As a practice, yoga is one of the most interesting ways to keep your mind and body at ease throughout the intimidating uncertainty of the first month of the year.
Time and time again studies have shown its health benefits, from increased flexibility to improved circulation and cardiovascular health. It’s also a well-known fact that the practice lowers stress hormones and can help with anxiety disorders, as well as memory and an overall improved mood. Something that we could all have help with during the bleakest month of the year.
Manchester is home to a number of independent yoga studios, as well as larger spaces to practice your up dogs, down dogs and warrior poses. Many of these studios also offer alternative forms of exercise, too, including pole dancing, trapeze fitness and pilates – all great for smashing those once optimistic New Year’s resolutions.
Read on for our list of the best yoga studios in Manchester.
Ashtanga Yoga
Located in the heart of the city, Ashtanga Yoga is not just the name of a studio, it’s also a practice that aims to create a ‘vibrantly healthy body and mind’, which is the exact reason you’re reading this, right? The studio is unique in that it offers a six-week beginners focused yoga course, as well as a follow-up Level Two course aiming to train you thoroughly in the Ashtanga practice. You can also drop by to take part in the studio’s monthly ‘Mysore, Chainting and Pranayama’ classes in which you learn to deepen your yoga with an hour of chanting followed by two hours of Mysore style movement.
Ashtanga Yoga, Methodist Central Buildings, Central Hall, Oldham Street, Manchester, M1 1JQ
Bodywise Natural Health Centre
Practising yoga can be beneficial to both the body and the mind, as it increases flexibility, builds muscle mass and soothes stress and anxiety. Bodywise Natural Health Centre, located on Tuner Street just opposite the Arndale Market, offers a huge range of classes for both beginners and yoga pros to do just that, and the spacious studio serves as an idyllic setting to unwind. It offers everything from baby yoga to pregnancy yoga, alongside modern pilates, tai chi workshops and more.
Bodywise Natural Health Centre, 16-20 Turner Street, Manchester, M4 1DZ
The Life Centre
Tucked away just off Deansgate, The Life Centre has grown to be one of Manchester’s most-visited yoga studios, offering itself up as a retreat for self-discovery and finally figuring out what touching your toes feels like. Offering over 30 studio-based classes per week from a line-up of diverse teachers and practitioners, it’s suitable for all abilities, with the added option of retreats also available if you’re looking to deepen your practice. This is one of the few places in Manchester that does hot yoga as well, not for the faint hearted but great if you really want to sweat.
The Life Centre, 293A Deansgate, Manchester M3 4EW
LiveWell NQ & Cheshire
You might recognise the LiveWell brand from its humble Stevenson Square home where it’s set up camp selling crystals, jewellery and self-love inspired gifting to the Northern Quarter masses. Over in Alderley Edge, the brand also houses a yoga studio that hosts hot yoga, trapeze yoga, candlelit cush yoga and pretty much everything in-between that. In its own words, ‘treat your life as it’s own project’.
The Studio, Congleton Rd, Cheshire, Monks’ Heath, Macclesfield SK10 4TD
Manchester Yoga Central
Nestled inside Old Trafford’s iconic Victoria Warehouse, Manchester Yoga Central has been operating for nine years now, exploring yoga classes and holistic training, too. With tranquil smells, sights and sounds it’s a fully immersive experience that aims to reach a moment of calm in our hectic schedules.
Manchester Yoga Central, Victoria Warehouse, Trafford Wharf Rd, Trafford Park, Stretford, Manchester M17 1AB
RE:TREAT at The Lowry Hotel
With a programme of specialised yoga and wellness classes, Salford’s only 5* hotel is an excellent location to make exercise feel like a treat. From yoga classes to guided meditation and sound healing, expert instructors are hosting sessions that will allow you to kickstart 2023 with calmer thoughts and bendier legs, both equally beneficial. RE:TREAT has also launched some spa packages that incorporate gym sessions, massages, yoga classes and even complimentary kombucha, because who doesn’t love a fermented fitness drink?
RE:TREAT at The Lowry Hotel, 50 Dearmans Pl, Salford M3 5LH
Reset by FORM at BLOC
Housed inside BLOC, Reset by FORM offers revitalising and mindful yoga sessions which ebb and flow through a number of practices. The self-proclaimed ‘feel-good’ movement studio feels aesthetically like a new Northern Quarter caff, offering a moment of calm without the handcrafted pastries. The studio offers yoga, pilates and barre classes all at an open level, meaning that both newbies and experienced movers will find them fun and fulfilling.
BLOC, 17 Marble St, Manchester M2 3AW
Siren Asylum
Ok, so admittedly this is in Salford, but we thought it needed a mention as it’s ace. Siren Asylum is a women only gym championing body positivity and creating an inclusive, unintimidating space for women and women-aligned individuals to get their sweat on. The studio’s yoga classes explore the breath as the main anchor for mindful movement whilst transitioning through yoga poses. It also offers dance classes, burlesque, trapeze, pole and traditional weights training for a diverse workout.
Siren Asylum, 24 Missouri Ave, Manchester M50 2NP
Yoga Loft
A traditional yoga-focused studio based in Eccles, Yoga Loft offers workshops and retreats to suit all levels. It was founded by two former teachers at Chorlton’s One Yoga and hosts practices such as Ashtanga and fast-paced Jivamukti, which combines vigorous yoga exercise with a Vinyasa-based physical style. The sessions range from 60 – 90 minutes, an optimum amount of time to distract you from the often deafening everyday brain chatter.
Yoga Loft, The Courtyard, 86 Worsley Rd, Eccles, Manchester M30 8LS
Yoga Soul
A kind and welcoming community studio, Yoga Soul is based just a stone’s throw away from Piccadilly Gardens with a certified commitment to your journey as a yogi. With seven different types of practices, from the challenging rocket yoga to mandala yoga in which you move 360º around your mat, the studio is an excellent place to find your feet and forte as a practitioner. It is also offering beginners 30 days of yoga classes for just £30 throughout the whole of January, a great start to any New Year mindfulness mantra.
Yoga Soul, 49a Newton St, Manchester M1 1FT
