjust you to heighten your practice. Although their classes have been growing in size and can fill up easily you should get a spot if you arrive 15 minutes early.

Yoga Yoga

Yoga Yoga has several locations across Austin but the closet one to St. Edward’s is the location on South Lamar, which has three yoga rooms.

Single classes are $17 but memberships such as a one month unlimited pass, which is $140, are also offered.

Class Passes can be used at any Yoga Yoga location and are $180 for eight classes and $229 for 20 classes. The passes expire six months after the date of purchase. They offer 20 percent student discounts on the eight and 20 class passes.

Yoga Yoga has a variety of classes including Ashtanga yoga, Hatha yoga, and Gentle yoga. The yoga studio is well worth the price. The cozy studio and kind instructors make the entire yoga experience very comfortable. An added treat is the yummy Yogi Tea they serve after every class.

Yoga Vida

Yoga Vida 707 is located at 707 West 7th Street and is the newest addition to the Yoga Vida studios. The original studio, located at 3620 Bee Cave Road, opened in 1999 and was the first hot yoga studio in Austin.

Yoga Vida has a great package for “first timers,” which offers one week of unlimited classes for $20, and after the first week classes are $17 per session or $12 for students. The studio also have student discount packages, which include 10 classes for $100 or unlimited for $120 a month.

The studio also offers a “happy hour” free yoga class at 7 p.m. on Fridays. The classes are heated to help participants get into poses and sweat, which causes the classes to feel incredibly detoxifying. The teachers are experienced but easily approachable.

This studio represents what yoga is all about, which is a great physical workout with the internal peace that yoga provides while sweating your way to enlightenment.