Yoga has undoubtedly become a popular form of exercise among urbanites in Singapore. Touted to have many health benefits, including stress reduction, more people are trying out yoga as a way to maintain their physical and mental health.

Choosing a yoga studio may be mind-boggling since there are just so many options to choose from. Due to its increasing popularity, yoga studios have mushroomed all over the island over the past decade.

Factors such as class type (Hatha, Vinyasa, Flow, etc.), location, price and even instructors all play a role in deciding where to strike your yoga pose.

Here is a (non-exhaustive) price guide to yoga classes in Singapore for every budget, based on types of membership: free, drop-ins (or single classes) and membership.

Free

Unlike some forms of exercise and sports that require specialised equipment, yoga just requires you, an open mind and a mat. All you need is some instruction and training to get started and there’s nothing better than free classes to experience the world of yoga.

#1 Sunrise in the City

Sunrise in the City is a programme by the Health Promotion Board that offers free workout classes at various commercial fitness centres located across Singapore.

Some of the participating yoga studios include Jyan Yoga, Real Yoga, One Wellness, True Fitness and Platinum Yoga. Types of yoga classes vary from flow to couple yoga,

Due to recent Covid-19 measures, session capacities at participating venues have been revised to meet safety distancing regulations. Registration for the class must be made on the Healthy365 app.

Class schedule: Latest schedules can be found on this page under “Sunrise in the City”.

Venue: Various locations, such as Platinum Yoga, True Fitness and Jyan Yoga

#2 Decathlon Singapore Lab

Sports equipment retailer Decathlon holds free yoga classes at their Decathlon Singapore Lab. Classes are conducted by certified instructors and participants will need to bring along their own yoga mat.

Class schedule: Weekly. Attendees can sign up here.

Venue: Decathlon Singapore Lab at 230 Stadium Boulevard

#3 Meetup Groups

Using the Meetup platform is one way to locate free yoga lessons held across Singapore arranged by interest groups and private individuals. Search “yoga” and set the location as “Singapore” and you will see a list of upcoming yoga classes.

Organisers will publish information on the classes, location, type of class, as well as whether the session is free. There are free lessons held online too.

While some classes are chargeable at about $10 or $15, there are some free classes held by groups such as Meditation & Yoga For Freedom, which holds sessions at The Meadow, Gardens by the Bay and are suitable for all levels.

#4 Nikam Guruji Yoga Kutir

Run by a group of volunteers who are committed to teaching Hatha yoga free of charge to the masses, their basic courses are a 12-week class involving cleansing techniques, postures, meditation and relaxing techniques as prescribed in the ancient Yogic texts.

Type of lessons: Traditional Hatha yoga following a course created by Nikam Guruji

Class schedule: 2 hours per class over 12 weeks

Venue: Across 19 locations or so

#5 YouTube, of course

There are millions of yoga instructors offering free lessons on YouTube and it may require a lot of trial and error before stumbling on an instructor whom you’re comfortable with. Some popular and well-loved yoga instructors you can check out are:

• Yoga with Adriene: With over 9 million subscribers, Adriene Mishler is perhaps one of the most well-received instructors on YouTube. She offers lessons on breathing and classes for beginners, as well as pain management yoga lessons. There are also mental wellness based lessons such as practices for anxiety, PTSD, creativity and grief, as well as themed lessons such as “true” or “home”.
• Yoga with Kassandra: Instructor Kassandra Reinhardt of Yoga with Kassandra has many videos focused on stretching and Yin yoga (a slow-paced, restorative form of yoga). Her videos are definitely popular with over 1 million subscribers to date.
• Tara Stiles: This American model-turned-yoga instructor is considered a “celebrity instructors” who has not only opened studios and appeared in ads and television shows, but has also collaborated with Reebok and W Hotels, and even written books about yoga. Of course, her approach to yoga is not met without controversy, but if she’s offering free yoga lessons – including prenatal lessons and lessons with babies – on YouTube, why not?

Drop-ins or single classes

Drop-ins or single yoga classes without having to sign up as a member have proven to be popular in recent times, especially with platforms such as ClassPass and MindBody that are offering such services and flexibility. Most yoga studios and even large gyms are now offering drop-in classes at a one-off price of about $30 but this varies from studio to studio.

There are just too many yoga studios to list, but here are five interesting studios that offer unique yoga classes at drop-in prices.

#1 Jal Yoga

You may have heard of hot yoga, but what about infrared heat yoga? Jal Yoga is offering this unique type of yoga where infrared rays are delivered directly to the skin and muscles using healthcare industry standard infrared heat panels.

According to Jal Yoga, infrared heat can help to smooth the skin, improve circulation and reduce cellulite, among many other benefits.

Jal Yoga also holds other interesting classes such as Jal Wheel, Barre, Runner’s Yoga and Sound Bath Therapy.

Drop-in price: $45 per class

Venue: 5 locations (Alexandra Road, Upper Bukit Timah Road, Katong, Upper Thomson Road and Woodlands)

#2 Yoga Lab

This studio uses the Baptiste methodology – a type of hot power yoga developed by Baron Baptiste with five pillars such as breath, heat, flow, gaze, and core stabilisation – in its classes.

For practitioners who are curious about that, Yoga Lab offers the Baptiste Power Vinyasa Yoga, which is a structure of 53 asanas in 11 series, throughout a 90, 75 or 60-minute class.

If it sounds too intense, there are other classes such as Intelligent Stretch, YoBarre (a fusion of yoga and barre) Core Flow, and others.

Drop-in price: $30 per class

Venue: 4 locations (East Coast Road, Duxton Road, Joo Chiat and Dempsey)

#3 Art of Yoga

If you prefer a more traditional approach to yoga, yet would like to have the option of doing something a little bit out of the extraordinary, boutique studio Art of Yoga offers both.

Some of the classic lessons include Gentle Yoga, Hatha Flow, Yin Yoga and Vinyasa Flow, while the more specialised type of classes include Myofascial Release, Yamuna Body Rolling and Chair Yoga.

Drop-in price: $30 per class

Venue: 121 Upper East Coast Road, #02-01, Singapore 455245

#4 Yoga+

For yoga practitioners who want to try something a bit more hardcore and fast to get that heart pumping, Yoga+ offers a CardioFlow class that combines vinyasa practice with high intensity interval training (HIIT).

Of course, there are also other (gentler) classic yoga classes such as Basic, Flow, Revitalise, Restore, Power, Stretch and Invert.

Yoga+ also offers virtual drop-ins where classes are live-streamed so you don’t need to head down to their studio.

Drop-in price: $30 per class

Virtual drop-in price: $10 per session

Venue: 3 locations (Arab Street, Pagoda Street and Tanjong Pagar)

#5 Club Yoga

Club Yoga offers some classes that make use of props, such as chairs, ropes and sticks in their contemporary yoga lessons. Aerial yoga classes are also available at the studio, as well as the yoga classes such as Hatha, Flow, Stretch, Gentle and so on.

There are some fusion classes too such as HIIT-Hop, Yoga Dance, Acroyoga and Barre Fusion.

Drop-in price: $36

Venue: 28B Hong Kong Street, Singapore 059667

Read Also: Fitness Pass VS Fitness Packages – Guide To Choosing The Right Options For Working Adults

Studio membership

If you’ve found a yoga studio that you like and want to stick to the same place and instructors, signing up for membership is probably more cost-effective as the price per class at membership prices tend to be cheaper than drop-in prices.

Besides large commercial gyms and yoga studios that offer membership packages, boutique studios also have packages that allow customers to return multiple or unlimited times.

These studios below belong to larger facilities that usually require membership.

#1 Real Yoga

Claiming to have around 8,000 members, Real Yoga has three studios in Singapore with 25 instructors. Besides the usual classes and personal training, Real Yoga also holds workshops and retreats.

Their classes include Hatha, Flow, Vinyasa, Core, Gentle and so on, and are conducted in either normal air-conditioned studios or hot studios.

Membership prices: Short-term membership is $300 for 300 credits with three months validity or $500 for 500 credits with six months validity.

Long-term membership prices with unlimited access to all studios are available only upon enquiry but expect to pay around $120 to $200 per month, depending on the membership plan.

Venue: Toa Payoh, Tampines Grande and Jurong Gateway

Free trial?: Yes

#2 True Yoga

True Yoga has a long history with countless members having passed through their many outlets. The chain has 10 studios to date and offers many more other types of fitness workouts besides yoga, such as Zumba,

Belly Dance, Indoor Cycling and even Latin Fitness. Yoga lessons – 35 different types – are mainly held at Pacific Plaza.

Pre Covid-19, True Yoga would hold a class almost every hour starting from 6 am to 11 pm. Due to safety distancing measures, the number of participants has been restricted and classes are now fewer.

Membership prices: Expect to pay around $90 to $150 per month for unlimited access to all their studios, depending on the type and duration of membership.

Venue: 9 Scotts Rd, Level 4 Pacific Plaza, Singapore 228210

Free trial?: Yes

#3 Platinum Yoga

With six studios located across the island, Platinum Yoga can be a convenient yoga centre for practitioners to visit frequently. Classes there are themed according to air, water, earth, space and fire. The types of yoga include aerial, rope, flow and tone, anti-aging, kids yoga, Kundalini yoga, and hot yoga.

Membership prices: Ranges from $100 to $130 for unlimited access to all studios. Exact prices depend on duration of membership.

Venue: 6 locations (Suntec City Mall, Westgate Tower, Westgate Mall, Ang Mo Kio, Clementi, Parkway Centre)

Free trial?: Yes

#4 Pure Yoga

Pure Yoga is one of the largest yoga chains in Singapore and the region, which offers a plethora of different types of yoga lessons. No matter what your favourite type of yoga is, you can most definitely find it being taught here at Pure Yoga.

Its locations are also in prime areas targeting office workers who pop in for a class either before or after work, or even during lunchtime.

Membership prices: Ranges around $150 per month with unlimited access to all studios. Actual membership price depends on whether it is a short-term, monthly or prepaid contract.

Venue: 4 locations (Asia Square Tower 2, Ngee Ann City, Suntec City and Republic Plaza)

Free trial?: Yes

Choose A Yoga Studio That Fits Your Preferences And Lifestyle

Whether you choose to pay for yoga classes or attend free ones, the choice is really up to you on what type of yoga class you prefer. Some avoid large chain yoga studios because they find it distracting, but some enjoy the camaraderie formed among other yoga enthusiasts there.

If you are a beginner, it might be advisable to go for classes where instructors can correct your poses, rather than attempting to practise it at home, especially if you have a past injury. This is so that they can advise you on improving your poses in order to maximise the benefits that come from it.

ALSO READ: Best pilates studios in Singapore: Stretch your way to a healthy toned body

If you are just starting out, taking a free class, drop-in/ single class or a trial class may be a good idea before you sign up for a studio membership. In general, you can expect an average drop-in class to cost about $30 and a monthly studio membership to be around $150.

This means that you need to be attending 5 or more classes a month for a monthly studio membership to be cost-effective. Thus, do keep into consideration, your work and other lifestyle commitments before you sign up for a studio membership.

This article was first published in Dollars and Sense.