Aldgate-based FLY LDN is the antithesis of the rave-inspired
HIIT class. Carefully curated playlists and immersive cinematic
visuals of Himalayan mountain ranges, crashing ocean swells and
sun-filled forests replace flashing lights and blaring music. The
rolling, large-screen landscapes create a low-stress and
multi-sensory environment that strips yoga back to its roots. Small
class sizes and hands-on instructors help you to master difficult
moves and polish your poses – newbies will be transitioning into
headstands in no time. Base Flow classes takes you through the
basics; Flowlife is the signature class suited to those with
moderate experience who want to deepen familiar postures; and
candlelit hip-hop yoga is a high-energy (read: sweaty) remix of
traditional vinyasa set to sick beats.

Say namaste to yoga 2.0 – this is futuristic fitness at its
finest. The artist and creative brain behind ChromaYoga, Nina Ryner
was inspired by the work of James Turrell, Carlos Cruz-Diez and
Veronica Ann to create a space that uses colour therapy,
stimulating soundtracks and harmonising essential oils to fit the
mood and intention of the class. Sluggish souls should sign up for
the Blue class, which aims to rewind the damage incurred by staring
at a screen and focuses on repairing broken sleep cycles. Ramp it
up with the Orange class to drench yourself in
productivity-boosting sunrise hues (and sweat), then follow it with
the Pink: Restore class, in which a sequence of six gentle
stretches aids muscle recovery.

You’ll find Fierce Grace studios in all of London’s leafiest
areas: Primrose Hill, Kilburn, Muswell Hill and Finchley, to name a
few. Responsible for bringing bikram hot yoga to London in 1994, it
offers classes that cover hatha, ashtanga and bikram styles in
studios set to 38°C. You’re guaranteed to get sweat – this is not
the place to elegantly practice your lotus pose. The brave and
bendy should book into WILD, a high-stamina, energy-demanding class
which combines strength poses, HIIT sequences and core exercises
with holds that are (literally) achingly slow. Pack a change of
clothes; Fierce Grace makes every other hot-yoga class look like a
walk to the pub.

Hipper than a macadamia-milk nitro-brew, Blok is all brutalist
concrete, bare-brick walls and cast-iron pillars. Fusing fitness
and design, its
Clapton gym occupies a converted Victorian tram depot while the

Shoreditch site features breeze-block sculptures from an artist
in residence. It may look like an art gallery but Blok certainly
isn’t style over substance; more than 20 yoga and pilates classes
are on offer, including from restorative yin yoga,
squeeze-it-in-your-lunch-break pilates and hardcore power yoga
sessions. Power Yoga L2-3 is as intimidating as its sounds and not
for the flexibly challenged – we’re talking complex inversions,
breaking down mental barriers. It pushes usually unflappable yogis
to their physical limit.

A simple space saturated in sunlight in Lower Clapton, Supply
Yoga is a neighbourhood studio that hosts classes at
budget-friendly prices. The studio has been built on the mindset
that yoga can combat social isolation, reduce anxiety and provide
emotional support. The studio is a firm believer that yoga has the
power to enhance your mind, as well as your physical wellbeing.
Profits from the classes go straight back into helping fund free
yoga classes for community support services across London. On top
of its weekly timetable, the social enterprise hosts regular
workshops including Queer Yoga and Yoga for Anxiety, during which
mindfulness techniques and breathing exercises are used to manage
day-to-day city stresses.

At Tempo Pilates’ edgy Shoreditch,
Hackney and Convent
Garden studios, reformer pilates is set to thumping beats that
dictate the pace for the body-conditioning sequence. Catering for
reformer pilates beginners or for those who have yet to brave the
reformer machine – the medieval-looking torture contraption that
you’ve probably seen on Instagram – classes allow you to master the
core principles before moving you up to Tempo Pilates L1. The first
part of the class follows the same routine each week, encouraging
you to hone your technique, followed by 30-minutes of freestyle led
by expert trainers. No two classes are the same, so you won’t get
bored or complacent. Short on time? TP X-Press is the bite size,
40-minute version that fits into your lunch break.

Is there anything more East
London than The Refinery? Expect retro aesthetics, playlists
packed with 80s tunes and a playful roster of workouts taken by
some of the capital’s most talented instructors. Sure, the class
names err on the cringey side but Yoga Fit Flow adds a bit of fun
into your monotonous fitness regime while Hip and Hamstring Heaven
will have you sashaying your elongated limbs around like a Jane
Fonda-goddess. It’s not all leg warmers and screeching into your
dumbbells, small-sized (no more than 12 at a time) hot yoga, hatha
and pilates classes feature regularly on the timetable.

Housed in a former park-keeper’s lodge with views over Southwark
Park, theLodge is the kind of place you’d want to wander to on a
Sunday morning, matcha latte in hand. The
Scandi-inspired decor – exposed bricks, distressed leather,
reclaimed wood – is the ideal backdrop for its punishing hot yoga
and pilates classes. Tackle complicated postures and inversion in
an Aerial Yoga class, with a routine of flips, tricks and spins
that wouldn’t look out of place on Strictly Come Dancing. Aerial
Yoga Trapeze requires slightly more skill and fewer sequins – think
of it as a TRX class but suspended in the air by a parachute-type
fabric. Bring your own towel and enjoy a shower on site to enjoy
full-size Aesop products and heated changing room floors.

As big a part of Dalston’s Shacklewell Lane as the Hand of
Glory’s giant maypole, Yoga on the Lane has been providing refuge
from city dwelling since 2012. Owner Naomi Annand is a former Royal
Ballet dancer and has developed a breath-led style of vinyasa
that’s more results-driven than spiritual awakening. That being
said, tired eyes do receive soothing parcels of lavender at the end
of each session. Mats, blocks and straps are offered throughout and
floors are heated – Annand really has thought of everything – so
your morning savasanas won’t leave you shivering. Book in advance;
weekends are extremely busy and morning classes fill up
quickly.

Heartcore has been West
London’s go-to yoga and pilates studio for what seems like
forever – even the Duchess of Sussex is a fan. Intimate classes
mean there’s no slinking to the back, but with the trainers’
hands-on approach, you’ll soon see an improvement in your postures
and definition in your baby abs. You’ll hear pilates enthusiasts in
the changing areas harping on about the custom reformer machines –
and they’re right too. The Rolls-Royce of reformer beds has been
customised to fully engage your core and was built according to
scientific athletic studies. It’s a slick piece of kit, but do
approach with caution; after a gruelling 60-minute session you’ll
be struggling up the stairs for days.