Nurture your body, mind, and soul at one of the yoga studios in Johannesburg. We’ve all heard about the benefits of yoga – greater flexibility and strength, increased energy levels, decreased stress levels, and much more – and with this list of unique yoga studios in Joburg, there shouldn’t be any excuse to get your flow on.
Indie Hot Yoga
Style of yoga offered: Ashtanga, Bikram, Hatha, Kundalini, Kids Yoga, Vinyasa, Yin and Power Flow yoga
Indie Hot Yoga strives to make you sweat. Using a combination of infrared and heat-pump heating, their studio is able to reach the ideal temperature and humidity for each discipline. The heat warms up the body, allowing yogis to deepen stretches with less chance of injury – making it great for both the yoga warrior and the yoga-clueless.
Other benefits of heated yoga include the release of toxins and an increase in the body’s circulation, immune system and lymphatic system – not to mention a killer endorphin rush! People come to Indie Hot Yoga to sweat, heal, stretch, find their breath, and find themselves.
When: Sessions from 6am to 7:45pm. See the timetable here
Where: Pineslopes Office Park, Cnr. Forest Road and The Straight. Lone Hill, Johannesburg
Website: indiehot.co.za | Email: [email protected] | Tel: 082 924 2020
The Art of Movement
Style of yoga offered: Ashtanga, Hatha, and Yin yoga
Yogi Kelly Botes is evidently cut from the extremely disciplined Ashtanga cloth. Her morning time slots are geared to demand the highest order of dedication by kicking off as early as 5.30am. The studio hosts a separate, faster-paced Ashtanga regimen aimed at beginners, just to make sure all groups are on the same wavelength. Botes is aided by Zara Said, an experienced yogi with an immense and diverse sports variety under her belt. Said’s sessions apply a distinct health, well-being and athleticism approach to the traditional yoga experience for a captivating and encompassing session.
With the shala located in a spacious and airy environment, this Joburg studio’s trump card is the expansive mirror sweeping from wall to wall, which allows Botes’ ever-roving eye to pay close attention while her students are busy practising. In addition to Ashtanga, The Art of Movement also offers gentle Hatha with a slower release of poses, and moderately-paced Vinyasa with an emphasis on breathing patterns. If you prefer something a bit more chilled, there’s also the Restorative Yin class, which incorporates a healing and energising style of yoga. From basic postures and breathing techniques to mastering self-awareness and exercising yoga philosophies in daily life, you’ll find a complete and holistic spiritual yoga experience for beginners and expert yogis at The Art of Movement.
When: Sessions from Monday to Saturday. See the timetable here
Where: 101 Barry Hertzog Avenue, Emmarentia, Johannesburg
Website: theartofmovementsa.com | Email: [email protected] | Tel: 011 486 0638
Earth Yoga Studio
Style of yoga offered: Ashtanga, Hatha, and Yin yoga
Started by Namibian-born Izelle Nair and her husband, Malcolm, Earth Yoga isn’t your average yoga studio. In fact, it’s one of the very few top yoga studios in Joburg to offer a selection of classes aimed to aid both mind and body. This shala opts for a more eclectic décor, amplified with some raw industrial traces and some dashes of lime green, a colour associated with new beginnings, symbolising clarity and powers of manifestation.
A varied range of yoga forms is available, including Gentle Flow, Hatha, Vinyasa, and Yin yoga. Nair, supported by Dave Gardner and Stephanie De Beer, also offers some fairly exclusive Budokon yoga. This relatively new doctrine merges the traditional mind-and-body equilibrium of yoga and martial arts to achieve a transformative regime which furthers conditioning, mindful meditation and a full-body workout. Earth Yoga also offers Private and Corporate yoga slots. With the Pregnancy Yoga sessions, all trimesters are welcome and no previous yoga experience is required. And their Kids Yoga with Tamlyn Cohen incorporates a sense of play while focusing on a few yoga fundamentals. For a greater sense of Mindfulness and to attune with your inner self, Ferdi Lourens’ Sunday meditation session is the perfect way to conclude a hectic week and prepare for a fulfilling one ahead. And if that’s not enough, this innovative shala also gives Discovery Vitality members the opportunity to log their yoga sessions.
When: See the timetable here
Where: The Suite Life Centre, 3 Forssman Cl, Barbeque Downs, Midrand
Website: earthyogastudio.co.za | Email: [email protected] | Tel: 071 361 8656
Jivana Yoga Studio
Style of yoga offered: Iyengar yoga
Jivana Yoga Studio is a great place to escape the hectic world and immerse oneself in some yoga. Nestled in the scenic Carlswald Valley, Jivana Yoga Studio is not to be missed if you’re interested in the fundamentals of the much-revered Iyengar style of yoga or just want to get a really solid, comprehensive full-body workout. Owner Carla De Gouveia’s warm and homely Joburg yoga studio boasts loads of natural light during day sessions, and atmospheric dimmed lighting for evening slots.
De Gouveia’s personal journey to discovering this intricate yoga form serves as the blueprint for Jivana’s simple, practical and entirely unpretentious exercise approach. With her sessions, she imparts a passionate wealth of knowledge detailing structured sessions for everyone from total beginners to experienced yogis. She also places a lot of emphasis on individual progress, and her classes are dynamic yet grounded enough to develop a deeper self-awareness. Also featuring on the line-up is her popular Kids Yoga. These adapted modules guide the young students to master crucial poses while getting a solid workout through imaginative stories, games, and play. Jivana’s broad appeal and philosophy seem straightforward: balance in all aspects of life, regardless of age or ability.
When: See the timetable here
Where: 59 Norfolk Rd, Carlswald, Midrand
Website: jivana.co.za | Email: [email protected] | Tel: 082 402 8169
Aerial Yoga
Style of yoga offered: Aerial yoga
Julie Fowler’s yoga studio takes Vinyasa Flow to a whole new dimension. If you’ve ever found yourself cocooned in a hammock, you may not have been aware that this comfortable position can also serve as a pretext for yoga! That calming sense of sanctuary may be inviting enough, but to be able to reap health benefits from it is even more of an incentive to try Aerial Yoga.
Fowler is trained and accredited by the Aerial Yoga Academy in New York to direct this new form, which boasts an impressive list of benefits. Indeed, Aerial Yoga Johannesburg is one of the few certified aerial yoga studios in South Africa. It can alleviate back pain, increase brain function, and prevent bulging discs. The setup is straightforward: 15 low-lying and brightly coloured hammocks suspended from the ceiling to hip height, one spacious and air-conditioned studio, a seasoned yogi, and a wide variety of exercising styles render Aerial Yoga energising and lots of fun. Fowler follows a slow and flowing command with simple poses, such as the lengthening of the body, which strives to improve alignment and decompress your spine. Aerial Yoga is essentially designed for most levels of fitness, but slight tweaks are provided to accommodate different levels of strength and flexibility. Each class ends with a memorable few minutes of Savasan, where you find yourself completely nestled inside your hammock.
When: See the timetable here
Where: 7 Zircon Street. Randburg
Website: aerialyoga.co.za | Email: [email protected] | Tel: 072 199 3133
Yoga Lova
Style of yoga offered: Vinyasa
Yoga Lova is found in an intimate, calm and friendly studio in the heart of Illovo. With its wooden floorboards and a delicate Japanese-style painting stretching across the wall, it’s a minimalist yet immensely elegant setting. Owner Nadine Hurwitz’s loyal following will readily vouch for the results of her detailed and passionate sessions. Many can confirm that they leave feeling relaxed, revitalised and calm, with greater mental clarity and that unbeatable feeling you get after a thorough elimination of tension. Yoga Lova, like any of the top yoga studios in Joburg, ditches superficiality and instead aims to focus on something much more meaningful and more transformative.
This shala’s line-up centres primarily on different variations of the air-based Vinyasa yoga form. Highlights include a Yoga Lova Alignment Masterclass led by Hurwitz, which is an intensive 90-minute session aimed to improve alignment, focus and understanding of the yoga asanas. A selection of props is employed throughout the session to amplify this rejuvenating module. Note that this class is exclusively open to women. For a more mixed direction, Steven Heyman, who many will have seen practising yoga in various public spots in the city, presents the rejuvenating and inspirational Yoga Lova Flow. Heyman’s class seems the ideal antidote to combat those Monday blues while kick-starting a positive and energetic week with an invigorating fitness regime. With 5 talented and experienced teachers to choose from, Yoga Lova is an excellent option for those seeking a well-rounded and immersive yoga experience.
When: Email [email protected] for the timetable
Where: 1st Ave, Illovo, Sandton
Email: [email protected] | Tel: 082 771 6105
Lotus Lifestyle Group
Style of yoga offered: Yin, Restorative, Hatha & Vinyasa
The experience: Jessica Simeonides (the founder of Lotus Lifestyle Group), after returning from an enlightening trip to India, set off on a mission to help others live the Lotus Lifestyle: to live a truly happy, healthy and fulfilled life. Within this mission, she created a peaceful retreat – Lotus Lifestyle Group. Surrounded by gardens bursting with life, Lotus Lifestyle Group is a small, community-based studio with a focus on making the Yogic lifestyle easily accessible to all. It offers yoga, meditation and lifestyle consultations to adults and children in group and private sessions, helping guests escape everyday stress and be a part of a warm, supportive community.
When: Sessions from 6am to 7:45pm. See the timetable here
Where: Pineslopes Office Park, Cnr. Forest Road and The Straight. Lone Hill, Johannesburg
Website: lotuslifestyle.co.za | Email: [email protected] | Tel: 084 499 8944
Meraki in Motion
Style of yoga offered: Hatha yoga
The experience: Meraki In Motion is a tranquil Wellness Centre that brings like-minded practitioners and therapists together to promote a balance between body, mind and soul and everyday environments. What better way is there to improve that balance than through yoga?
Their yoga teacher, Colleen, focuses more on calming and relaxation, and also offers pregnancy and kids’ classes. Putting love and soul into all they do, Meraki In Motion offers something for everyone.
When: Sessions on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. See the timetable here
Where: Pineslopes Office Park, Cnr. Forest Road and The Straight. Lone Hill, Johannesburg
Website: merakiinmotion.co.za | Email: [email protected] | Tel: 010 880 2880
