Unity Woods Yoga Center

I love Unity Woods and all of the teachers. I myself am a yoga teacher and have so much respect for the Iyengar method. It is very difficult to become Iyengar certified and is a seal of excellence. The studio has two rooms for yoga and they have excellent props and great light. The reception folk are friendly and helpful as well.

I really like Unity Woods yoga classes. They are slower paced and more focused on positioning than the popular flow and hot yoga classes. I don’t work up a sweat but I always come out feeling great. My mind is always clear and crisp after class and my body feels straight and properly positioned. I have had several instructors and found all of them to be knowledgeable and excellent in their instruction. I also appreciate the receptionist who is helpful and welcoming.

Had a wonderful time at Unity during the Unilocal Fitness Event. This was my first time at Unity Woods Yoga Center. Unity is located on the top floor of The Triangle apartment building in the heart of Bethesda. Sounds weird, but the space is great… its quiet with a great view of Bethesda.
The instructor was really great for us that weren’t super experienced in Hatha… even teaching us how to correctly pronounce Hatha. Loved the class. I will definitely return to Unity

Just left my first Unilocal event and my first time at Unity Yoga. The studio is big but cozy, everyone was really kind and friendly. Laurel was the instructor and she is awesome! Very knowledgdable, calm and funny. They have everything you need there: mats, belts, strips, blankets, etc. Just bring all your willingness and you’ll have a great time!

There a a few things you want from a yoga center. Careful attention to proper form and detailed instruction are some. Patient and warm instructors are, IMHO, also key. I am pleased to say that Unity Woods has all of these. There are lots of different classes and times, so anyone should be able to find their level and timing.

Unity Woods is the best yoga studio in the area. The studio is focused on Iyengar yoga, which is an alignment focused style. All instructors are certified Iyengar teachers, which means they studied Yoga for years and are highly skilled (no quick-​and-​dirty 200h Yoga alliance registration after 6months of Yoga in this lineage…). I went to classes with several instructors, I believe it really comes down to personal preferences which instructor one prefers, technically all classes I attended were excellent.
As to the classes, poses in Iyengar yoga are typically held for longer time than in flow, vinyasa, or Ashtanga yoga. I found that this slow-​paced approach greatly supports proper learning of the pose, as there is time to adjust and align it. Also, it is a feature of Iyengar yoga that props are used to enable students to safely perform a pose which is exceedingly useful for anybody who has injuries, is stiff, etc.
In contrast to many other studios, this studio has a no-​frills, no-​music, no-​incense, no-​coming late and leaving early, no-​phone in class approach which really enables one to practice and learn without distractions. Unity Woods does encourage students to practice at home, and the teaching is thorough enough for students to work on their own. That said, I find the knowledge I got at Unity Woods useful not only for my home practice, but also whenever I go to other studios — it’s like having a good technical foundation and a skill set at hand that make most other styles more accessible (plus would be invaluable should I have to continue practicing without a yoga teacher close by). So, at Unity Woods the instructors teach, rather than lead a practice.

Fantastic studio. You really get in deep and learn how to do the poses.

I’ve been taking classes at Unity Woods for at least 16 years (yikes!). Started when my son in elementary school, & still going strong! For 50+ yr. old, woman who’s tried different yoga classes when on vacation in the U.S. and Europe, I can unreservedly say that UW stands head and shoulders above the rest. I feel incredibly fortunate & blessed every time I leave one of Anne’s classes & gratitude for still getting so much out of each class.
All the teachers are very experienced with literally hundreds of hours of teaching training, they know body physiology, & adapt poses to students w/​challenges in their bodies – back. Shoulders, knees, wherever.
Unity Woods is NOT a trendoid yoga studio – they’ve been in Bethesda, VA & Woodley Park for a long time, & are 100% committed to yoga & their students. Whether you’re a mom of a young adult as I am, someone in their 20’s, 30,‘s, 40’s or whatever – this is the place to go if you want to build you upper body strength, ward of bone brittleness, refine alignment, work on body balance awa feeling a sense of calmness, strength & awareness that makes UW second to none in the DC metro area.
Check it out!

In a crowded field of yoga studios, the training you get at Unity Woods sets the standard for any yoga practice you may want to pursue in the future. The Iyengar style is not for everyone but the teachers here are deeply committed to the practice of yoga and have studied for years and trained with master yogis. This sort of expertise will add a level of awareness to your alignment and poses that will serve you well for the rest of your life. Check out the community classes for a start since it is a chance to meet and talk with several of the regular teachers.

For 5 years now I’ve been practicing Yoga.
Thanks to the ladies at work who dragged me into trying my first class!
From then, I’m hooked.
I love Yoga and practice everyday. And I’ve been faithfully to only ONE teacher, Linda Howard of
b/​c she is super sweet and a wonderful teacher.
UNTIL one day she said «I want you to take class with my teacher. He is the best Iyengar Yoga in the whole nation…» I was like «…It’s impossible for me… I work 10 hours a day, with long comute to work already… I dun think I’ll be able to make it to class regularly if I learn from him…» while imagining it would be so exhausting even if I manage to drag myself to the Bethesda studio…
BUT she kept insisting, so — I took leave from work one day to get there to try level I with John Schumacher… thinking I would do that ONE TIME to please her… dredding the driving during traffic jam approaching the Spur…
AND OMG — He is all of what she said he is and more!!!
I used to have pain with my Right arm and Right hamstring. The more Yoga I practiced, the more intense it got.
My 1^st day trying at John class — I witnessed he correcting a student neck pain (b/​c she did shoulder stand incorrectly) just like it was the simplest thing to do…(I had neck pain b4, and sometimes it even took wks to be back to normal) I was in awe… So I approached him and told him about my arm and hamstring issues… He just simply said that I will have all that fixed by practicing the way he teaches… So, I applied what he teaches differently compared to what I knew so far during the time waiting for the next class (AND Oh Boy — I was looking forward to it the whole week after that). GUESS WHAT?! My hamstring problem is GONE right after 2^nd week.
I have so much energy and joy after each class that I want to jump up and down on my bed and dun even want to go to sleep. Since then, I only need 6 hours of sleep each night. My mind is so freshen the next day, even tho I have to wake up at 5am for work.
SO NOW I’M HOOKED!!!
Forget about dredding the traffic. That notion is gone from my mind. I now sometimes even make time to attend both level I and level II on the same day. Mind you, after 10 hours at work, 3 hours driving — it’s must be ADDICTION for a person to keep going that far.
This Yoga center is UNIQUE for the way they teach. John is sooooo good at transfering knowledge!!! When you see him, you see Serenity.
Go, take classes from this place!
I know they sometimes offer groupon for new students. And they do offer free classes, the next one will be the week of July 4^th.
Namaste!

Great yoga studio! I have been around many along the southeast coast. Grounded in the essence of yoga while providing excellent posture classes for a great physical workout and strengthening of ones overall health and constitution. Best in terms of alignment and individual attention for individual bodies while guiding students into more advanced postures safely (which I cannot say for all advanced yoga classes.) Best in terms of alignment and individual attention for individual bodies. They offer pranayama (breathing) classes that are presented in a very saf, enjoyable, and intelligent manner. Teen yoga classes are offered too. The desk attendents, teachers and other students are all very nice and pleasent to be around.

Let me start off by saying that I give this studio one star as opposed to two because of its misleading marketing more so than it’s ineptness. I consider myself an amateur yogi — I’ve practiced semi-​regularly in spurts on and off for 5 years in a variety of cities, settings and styles. While I cannot seem to stick it out long enough or achieve the perfect shoulderstand, I do think I continue with yoga for all of the right reasons: to achieve balance in my mind and body in a non-​judgmental, calming setting. The ying to my long distance running’s yang.
Being new to the area, I stumble upon this fine establishment and while the website was a little jarring, the classes seemed right up my alley. So off I go, friend in tow, one mellow Sunday. Let’s just say that «mellow» is an understatement for our experience.
I respect the other reviewers that tout this studio’s grassroots style and «back to basics» principles however this truly was the biggest waste of $ 20. I felt judged by the teacher the minute I stepped in there, solely for being about 20 years junior to all the other attendees. Then they do roll-​call; furthering your «interloper» status. The 75 minute class goes through approximately 7 poses in total, and I can only liken it to my first ballet class at the age of 3…
«Point your toes to the right. See how that feels? Ok good, you can stop now. Get a drink of water and rest.»
I do not mean to be disrespectful but considering the high cost of a drop-​in class (which I imagine many first-​timers would opt to do — right after they check Unilocal of course), I think it only fair to communicate to your clients exactly the type of service you are providing for their $ 20. Call it like it is — we are a slow-​paced, very basic, gentle, step-​by-​step style of yoga. Had I seen that one sentence somewhere on their website, class descriptions, studio walls or Unilocal reviews I would have mostly definitely lingered at brunch for the 75 wasted minutes I spent in this class and taken my $ 20 elsewhere.

I was inspired to try this because of a Groupon… and I loved it!
I am not a fan of Bikram (hot yoga) and of places like Down Dog Yoga/​Lululemon etc. (trendy, but don’t teach you anything).
From the moment I walked in, the experience was different. The class size was manageable (10 at most) and everyone got one on one attention from the instructor. While I wasn’t a regular to the class, I could tell there was a strong bond of trust and even friendship between the instructors and the yogis attending class. This made the atmosphere so positive and calming.
I would go back and I have recommended this to all my friends. Finally, after 3 years in DC, I’ve found my yoga studio!

My mother has done yoga since the 70s, and she was who got me going to this place.
Unity Woods is nationally-​renowned. This is for the study of an authentic yoga form (Iyengar) from real teachers (many of whom have trained at the Iyengar ashram in Pune, India).
This is not trendy yoga.
This is not hot/​Bikram (bullshit) yoga.
This is not «Power» (bullshit) yoga.
This is not yoga to music (bullshit) yoga.
This is not a place to show off your Lulemon purchases.
These are not some aerobics teachers that took a weekend training and now consider themselves «yoga teachers.»
This is for the serious study of yoga by a studio who has been doing this long before Madonna and the masses.
Try the difference.