It was 47 degrees when I walked to the bus stop this morning. When it gets cold, I just want to go home and get in bed. Even when its sunny. We are days away from crappy east coast death weather (NO, I'm not being dramatic), so its important to start figuring out how you are going to keep that "summer fitness feeling" going. My solution: a studio on my way home, right on a metro line, that requires absolutely minimal effort to get to. The stars align for me with Mind Your Body Oasis in Crystal City. Located at 1750 Crystal Drive, Arlington http://www.mindyourbodyoasis.com/, Mind Your Body Oasis (MYBO) requires nothing more than stepping off a metro train (yellow or blue) and walking through the heated underground hallways of Crystal City. Couldn't be better! I cant even mumble that its too cold or rainy or snowy and go home without a workout. The hardest part about getting to this studio is walking past Dunkin Donuts without stopping. This all applies to those of you who drive too- Crystal City offers free parking in the underground garage after 4pm.
The space: MYBO is a brand new studio in the underground. They actually refer to it as a "center" because they offer massages, saunas, and have a shop to buy organic healthy crap and yoga gear. They do facials, acupuncture and reiki. Everything about it the center is super clean and modern. Its located in an area of the underground that has been completely redone. There is a large "waiting area" outside the studio with tvs and tables and chairs. There is almost a "bar" that you walk up to outside the studio where you check in and can purchase health food. The staff is friendly but not in an over-the-top yogi way. Just nice, calm, happy people. The inside waiting area is very small, but the bathroom and shower facilities are HUGE and well stocked with everything you could possible imagine. There are cubby spaces (no locks) for all of your belongings. There are two rooms to practice in: the hot room and the "zen room". Both are mirrored and have special antibacterial flooring. They are pretty dark- this is not the type of place I want to go to on a gorgeous summer day, but in case you forgot what I said a paragraph ago, I'm here to combat the lame excuses I make when the weather is bad. I've spent most of my time in the hot studio (shocker!)- its a very large space and no one is ever right on top of you. There are some design flaws with the room, especially large pillars, but i've never seen it so crowded that someone was behind a pillar and couldn't see. The pillars are mirrored too, which makes it even easier to follow along. And you can look at your butt in one mirror and stomach in another. If you want to of course.
The experience: I like this studio because they offer a variety of yoga and pilates classes. I'm starting to sway back towards pilates given my recent realization that just because I cant see (and therefore dont care about) my ass, doesn't mean others cant as well. Ughh. The vinyassa classes aren't anything out of the ordinary here. MYBO offers hot hatha yoga (ALMOST IDENTICAL to bikram without being called bikram) and hot yoga which is a hot flow class. Both are terrific and Swoozie is a great teacher. Take class with Amanda Shipe, the owner and during a rest after back bends she will crack your back in a way that will leave you smiling- even though while shes doing it you may pee yourself in fear. Not that I did, but it was a very real possibility.
Restorative yoga, Yin yoga, and even Laughter yoga are all offered here. The restorative yoga is excellent if you have an injury and are starting to get back into the groove. I haven't tried Laughter yoga yet. I'm curious, but, I might have to be drunk to try it. MYBO has a few different pilates offerings, including the ever popular yogalates. I really like this class and feel that its the only place I've taken yogalates where it is a true mixture of both forms of exercise. Most places call it yogalates when really its pilates with a few down dogs and a shavasannah (you didn't really expect me to know how to spell that, did you?). The center offers early morning 6 am classes and several afternoon/night time classes. They also have a good selection of classes throughout the day on the weekends. MYBO is expensive. The yoga classes are almost all an hour and fifteen minutes or an hour and a half. The pilates classes are an hour. I purchased a Specialicious deal- 5 classes for $30. I wish they had offered more! I saw a special the studio was running about a month ago: half off 6 month UNLIMITED membership. If they offer it again, I am going to purchase it because this studio really will get me through the winter and I will likely go two or three times a week on my way home from work. Right now they are offering one month unlimited for $75 for new students. I still think thats a bit expensive, but the regular price is $180. A drop in is $20. A 10 pack is $150 and a 30 pack is $300, but they have to be used in 90 days....and even though we all know I would use a 10 pack in less than a month, you all also know I hate this arbitrary expiration dates. Annual unlimited is $1400. Towels and mats are available for rent for a few dollars each. I'll post when they run another half off deal. I'd hold off until then.
No comments:
Post a Comment