The best yoga in London

Frame is well known for its selection of fun and challenging fitness classes set in uber-cool gyms across London. All their gyms run yoga classes, but there’s a dedicated studio at Frame King’s Cross, if you want to get the full experience. Take your pick of classes, from dynamic vinyasa to mandala flow yoga, or make the most of their special wellbeing workshops. Get there early to get a spot as these sessions are always popular. Mats and bolsters are provided.

Perfect for… yogis who like to feel the burn

Price per class: £16

Introductory offer: Three classes in two weeks for £40.

Monthly membership: £72 for six classes a month in one chosen studio, £190 for unlimited classes across any studio.

Find studios in Kings Cross, Fitzrovia, Angel, Shoreditch, Hammersmith and Victoria.

Meditation, but make it epic. Doom Yoga is a slow vinyasa-based flow yoga practice in an authentic yoga shala space but with one hell of a soundtrack. Founder Kamellia Sara teaches you to be one with your body while heavy drone, ambient, electronic, psychedelic and doom metal plays over the speaks – loudly. Sometimes, musicians like Sunn O)))’s Stephen O’Malley even come down to provide a live soundtrack to your stretching. Who knew you could combine the eardrum-battering thrills of a gig with the calm of yoga practice?

Perfect for... sonic adventurers.

Average price per class: £15

Monthly membership: £60 for unlimited classes

Sound Temple Studio, 6 Sylvester Path, E8 1EN

Can’t get enough of child's pose? You can bend and stretch all around London with MoreYoga, who aim to make yoga more affordable and accessible with their growing number of studios and great value class bundles. Classes on offer include now include pilates and sound healing, as well as ashtanga, vinyasa, rocket and power flow sessions, as well as morning flows, candlelit classes and sessions that combine yoga with dance-inspired moves for more of a cardio hit. While the range of sessions on offer is pretty expansive, the facilities themselves are more on the basic side. You’ll find changing rooms and toilets, but don’t expect to be able to hit the shower once you’re done. Luckily, that’s the only stumbling block here and, in the yoga room, you’ll find all the mats, blocks and bolsters you need.

Perfect for... doing your triangle pose all around town

Price per class: From £4.35 with an annual pass if you practice twice a week. Cheaper if you practice more.  

Monthly membership: £1 first month, then half price for life (£44 pcm) for unlimited classes, and access to more than 35 studios.

Find studios all over London. Central: Aldgate, Old Street, Cannon Street, Soho, Tower Bridge, Victoria / North: Angel, Caledonian Road, Camden, Finsbury Park, Harringay, Stoke Newington, Winchmore Hill / South: Balham, Battersea, Bermondsey, Brixton, Clapham Junction, Croydon, East Greenwich, Elephant & Castle, Greenwich Creekside, Lewisham, Surrey Quays, Tulse Hill, Wandsworth / East: Blackhorse Road, Blackwall, Dalston, Hackney, Haggerston, Stratford International / West: Stamford Brook, Uxbridge, Wembley Park

Down to Earth's peaceful flagship studio on Tufnell Park’s bustling Brecknock Road is a popular neighbourhood spot – on a Saturday morning there’s even a reserve queue! Step into the large studio and you’ll start to see why. Founded by a Central St Martins grad, it boasts huge windows along one wall, bringing in lots of light. The classes, too, are plentiful – they run throughout the day all week and span lots of different forms of yoga (plus pilates!) And there are sessions for kids and teens as well. If you don’t want to queue for the changing room, come dressed for your class – there are only two small cubicles on site. Mats are provided.

Perfect for... Serene, sophisticated yogis 

Average price per class: yoga/pilates drop-in: £16

Introductory offer: £40 for 14 consecutive days of yoga and pilates at Tufnell Park

Monthly membership: £109 per month

Tufnell Park

This small, pretty yoga studio in Dalston is one of the most welcoming in East London – and that’s not only due to their toasty underfloor heating. Teaching classes of 15 students, former ballet dancer Naomi Reynolds and her crew of instructors always find time to work with each student. The practice is dynamic vinyasa yoga, but if you’re a total newbie this is still a good place to start. Arrive early for the weekend morning classes as they fill up fast.

Perfect for… beginner-to-intermediate yogis looking for a bit of guidance

Average price per class: £15

Introductory offer: £35 for five classes (valid for one month)

Monthly membership: Ten Class Card (valid for three months) for £120

105 Shacklewell Lane, E8 2EB

Triyoga is a yogis paradise. Their studios, which are shoe-free-zones fyi, are all calming colours, raw materials and hushed tones. You’re met with the gentle scent of incense at the door before you pad through to one of the studios. Triyoga has an impressive line-up of classes on their roster, from classes designed for newbies or yin and restorative sessions for those wanting a gentler practice to dynamic vinyasa flow classes, ashtanga, nidra yoga and steamy hot yoga sessions. Kids, toddlers and teens can get stretchy at Triyoga too, and there are also classes for pregnancy, stress, back problems and free yoga for cancer classes to help cope with cancer and cancer treatments. 

Perfect for... yogis wanting to explore and expand their practice

Price per class: From £25

Introductory offer: £39 for three classes in 14 days 

Monthly membership: £140 a month for unlimited classes.

Find studios in Chelsea, Camden, Ealing  and Shoreditch

Tucked away in leafy Denmark Hill, this cosy, Japanese-style studio was founded by a Zen master who learnt his craft at Rinzai monasteries in east Asia. Classes have a traditional, restorative edge – some include aspects of meditation and mindfulness, while the early morning vinyasa flow lessons are an instant pick-me-up. Most are drop-in sessions, letting you join on a whim. The studio doesn’t have the fancy trappings of its larger city-centre counterparts (there are no changing rooms or towels, for example), but all the equipment is provided, and the airy wall-to-ceiling windows and huge wall canvases painted with calming circles will instantly inject a dose of Japanese Zen into your day.

Perfect for… spontaneous stretchers

Average price per class: £8-£15

Monthly membership: No membership system here, just drop in. 

2D Camberwell Grove, SE5 8RE

Formerly called Jivamukti Yoga London, this yoga studio hosts independent specialist instructors of this form of yoga. Jivamukti is ashtanga-based yoga which incorporates spiritual elements, like chanting. The centre has a smart feel with a hippy edge – represented by altars in each of the two studios complete with photos of Indian gurus. The classes themselves can be pretty intense, so they're not really ideal for first-timers – best to know what you're doing before heading here.

Perfect for... yogis that can keep up

Average price per class: £19-£26

Introductory offer: £39 for 14 days

Monthly membership: £99-£149 per month (depending on income level) for unlimited classes (12-month contract)

300 Kensal Road, W10 5BE

After being greeted warmly in the garden walkway, you are hit with a sense of calm as soon as you step into the centre. That might soon be disrupted by the fact you have to change in the loos as there are no changing rooms – just come in your kit to avoid this. The classes are very focused on breathing and keeping your mind in the present, meaning you’re not thinking about the 10,000 emails you’ll receive in the morning. Equipment is provided for the variety of classes they offer.

Perfect for… yogis that need to relax the mind and body

Average price per class: £8-12

Monthly membership: there is no membership system – just drop in.

51 Roman Rd, E2 0HU

Hotpod Yoga lives up to its name – this unique take on yoga puts you in a giant inflatable pod filled with 37-degree air and then asks you to strike a chair pose. You’ll want to bring your shower things with you (you can rent towels) because you will work up a sweat. It has sites across London, including in Belgravia, Brixton, Dulwich, Hackney and Notting Hill, and each has instructors that will keep encouraging you along the way, but don’t pressure you to do anything you feel you can’t. If you can’t take the heat, that’s also fine, and you’re welcome to sit out and cool down as often as you like.

Perfect for… yogis that like to feel the heat

Average price per class: £18

Introductory offer: £20 for a two-week unlimited pass

Monthly membership: £120 (any time) or £83 (off-peak)

Various locations. Check the website for more info. 

Set up in 2015, MahaDevi is relatively new on the yogi scene. It’s a cosy space on Holloway Road – mats, blocks and straps are provided, but otherwise it’s a fairly basic studio. That’s no bad thing – the modest space means that classes can only hold eight people at most, making it ideal for newbies who would benefit from one-to-one attention. The studio also runs a yoga therapy programme for children with disabilities, which are subsidised by profits from the adult classes. At £13 per session, it’s pretty affordable, and on top of all those post-yoga endorphins, you can feel good knowing that your money is going towards a worthy cause.

Perfect for… beginners

Average price per class: £13

Introductory offer: First class for free

Monthly membership: You can’t get one, but you can buy a block of five classes for £55 or ten classes for £100

102A Holloway Rd, N7 8JE

This specialist Iyengar yoga studio has two very spacious and bright practice rooms, so you don’t feel squashed by everyone else’s positive energy (and sprawled legs). The instructors are very encouraging and attentive but advanced. There’s a lot of equipment (which is provided) involved – you name it, you’ll bend with it, from wooden stools to ropes hanging off the wall.

Perfect for… advanced yogis

Average price per class: £12.50

Monthly membership: 90 Minute Studio Class Yogacard £142.50 and 120 Minute Studio Class Yogacard £180

223a Randolph Avenue, W9 1NL

Formerly residing in Clapham and now in a refurbished Victorian warehouse in West Norwood, The Shala has been running for over 17 years and has a long-standing reputation for its excellent teaching and welcoming vibe. The yoga studio offers daily Ashtanga yoga classes (traditional Mysore style for beginners and intermediate) as well as workshops and yoga for pregnancy. Classes are small, with an emphasis on spiritual as well as physical wellbeing.

Perfect for… yogis that ‘ommm’

Average price per class: £19.50

Introductory offer: £35 for up to one class per day for three weeks

Monthly membership: £85 for eight classes a month

1 Chestnut Rd, SE27 9EZ

Run by husband and wife team Sean and Emma, this studio is the perfect mix of the vibrant Bussey Building (it also has locations in Streatham and Queens Park) and the specious tranquillity of a yoga studio. Not only are you greeted by friendly faces, and a complimentary cuppa if you fancy it, but the couple’s little dog, Misty, will pop in to say hello! The instructors are very welcoming and attentive and not too pushy when it comes to more complex moves – you are just encouraged to join in and do what feels comfortable. 

Perfect for… yogis that like to take it easy

Average price per class: £18

Introductory offer: £45 for 21 days unlimited yoga

Monthly membership: £105 for one month unlimited classes

Locations in Peckham and Streatham.