Ashtanga Yoga Paris Studio

Like you, I'm discovering the world of yoga in Paris.  Perhaps unlike you, I can teach myself a decent yoga class.  Yes, it's great for me to get to a studio class with a really good professor, who gives me a different perspective on alignment in a certain pose, or who does a great sequence that I can 'borrow' for my classes, but I'm loathe to pay 20€ for a class that isn't as good as the one I can teach myself, and it really is hit or miss here.  My solution to this problem is to check out different studios and teachers in Paris with introductory rates.  At some point, I will have used up all my trial classes or 'cours d'essai'  and will have to pay (but will probably have figured out the yoga scene, and with whom I'm willing to pay to take classes with) but for now, I'm still milking it.  

This weekend was no exception.  Ashtanga Yoga Paris had an open house on Sunday, and I took the opportunity to check out their studio.  The vinyasa 'class' I took was a little less than half an hour, and although it wasn't bad, I won't attempt to review the teacher, it just wouldn't be fair.  

The studio itself is very cute.  They have 2 useable rooms with nice wood floors well equipped with all the necessary accoutrements, blocks, straps, wedges, blankets, one of which has a glass ceiling to let the sunshine in.  It was clean and not at all smelly after non stop all day use -a good sign.  Like many of the studios, it's key code accessible, and has its own ground floor courtyard entrance.  It's not super luxurious, but that just makes it all the more attractive for us normal yogis.  It's created and run by an extensively trained husband wife couple who, in addition to teaching classes to the public, offer teacher trainings.  I had seen their studio mentioned somewhere before, but never made it to a class, mostly because their pricing scheme seems complicated.  A 20€ yearly subscription to buy multiple class passes or a monthly/weekly/yearly unlimited pass, mats are available for an additional weekly/monthly/yearly fee.  Beginner classes are priced differently than Restorative, which are priced differently than 1.5hr classes, and they even offer 1hr classes, but the prices for those aren't found on their 'tariffs' page.  Sounds complicated!?  I think so too.  

If you've been practicing mysore every morning, and just moved (are moving) to Paris, this is likely a great place to practice.  Make sure to find an apartment near the Bastille.  If you're visiting Paris (or just moved here) and want to take a class or two (a week), it's probably not the most flexible place to take a class, though, if you're in the same building, and it's convenient, they do have 'visitor' pricing.  They also apparently have classes in English, but I couldn't find them on the schedule.


Ashtanga Yoga Paris 
40 Ave de la Republique
75011 Paris
+33 1 45 80 19 96 or +33 6 20 38 25 72 or +33 6 22 32 52 16
Metro: Parmentier (Ligne 3)

Price:  22€ for a 1.5h visitor class (otherwise complicated)
Yoga Styles:  Ashtanga, Mysore, Yin/Restorative, Vinyasa
Languages:  English? and French
Changing Rooms:  yes
Secure Lockers:  no
Mats:  2€ supplemental
Toilets:  2
Showers:  nope
Water:  (and tea) 2€ a bottle (cup)

SUMMARY:
Pros - Two practice rooms, very well educated teacher co-founders still teaching at their studio, seemingly not stuffy or elitist with a neighborhood-y feeling. 
Cons - Complicated pricing that requires yearly 'dues' and encourages unlimited class pass purchases and classification levels.  

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