Unity Woods Yoga Center

It’s so good to be back! Due to a move to the Southwest, it’s been about 7 years since I signed up for classes here. Boy has my body and mind missed it. Thanks to Unilocal’s FitClub, I came for an event here in February, and my passion for Iyengar was reignited. I signed up for the spring session shortly thereafter.
Last night was my first class, and I couldn’t believe it, but there were just two students! Talk about fortunate, it was a semi-​private class for the cost of a group session. We got to ask lots of questions and were the recipients of a truly personalized experience. After being away from the practice for so long, I couldn’t have asked for more. In the space of that hour, I felt more relaxation and stress relief than I can remember since my last Thai massage! I’m seriously wondering if I can take a class every day? Truthfully, I need to start building a personal practice at home. Baby steps. :)
I’ve tried many different forms of Yoga over the years, including Bikram/​Hot yoga, Ashtanga/​Flow yoga, but I love the precision of Iyengar. Its focus on alignment, guidance on where each muscle should be, where your gaze should be resting, how you should be lengthening your arms, your spine, your legs, the exact placement of your feet on the mat… subtle adjustments can change a pose dramatically. Iyengar is not rushed, it’s not sweaty, I don’t feel like I’m going to die in the middle of class. No, instead I’m challenged, but in a way that feels healthy and positive. The level of detail in the teaching here is unsurpassed.
Iyengar, let’s be friends. I promise not to forget about you again.

«Anything worth doing, is worth doing right.»
If you believe in this statement, then Iyengar yoga is the best school of yoga for you, and Unity Woods is the best studio for it.
In Iyengar, there’s a right way and a wrong way to do everything. The teachers here will insist on the right way. It’s harder; but like a lot of hard things, it’s worth the effort.
I see a few one-​star reviews on here from people whose feelings got hurt because a teacher didn’t take kindly to them coming late to class or, God forbid, corrected them because they weren’t performing a pose the right way.
If you need constant positive reinforcement, then, no, this might not be the right studio for you.
To make an awkward analogy, imagine that yoga is like American Idol. You can have Paula Abdul constantly tell you you’re the best singer ever, but it isn’t going to help you improve. Or you can get some real, honest feedback from Simon Cowell and actually learn something from your mistakes.
The choice is yours. If you go to Unity Woods and really commit yourself, I guarantee you will come out of each class feeling like a million bucks. You’ll acquire the foundation for a home practice, too.
It’s great. You’ll feel more alert, more alive, more energetic.

I have been taking yoga classes here for almost 6 years. The Iyengar classes are all taught by highly trained instructors. All the instructors are great and I get a great work out each time. A great side effect– after a year, I noticed all my cellulite disappeared and my arms look really toned. Also helped me slim down after a pregnancy very quickly! Since the style requires holding poses it also provides the opportunity to practice being focused and being in the present, which I feel people in DC don’t do very much.

Highlight of my week, hands down. I’ve been practicing Iyengar yoga on and off for 10 years now. Came to it in Atlanta and was very grateful to find a studio not far from home in Arlington. I had serious knee problems and I feel like Iyengar rehabilitated my knees and now I enjoy cycling and tons of other activity. Something I probably wouldn’t have been able to tackle without the strength and confidence I gained through yoga.
Iyengar is great if you want experienced teachers that move you through poses precisely and with intention and will assist you to prevent injuries. I’ve taken weekend workshops from time to time and enjoy the overdose of yoga those entail.
If you want a sweaty fast paced yoga class with shiny objects, obnoxious music and chants, go elsewhere. To gym yoga perhaps, where you will likely hurt your knees because the instructor decided she was tired of teaching step class and wanted to teach yoga.
But if you are looking for serious yoga with seriously trained teachers — Iyengar is for you and Unity Woods is your spot. Teachers are welcoming, friendly, and great!

I got a groupon to go here and thought, why not? I’m not a super experienced yogi and I was curious to find out what Iyengar was all about. I went to two sessions in Ballston with Lori — one was part of a 5 week introduction and another was a regular session.
Plus:
— They have 5-​week introduction sessions which is great for someone just beginning or new to Iyengar (or with a 5 pass groupon!)
— Nice changing rooms
— The instructor went around making sure everyone is doing the poses properly and readjusting folks when they were doing poses. This was the first time that I ever saw an instructor care so much about positioning. I felt this was useful.
— I think Iyengar would be good for maybe more older folks (there were quite a few senior folks in the regular session I attended) that want a low impact workout and want to work more on some body parts (folks with back problems etc). The instructor seemed to know almost everyone in the regular session and she knew their problems too.
Cons:
— It is a little hard to find, I agree. Give yourself plenty of time.
— Although the space is really big, there are big columns in the middle of the room so when the instructor moves, you can’t really see her. This is ok if it’s a small group but if it’s a big group, then the instructor is running from one end of the room to the other end of the room trying to help folks.
— If you’re not taking part in the introductory sessions, I have found that the instructor was a lot less patient with newbies. She raised her voice at me and others a couple of times (and I can say that her high pitch is not really very soothing to hear). Toward the end of the session, everyone went to the wall to do the «legs against the wall» or whatever that position is called. This required folded blankets that you lay against and I don’t know what else. Anyway, the instructor came by impatiently and yelled at me for not folding the blankets correctly and not doing the pose correctly. She seemed really strained (mind you, she was pregnant, hormones?). Well, I will say, this did not help with the unstressing that I seek from yoga.
— I feel that Iyengar relied a little too much on props. They were using chairs, blankets, belts, etc.
— In my view, I didn’t get enough of a burn from these workouts but I am biased because I like vinyasa yoga, constant flow.

I have been going to unity woods since the 90s. It is my favorite second home. I have gone to all three locations and have a couple of favorite teachers. At arlington my favorite teachers have been Carolyn, Lori, and Mary. I never want to miss Lori’s class and will try to make it whenever I’m in town. I also love her sense of humor. Of course Mary is awesome as well as Guilia who teaches at Woodley park and I just love Carolyn, she was my first yoga teacher and I could not have been in better hands. I never forget her retreat in Harpers Ferry. But I must say all of the Unity Woods teachers bring fantastic skills and wisdom in their own way. And of course if you have not taken a class with John in Bethesda or done a retreat with him it is a must!

First of all, the caveats: I am experienced at power and Hatha yoga, but never had tried Iyengar. This place was nearby and the reviews looked promising, so I decided to give it a go. I have always had the strength and flexibility to do some pretty tough poses, but I feel that I overcompensate weaknesses by relying on other body parts too much — and my balance and form could use a lot of help. Therefore, Iyengar.
First, I have learned after 6 weeks of classes that Iyengar is simply not for me: too exacting, too rigid, too easy physically and way too dull. The students were very nice at the Ballston location, but the average age is in the 50s and the difficulty of the exercises reflect this.
The studio is small and hard to find, so be prepared to spend an extra 10 minutes before the first class. The space itself is somewhat large (compared to other venues), but very minimalistic and not very inspiring. There is no new age music, no incense, no attractive art, nothing even remotely spiritual about the experience at all.
The worst part, however, was the teacher. I should have paid more attention to Melanie Y.‘s comment. Steve, the instructor, made the class unbearable. When I reflect back on the total experience, it was actually the most stressful hour of my life each week. When your yoga class becomes the most stressful and difficult part of your life, you know something is wrong.
Steve has low to zero tolerance for anyone doing anything different than his exact commands. I am not sure if this is an Iyengar thing in general, but his attitude and approach were, quite simply, rude and condescending. He constantly nitpicked the students in class and I did not once hear him give words of approval or praise to a student. I am not used to being picked on, but he would yell at me despite my constant efforts to try to fix whatever it was I was doing incorrectly. When you are being yelled at in front of the class, sometimes you just get way too flustered and nothing you do will be any good. I personally felt that I was being picked on because I could do advanced moves. At one point, he scowled at me and told me to «get with the program» after I did not use a strap to do shoulder stand. The reason, however, was that it cuts too deeply into my arms whenever I use it. It didn’t matter — all props must be used — apparently even if they cause you great discomfort or pain. That sort of blind devotion to rigid detail is unnecessary in a yoga class.
There are many other alternatives to Unity Woods if you want a decent workout, a more spiritual environment and a teacher who doesn’t act like a middle school gym teacher from hell.

I bought a Groupon for Unity Woods and, while I’ve found that Iyengar is not my cup of tea (too dull and not very challenging, IMO; perhaps this is because the Groupon restricted me to beginner classes), the studio itself is quite nice. They have a nice changing room with hangers for your clothes and everything you need – mats, blankets, err… back-​less chairs (they don’t call this furniture yoga for nothing). So, if this is your thing, this is a quite pleasant place to go. One downside – there’s only street parking and very often, it’s metered. Also, it’s in an apartment building, and you have to go into the apartment building and down and around the hallway to get in, there’s no exterior entrance, so you might get a little confused if you don’t know this on your first visit.

Unbelievable! And I do not mean that in a good way. What started out as an innocent attempt to get relaxed ended in my most stressful situation of the last few months. I decided to give this studio a try after purchasing a Groupon. Boy was I sorry after the experience I had. Based on the reviews, I thought it was going to be great. I called the studio ahead of time since the website said the summer classes were still going, but the fall schedule was what I saw posted. She was rather curt with me and seemed to be annoyed by my question. She never mentioned that the class in Arlington was in an apartment building, and she failed to tell me that if I showed up even a minute late I would be chastized and made to feel unwelcome. I left with plenty of time to get to class. The only parking available was metered street parking. I was fortunate to find a quick spot in the pouring rain. However, I could not locate the building. I never expected it to be housed in the same building as a residential housing complex. When I finally found it, I was less than five minutes late. There was no one at the desk to direct me as to what to do. When I went to walk in the room, Steve (the instructor), ran over and barked at me to take off my shoes and to «calm down». I did not know that I was not calm. All of my exchanges with him were flippant or derogatory remarks that he made towards me. I immediately took them off and entered the room. He pranced back to the front of the room to resume. At that point I quickly laid out my towel, thinking I was good to go. He immediately stopped, stared, and pointed at my feet and towel. «That is not going to work,» as he rudely shook his finger and head at me. He then went on to PUBLICLY criticize me for being late. If he was trying not to disrupt the other students, he certainly was not succesful. I had had enough. It was a humiliating and embarrassing situation. I picked up my things and left. It truly is quite a shame because the whole scenario was so uncalled for. If he was so put off by me being 5 minutes late (due to no parking, terrible weather, impossible to locate) to my first class, he could have very nicely taken me aside and explained that he could not let me in that day. Instead, he turned it into a ridiculous charade where he was unncessarily condescending. Maybe that is just his thing though. Perhaps yoga is the only thing he is good at so he feels the need to put others down. I am sorry Steve, but I will not participate in your games. I am an athlete and a teacher. At the advice of another teacher, I wanted to expand my horizons with yoga. I have previously taken classes at other places and have never had any problems. For someone who supposedly has experience with beginners, I was shocked at how I was treated. I will NEVER subject myself to such disrespect. Good luck to you Steve and anyone else that is daring enough to want to learn from him.

Clean, friendly, embracing of new customers and the yoga session was perfect in length. I visited this location because my friend is crazy about the John Schumaker. Ths weekend I used a Groupon and I will say, I will go back again hands down.

Serious iyengar yoga. Bare bones.

I’ve been going to this center for 4 years now and have enjoyed every class and instructor. I currently am taking classes from Lori and would highly recommend her to beginners through experienced yogis. Iyengar yoga focuses on form and doing poses correctly. If you’ve not taken this type of yoga before, I strongly suggest taking a class.

Unity Woods offers instruction in Iyengar Yoga. Classes are fairly large and usually full. Classes range from introductory to fairly advanced. The studio is bright and well-​lit by natural light. Props and mats are provided. Class sessions are 12 weeks long and are sold at the studio and online. I’ve had positive experience with all instructors.