Paris Studio Spotlight: Yoga Village
Just steps from the place de l’Opéra, this peaceful haven sits smack in the middle of a positively buzzing neighborhood
A studio the way we like them: simple, luminous, happy, welcoming.
Close to place de l’Opéra and the “grands” boulevards, Yoga Village overlooks the busy street scene below, the traffic acting as a counterpoint to the slow, deliberate activity taking place in the yoga room.
As soon as you sit on your mat, the world outside all but evaporates: annoying projects, traffic jams, problems with your neighbors, fires (oh yeah, once during one of Marc Holzman’s class, we were treated to an arc of flames across the street, complete with plumes of smoke and hot racing firefighters…) The urban annoyances that would normally make one plunge into the despair of gray Parisian life, well, they don’t touch you when you’re at the Village. You float on the sustained vibrations of a Yin session, you align your movements to the rhythmic wave of a teacher’s instructions, you dig deep during a humid vinyasa class.
Yoga Village’s special sauce:
One entire wall of the practice space is made up of windows so there’s a ton of light
A stable schedule of daily classes (in both locations) with regular monthly workshops given by staff as well as visiting teachers
Classes in French and English
Changing rooms with lockers for men and women (a bit on the tiny side, but it’s Paris — real estate is at a premium)
Benches in the entryway with shoes cubbies underneath
Enough blocks, straps and blankets for support
Yoga Village has two studios: one near Opéra, the other in the 17e arrondissement. Both offer a full schedule of all levels classes, with a few beginner and intermediate/advanced ones for experienced students. Drop-in rate: 25€.