Yoga in Ferguson

Having practiced since 1997, training under leaders in the field, and serving as the sole yoga instructor for the Kashi company in 2008, owner Brigette Niedringhaus opened Southtown Yoga with the goal of bringing a unique approach to the city yoga-studio concept. In doing so, Brigette built up a schedule replete with a variety of classes held in a warm and welcoming environment for students of all skill levels. The Riverfront Times recognized her efforts by naming Southtown Yoga its Best Yoga Studio in 2008. The staff that helped earned that award features 11 highly trained instructors who guide students through a series of poses during 45- to 90-minute group classes. Slow-paced Basics courses pave the way for Mixed Level sessions that expand on the fundamental concepts, and rooftop classes enable students to mix up the workout scenery, like lifting weights in a phone booth. Classes are available seven days a week, with some sessions beginning as early as 6:30 a.m. and as late as 7:30 p.m.

Rather than relying on awkwardly long hugs, Urban Breath instead welcomes yogis of all ages and skill levels with a variety of classes taught by knowledgeable instructors in a downward-dog-to-earth neighborhood studio. Yoga Basics lets absolute beginners take a crack at yoga for the first time and stretch the cobwebs out of their most haunted joints. From there, take the next step with Hatha yoga, which mines the deep core muscles—increasing flexibility, strength, and balance. For a more-meditative discipline that tightens the body, focuses the mind, and dispels the daily stress of being surrounded by chain-smoking coworkers at the fireworks factory, try Kundalini yoga. The Slow Flow Vinyasa class will lubricate squeaky muscle doors and top off your body-fuel tank with basic meditations, whereas the Happy Hour Yoga class uses upbeat music to energize and boost the mind with Vinyasa-style yoga that makes use of breath-synchronized, flowing poses. Classes take place several times a day, with most lasting 75 minutes. Although you can drop in at any time once you've registered, Urban Breath's WebScheduler lets you check for the latest bad-weather cancellations, teacher-rescheduling changes, and minotaur attacks.

The instructors at YogaSource strive to make yoga accessible to everyone, regardless of age or ability. To meet that goal, they offer eleven types of classes split between two studios, which are kept at different temperatures to accommodate those who prefer to stay calm and cool during practice, as well as those who like to sweat as they stretch. Yoga basics and intro to Hatha classes lead newcomers from pose to pose to build a foundation for future practice, and may incorporate props such as straps, blocks, and donuts that dangle just out of reach. Advanced options include power Vinyasa, where students flow through rigorous poses in 90-degree temperatures believed to help increase flexibility and promote detoxification, as well as the open-level class—known as The Practice—in which instructors and students attempt handstands and other challenging feats.

The eclectic backgrounds of the 13 instructors at Agape Yoga Studio are represented in the diverse selection of more than 15 class types they offer for students of all ability levels. Calling upon experience and certifications in iyengar, asthanga, and meditation-based styles, they lead students through power vinyasa flow sessions, classes that focus on core strength, and five courses that use the facility’s yoga wall. There, students can hang bands from one of five levels of wall hooks to open up their shoulders and hips or practice back bends for a more flexible spine.

After founding Yoga to Go Studio in 2008, certified instructor Linda Jones passed the baton to Kynan Katzman, one of her long-time students. The transition merited a profile by Mehlville-Oakville Patch_, partly because of Katzman’s impressive resumé, which includes endurance cycling. Under the leadership of both Jones and Katzman, the studio has introduced budding yogis to Anusara and Hatha yoga, as well as several forms of meditation geared toward students of all experience levels.

A championship tennis player until age 19, Michelle Maue began practicing yoga in 1997 to complement her athletic lifestyle. She grew to love the mind-body connection inherent in yoga, and opened Clayton Yoga, which has now been in business for 10 years. A roster of Yoga Alliance–registered teachers have led more than 5,000 classes, guiding students of all backgrounds and skill levels through the calming movements of Vinyasa yoga, which helps detoxify bodies and strengthen the core. Along with Vinyasa-yoga classes, which meet six days a week in sessions of up to six students, Clayton Yoga hosts Thai-yoga-massage sessions, yoga retreats, and dance classes. Clayton Yoga was one of the first yoga studios in Missouri to offer a certified teacher training program, and Michelle herself has trained more than 300 yoga instructors. The studio also runs numerous wellness- and yoga-based corporate programs, where employers and employees collectively practice breathwork and restorative yoga.