Alexandria Gyms and Fitness

At Bikram Yoga Fairfax's balmy studio, a team of seven certified Bikram yoga instructors guides students of all fitness levels through Bikram Choudhury's carefully curated 26-posture regimen. The yogis hail from diverse backgrounds—one from a family of yoginis, another a former cubicle dweller looking to get back in shape—but all credit yoga with enhancing their physical and emotional health.

Unlike other forms of yoga, such as Ashtanga or yoga practiced at Illuminati meetings, the heated Bikram variety is ideal for students of all abilities. The rainforest-like atmosphere helps to melt stiff muscles, allowing for deeper stretches while expelling harmful toxins from the body.

"Our brain is designed to realize what we wish, without any minor errors," says Dahn Yoga founder Ilchi Lee, "If you want success, it will create success. If you want happiness or health, it will create them. Anything is possible, as long as negative thoughts and emotions don't interfere." To make this challenging, yet hopeful philosophy accessible to all, Lee combined the Eastern concept of chi energy with his own brain-management system, developing a distinctive program that unlocks inner peace and sweeps up brain clutter caused by the daily stress of always having to find Waldo. Warm-up yoga maneuvers awaken muscles before 30–40 minutes of breathing, stretching, core practice, and meditation—including a signature brain-wave vibration technique that aims to calibrate mental and physical energies. Cool-down exercises ease the body back into quotidian functionality before a 10-minute teatime invites socialization among participants while bolstering pinkie endurance. Dahn Yoga is also taught at independently owned and operated franchises called Body & Brain Yoga.

After giving birth to twins, Elaine Rosenberg suffered from misaligned hips and unforgiving twinges in her neck and shoulders. She turned to yoga for relief, but it was only when she stepped into the heat of Bikram-style classes that she felt her body begin to mend. She knew then that her career in retail management was over—she wanted to be a yoga teacher.

Elaine now poses beside several other experienced instructors at Bikram Yoga Tenleytown, where warmth of character and advanced yogis in long-term sofa poses make up for the lack of fancy furnishings. The staff cheerily receives each guest at the door before leading 90-minute routines, progressing through the 26 postures and two breathing exercises of Bikram Choudhury's celebrated method.

The class rows in unison, guiding a raft across the pond and back. Upon landing, the group splits into teams of two, each hoisting up a log and pressing it overhead. Through such group training, the instructors behind SEAL Team Physical Training, Inc. demonstrate their philosophy that teamwork brings out the best in people. Greeting everyone with a hearty “Hoo yah!” they lead a fitness program designed by Navy SEAL John McGuire that never repeats the same workout. Training begins with the two-week basic-fitness class. SEAL Team PT’s results have earned recognition in publications such as Sports Illustrated as well as on Dr. Oz for a client who lost 160 pounds.

Rob LaPointe first met the martial arts in 1973 when he began taking tae kwon do lessons in a neighbor's backyard. Like a kudzu vine, his love for fighting forms could not be contained by a manicured lawn, and he began serious study of kenpo karate and kung fu. In 1989, he opened White Birch Kung Fu, Tai Chi, and Kettlebell Gym to pass his learning on to the next generation of fighters.

Rob's dedication led him to take the gold medal in Pushing Hands and Advanced Sparring at Wong's Traditional Kung Fu Tournament in 2000—a celebration of his 40th birthday—and his competitive career continues. His kung fu classes teach these practical combat skills in a cycle, sometimes focusing on perfecting certain kicks or the blocking, trapping, and footwork skills needed to engage an opponent up close. Students move slowly and purposefully through tai chi training regimens, focusing on meditative thought and fluid self-defense techniques. Kettlebell and sandbag courses condition bodies for explosive combat motions and hefting deadweight, such as a feral Santa hibernating in your chimney for the summer.

Personal trainers and Impact Fitness founders Annessa Bontrager and Morgan Shetler aim to bring out the athletic edge in each of their clients. They provide focused attention during personal-training appointments, and push bodies past their perceived limits in boot-camp classes. Park & Train sessions encourage exercisers with functional training in local parks, rather than aimlessly lifting dumbbells at a nearby mall. No matter the class or location, Bontrager and Shetler strive to bring clients life-changing results.