About Mind the Mat Pilates & Yoga - Virginia Square
Mind the Mat Pilates & Yoga - Virginia Square offers a welcoming and vibrant studio space where students can enjoy a variety of classes, including hot pilates, hot power yoga, and stretching classes. The instructors are friendly, kind, and knowledgeable, creating a supportive community that keeps students coming back. The studio's beginner-friendly classes, such as HAWT Pilates for Beginners, are perfect for those new to pilates, providing a gentle introduction to the fundamentals of breathing and movement. While the studio may not have all the amenities of larger chains, it makes up for it with its reasonably priced classes and high-quality instruction. Overall, Mind the Mat is a great choice for those looking for a local studio with a focus on community and quality teaching.
In an effort to check out some of the gyms in the NOVA area, I enrolled in a free trial of Class Pass and started taking some of the classes at studios I was always curious about. Over the holidays I tried a hot pilates class with friends, so I started giving a few studios a try. Initially, when I saw Mind the Mat offered a HAWT Pilates for Beginners, I was ESTATIC. However upon further review of the HAWT Pilates class offering, the description said the class wasn't really for beginners. So sadly I opted not to enroll in any classes BUT THEN(!!) MTM had the awesome idea to offer a beginner version and I enrolled immediately (at least I think it's fairly new)! When I arrived at the studio there were multiple classes going on and the "lobby" area was full of classgoers coming and going into various classes. The beginner instructor, Erika, called for all newbies to head over to the studio where class was offered - which was great because there was no front desk staff. Once in the room you were immediately embraced with the muggy temperature that hot classes are known for. I put my items into a free cubby and started setting up. This class was completely full so we were all comfortably close. Erika came around and checked us in as we started setting up so that class could begin on time. The class itself was AMAZING. Although lots of classes sometimes say they are beginner friendly, it can be hard to learn the fundamentals. What I loved about beginner HAWT pilates is it really walked up through the different movements and taught us how to breathe correctly and what it means to scoop your belly. I can say with certainty I was doing it all wrong before! Although the class wasn't the most challenging it was EXCELLENT for beginners and is the perfect introduction to pilates. Erika was very friendly and was able to offer corrections to everyone and ensure you were truly learning. I can't say enough positive things about the class and studio! My only "negatives" are that 1. There is no water for purchase so should you forget a bottle you're out of luck and 2. I wish the beginner's class was offered on more days and times. Nonetheless I highly recommend the studio and have had a blast at the classes I have attended! Thanks Erika and MTM!
Mind the Mat Arlington and Alexandria locations are both lovely and the classes are a highlight of my week! The instructors are so kind and the community they foster keeps me coming back. The hawt pilates and hot power yoga classes are my favorite.
Looove this yoga/Pilates studio! All the instructors are so friendly and knowledgeable in their teachings. I regularly take their hot power flow yoga and their Pilates boot camp classes and also started appreciating the stretching classes offered here too. I used to go to CorePower regularly but I’m so happy to find a local studio I can go to instead that also offers such a nice variety of classes with such quality instructors. The studio definitely doesn’t have the type of amenities CorePower has so if that’s really important to you, this studio might not be it but I’m happy to forego those for a more reasonably priced studio!