The Arlington Center

I took an Iyengar class here a little while ago. It’s on Mass Ave in Arlington, right next to a Dunkin Donuts on the cusp of the town centre. They don’t take credit cards and I didn’t have cash, but the teacher let me take the class anyway and send a check later ($ 17 for a drop-​in rate, though it’s cheaper if you sign up for the class series).
The class was well-​taught — the teacher knew her stuff and placed the correct amount of emphasize on anatomical correctness and breath. But it just wasn’t for me. It’s an older, less physical crowd than I’m used to, and the class really didn’t feel like much of a workout. I know, yoga isn’t all about asana, but I work in an office and sit nearly motionless all day. Yoga class is my time to move and sweat, and I barely did either. Afterwards I just wanted to go home and sleep.
But if you want low-​intensity yoga for relaxation and restoration, this is a good place. The space was clean and nice (though the ceiling felt low and gloomy and the room was cooold), and they have a wonderful assortment of props (mats, blocks, blankets, eye pillows).

Geared toward older people? Probably, but I’ve never really felt out of place. Everyone’s been really nice, from staff to students. There are various classes to check out — NIA, yoga, pilates, etc — and I’d highly recommend signing up for their email newsletter which comes in once a week and makes it easier to keep track of special events. They’ll even hold free classes once in a while, and once a season there’s the open house where they hold introductory classes. The spaces are nice and clean, and there’s mats/​blankets/​accessory in case you don’t own your own.

I took 2 classes here last weekend: Yoga I/​II with Chip and Nia with Roxanna. While both were good, I felt they were geared toward an older crowd and therefore not really what I expected/​was looking for. Also, they charge $ 17 to drop-​in for a class, which is a bit high for me. They do offer muti-​class passes that you can buy, which brings the price per class down to $ 15 or so. I am interested in checking out some of their other classes to see if they have a different vibe. The Center’s location is a good one for me, especially for weekend classes. Overall, people (instructors & patrons) were very nice & friendly.