Just after I wrote the last blog post I went to lunch with a friend, and the third thing she said to me was, "You can't do yoga when you're pregnant in your first trimester?!"  That was the moment I realized that a little bit (more) of France had snuck into me.  What do I mean by that?  Well, despite all the grèves (protests) the French participate in, there is a general attitude of --'that's just the way things are and there is nothing to be done about it' which translates to a shrug of the shoulders and the statement of "il n'y a rien à faire".  In fact, most of the protests have to do with keeping things the way they are.  That attitude does wonders for your blood pressure, but is bad for the evolution to a more modern society. 



My friend who asked this poignant question has done yoga from time to time but wouldn't be considered expert enough to attend a normal class in her first trimester, and considers yoga the best preparation for childbirth, which is no surprise.  Here in France, we have 7 hours of free birthing classes taken with midwives, and included in every syllabus I've come across, is at least one hour of yoga.  

The more I thought about it, the more I realized how strange it is for teachers to not accept students in their first trimester, the more I was determined to find classes for said students.  It made me wonder about the liability laws in France, and how they differ from those in the US.  I remember pregnant ladies in their first and second trimesters in heated studios doing Vinyasa yoga, they were treated like healthy adults, put next to an open window so they wouldn't get as hot as the rest of the students, and told not to twist.  I'm not sure heated Vinyasa is the most responsible or safe thing for pregnant ladies, but prenatal yoga classes in your first trimester are.  Why are ladies here in France treated like sick people who can't do a few supported squats and some breathing exercises in a prenatal class?  Don't get me wrong, I love it when people in the Metro consider me an invalid and give me their seats, especially when I'm having a particularly rough day (that Mexican I stupidly ate is trying to come back up... but it was sooo good!), and the metro is packed like a can of sardines.  It's really nice, but there must be a balance.  So, here are a list of yoga studios in Paris who accept students in their first trimester (according to their websites).  If  you find others, or have tried one of these classes, let me know, I'd love to know how it goes.  I will eventually try one or two and let you know what I think. 

The Gasquet Institute (Institut de Gasquet)
98 bd du Montparnasse
75 014 Paris
01 43 20 21 20
Métro : Vavin (ligne 4), Edgar Quinet (ligne 6), Notre Dame des Champs (ligne 12) ou Montparnasse (lignes 4, 6, 12, 13)

Check here for schedule updates
Mondays at 5:30pm and 6:45pm
Wednesdays at 5:30pm

This is probably your best option for an evening class.  Additionally, Sharon, teaches the Monday at 6:45pm class, and she's perfectly bilingual, though likely teaches in French. 

Paris Yoga Shala
9 rue Magellan
75008 Paris
01 40 70 14 44  
Métro:  George V (ligne 1), Alma-Marceau (ligne 9) 

Check here for schedule updates
Mondays at 1:30pm --by reservation in English
Wednesdays at 6:30pm --by reservation in English  

Trini Yoga Paris
*Medical authorization required*
26 rue d'Enghien (Enter at 24, 2nd court left)
75010 Paris
06 03 53 08 42
Code : 4B12
Métro:  Château d'Eau (ligne 4), Bonne Nouvelle (ligne 8, 9)

Check here for schedule updates
Tuesdays at 11am

I do quite a bit of research looking for studios, teachers, and classes to try in Paris.  I follow Parisians' yoga blogs, have a google Alert, and chat with my classmates and fellow teachers all in an effort to find the best yoga for you, my dear readers!

There are many little and -little known- yoga studios in Paris, but for a reason that I can't recall, I decided to try Casa Yoga before the other smaller ones.  

I was welcomed by a lovely woman who knew my name upon arrival, asked me if I had any injuries (I didn't get a -formerly broken arm lecture!), and requested that I fill out their form.  You have to sign up for a trial class 'cours d'essai, so I guess I was the odd man out, the only one she didn't recognize, or maybe just the only one taking a trial course that night.  Actually, you have to sign up for any class you decide to take as it seems that walk-ins aren't encouraged.  They have an interesting system for class payment and scheduling.  You buy credits and use them depending on the length of the class.  The cours d'essai was only 15€, but it was also only an hour, and it felt like the shortest yoga class I had ever taken.  The minimum 'credit' you can purchase is 10hrs of classes for 160€.  When you think about it in 1hr classes, at 16€ a class, it's not so bad, but most studios offer classes of 1.5 hours, and when you add that up, it makes for a 24€ class, and that's a hefty price tag.    

It turns out, she had good reason to be kind because she was teaching the class that night, and you always want return students.  She welcomed us all kindly, shut the door, and started teaching a nice paced Vinyasa flow.  It was a level 2 class, so there were even some arm balances!  But just when I started to get a little sweaty, the cool down began.  One hour was too short!

The entrance is warm and peaceful, and there is free decaf tea (tisane) waiting for the students in a lovely sitting area.  The dressing room is a large curtained off area, and it's nicely lit and furnished, but there is only one, so prepare to share.  And the actual studio is one really long room where the teacher does her thing from the middle of a line of yogi's.  Not the best setup (in my opinion), but it's doable.  If you live in the hood, have the money, and want that neighborhood feel (reception was nice, but not necessarily the fellow students) it's a really peaceful studio to practice in.  I'm not sure if it was the surroundings, or the teacher, but I had one of the deepest savasanas (corpse pose - final resting pose) I've had in a while there, and that is (almost) priceless.   



Casa Yoga Paris 
4 rue de Paradis 
 75010 Paris 
06 17 81 64 91 
Metro:  Gare de l'Est (Lignes 4,5,7), Poissonniere (Ligne 7), Chateau d'Eau (Ligne 4) 

Price:  15€ for a cours d'essai (trial course) 16€ per hour with a minimum purchase of 10 hours
Yoga Styles:  Vinyasa, Restorative, Prenatal
Languages:  French
Changing Rooms:  yes co-ed
Secure Lockers:  no
Mats:  included
Toilets:  1
Showers:  nope
Water:  Free herbal tea (tisane).

SUMMARY:
Pros - Really nice warm relaxing comfortable lovely smelling neighborhood-y studio with good flowy classes. 
Cons - Expensive or short classes, no walk-ins -so no spontaneity, just a few teachers teach all the classes at the studio.