Yoga Tour: St. Louis

Iyengar Yoga thrives in the St. Louis community.

By Aimee Dowl

At the geographic center of the country, St. Louis is the perfect convening ground for workshops and retreats with master teachers such as Judith Hanson Lasater, Rod Stryker, and Saul David Raye. There are also late-night Mardi Gras celebrations, a vibrant jazz and blues scene, and the Gateway Arch, a 630-foot silver wonder shimmering above downtown and the Mississippi River. Yogis can choose from a variety of eclectic studios. From Bikram to Kundalini, Power to restorative, there’s a school for every taste.

Bikram Yoga St. Louis

During those long Missouri winters, students can warm up at the city’s first Bikram Yoga studio, which opened in 2003 and offers 20 heated classes each week in an unprepossessing strip mall location. (And, yes, people continue to attend during the hot, humid summers.) After class, pop into the local favorite next door, called OR (short for “organic and raw”), to replenish yourself with one of the restaurant’s legendary smoothies. 6630 Clayton Rd., (314) 644-2226. www.yogastlouis.com

The Pilates and Yoga Center of St. Louis

Students in yoga, Pilates, and other movement classes benefit from the wisdom of experienced teachers at this spacious four-room studio in the heart of the trendy University City Loop. The owner, Karen Prechtl, has been involved in dance and fitness for more than 25 years, and along with her colleagues, offers classes in Ashtanga, Kripalu, and Kundalini Yoga as well as massage. 1015 McCausland Ave., (314) 781-5050. www.pilatescenterstl.com

Marbles Yoga Studio

Marbles offers a colorful variety of yoga classes, art, and events in a historic brownstone in one of St. Louis’s oldest districts, Lafayette Square, just minutes from downtown and St. Louis University. In addition to the many Ashtanga, prenatal, and Kundalini classes, the studio rotates the work of local artists on its walls. Those looking for an alternative for New Year’s Eve can participate in a 24-hour yogathon and practice selfless service by raising money for charity. 1905 Park Ave., (314) 621-4744. www.marblesyoga.com

Yoga St. Louis

Bruce Roger, a longtime student of B.K.S. Iyengar, has run the city’s only Iyengar studio since 1984. Offering a wide range of classes as well as a teacher training program in a newly renovated studio, Roger is particularly proud of his classes for students with multiple sclerosis. “They are a really rewarding group to teach,” Roger says. “I end up learning from them.” 3305 Jamieson Ave., (314) 645-9785. www.yogastlouis.us

St. Louis Yogasource

“Yoga is bigger than ever right now,” says veteran yoga teacher Chris Yonker. After teaching for several years in the area, Yonker opened St. Louis Yogasource in 2003. Offering massage and more than 30 yoga sessions in a convenient Richmond Heights location, she and her instructors have invigorated the hot yoga scene with their Power Vinyasa classes, which are held in a room set to a toasty 85 degrees. 1500 Big Bend Blvd., (314) 645-9642. www.stlouisyogasource.com

Solar Yoga and Cultural Center

One of the oldest studios in town, Solar is located on the MetroLink light rail line at the intersection of several of St. Louis’s neighborhoods. Associated with the Universal Great Brotherhood, Solar accepts payment on a donation basis. The non-profit studio offers early-morning hatha classes, as well as vipassana meditation, prenatal yoga, and Falun Gong meditation. 6002 Pershing Ave., (314) 726-5133. www.solaryogastl.org

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