As a new American ex-pat in Berlin who was born and raised in Los Angeles, I am ecstatic to find…read moreYoga 4 All Mankind in my neighborhood of Prenzlauer Berg. Touted as a studio that teaches "LA-style yoga" in English, Yoga4All appeals to me in two ways.
First, I am able to have yoga practices where I can focus on form, breathing, and meditation. If I had to take yoga classes in German, I would be in the unfortunate situation of frantically deciphering German and looking around trying to figure out which poses I should be doing. Sort of defeats the purpose of yoga, right?
In addition, I get a bit of hope that I can still keep some parts of the beloved lifestyle I left behind when my husband's career brought us to Berlin. This staves away the homesickness, at least for the hour of yoga class at Yoga4All.
I find that the classes here are quite superior to the classes I've taken in LA as well as SF, where I spent the last seven years of my life. Here's why:
- Yoga4All's classes are small and clearly focused on the practice of yoga rather than on the practice of profit-making. LA and SF yoga studios tend to charge $20USD a pop only to pack you in like sardines where you have other people's feet in your face. So far, I've taken a number of classes at Yoga4All and I don't think there's ever been more than eight people in a class. This translate to a lot of individualized attention and the guidance to take your practice to the next level.
- Every class, regardless of who the instructor is, ends with a short but relaxing neck massage during Shavasana. Yes, please!
Some parting tips:
- The classes are all Vinyasa-style, but the range from gentle in the morning to more vigorous in the evenings. Be prepared to sweat if you attend an evening class.
- The classes are €10 for morning and lunchtime classes, while they are €15 for evening classes. Lunchtime classes tend to be the smallest, aka best bang for your buck (or Euro).
- This studio also offers weekly mat Pilates classes and occasional aerial yoga classes. I haven't tried either yet, but I will update this review once I get the chance.
Thank you to Yoga4All for bringing a little piece of home to Berlin and for improving upon it!