Yoga is an activity everyone should try at least once in their life. Before I ever tried a class, I doubted its ability to relax participants, and I definitely doubted its effectiveness as a workout. Alas, I was wrong. My first yoga adventure was a few years ago at my local gym, and ever since then, I try to attend classes at least once a month.

When I started college, the time I had to commit to my studies took away from the time I had to workout and do yoga as well as other classes. As I've gotten into the swing of things over the past year, I've been able to get into a regular workout routine and try different, cool activities around town. The other day I discovered a hidden gem in Athens that any yoga lover (or yoga "liker") should try if you're ever in The Classic City: Rubber Soul Yoga.

Rubber Soul Yoga is a by-donation yoga studio. The studio is located in an old leather factory off Prince Avenue that has been converted for commercial use. My friend and I ventured over to try out a class one morning. Both of us had never been or even seen the building we were going into. When we parked, we had to search a little bit to find it since their are business on both sides of the mill. When we walked in, it was quite, peaceful, and I was so excited to try some yoga at this new place! The space is small, but the perfect size for what it is used for. Our instructor was perceptive to our abilities and checked on us as we went through the class. She was also funny and very kind, and not to mention she had great taste in music (I'm a birdie fan myself). At the end of the class we laid in corpse pose for a few minutes, and although I had to try my best to not fall asleep, it was the perfect way to end the class. All in all it was a very positive, uplifting, and relaxing experience.

Rubber Soul Yoga is definitely something every Athens resident or visitor should try, especially the college students. Whenever you need a little break from classes or studying this fall, checkout RSY. They have different levels of yoga classes and some other unique class options as well (clown school anyone?). The studio takes payment for classes by-donation, so it even works with the college student budget! If you don't have a buddy to go with, but you want to try it anyways, shoot me an email and I'll tag along. Trust me. Yoga is good for your soul, and Rubber Soul Yoga is good for us bulldog's souls.