Amsterdam Yoga Tour

liberal values and tolerance that mark Dutch culture make this city hospitable to the pursuit of yoga.

By Susan Nicolas

Considering the Amsterdam sky is grey most of the year, it's amazing how vibrant its denizens seem. Maybe it's because most Amsterdam residents regularly bike and walk, because they enjoy cheese and chocolate in their diet without a high rate of obesity, because organic food and homeopathic remedies are available and widely used before more conventional methods, or because every Dutch person has health care. In Amsterdam unconventional lifestyles are accepted without judgment, so the transcendent practice of yoga is actually considered the norm, not "alternative."

If you dropped into a random yoga class in Amsterdam, it would probably be Iyengar-based. There's a popular Iyengar Yoga Center in the center of town which offers more than 35 classes a week and an internationally-renowned teacher training course. Many of the classes are taught by IYC manager Cl้ Souren, whose gruff yet wise and fatherly manner eases you deeper into postures than you previously thought possible. The two large asana rooms here are modern and bright, with skylights through which you can often hear the steady patter of rain.

Around the corner from the Iyengar Center sits another major force on the Amsterdam yoga scene, Bharata Yoga. Gert van Leeuwen, the founder of the Bharata Yoga Institute, dances Bharata Natyamัone of India's oldest dance formsัin addition to practicing yoga. He brings elements of dance into his yoga, focusing on the movement from one asana to another, not just on static postures. Van Leeuwen has developed a unique theory of alignment that emphasizes extending and freeing the upper back. In his classes, each posture is held for a long time in order to experience this profoundly opening and deepening process.

Bharata Yoga offers a teacher training course, and its graduates often open yoga studios of their own. One such example is the School voor Yogasana's, situated in Amsterdam's most colorful and international section, the Pijp. The warm, friendly atmosphere at the School voor Yogasana's is created not only by owner and teacher Paul Braaksma's gentle presence but also by the soft, apricot-colored lighting and well-placed Hindu statues. Despite the serious discipline that Braaksma instills in his classes, there's a lot of laughing as well.

Merely walking into the Aurora Center for Natural Medicine and Personal Growth seems to set a healing process in motion. Lynne de Jong-Decker, an American expat, started Aurora seven years ago to create a place where people from all cultures could feel comfortable. Aurora offers an eclectic menu of hatha yoga styles, including Kundalini, Bharata, Kripalu, and Sivananda, as well as a range of healing and personal-growth workshops. The classes are taught in a big room overlooking a tree-lined canal, and it's nice to hear the gentle swish of water as you practice.

As you sit on the white carpet of the 3HO Kundalini Yoga Centrum, it's hard to believe that you're only a block away from Amsterdam's busiest traffic circle, called the Weteringschans, and not deep in a magical forest. The asana room is spotless, without dŽcor or distractions; a glass door looks out on trees in which it seems the happiest birds in the world sing. For almost 30 years, the teachers at the 3HO Kundalini Yoga Centrum have carved out an oasis of peace and quiet in this busy city.

Teresa Caldas opened Studio Asana in 1995 to share the knowledge she'd gained from her studies with Dona Holleman and B.K.S. Iyengar. Since then a loyal following of students have flocked to this sunny studio in the heart of Amsterdam to experience Caldas's uplifting and rigorous classes. Caldas says, "We must let go of prejudices, concepts, and dusty old habits and open the windows and doors of our bodies and minds."It seems utterly appropriate that she has chosen to open these windows and doors in Amsterdam, the watery land of ancient ways and new horizons.

Note: Some classes are in Dutch, but almost everyone in Amsterdam speaks English. Let teachers know that you don't understand Dutch, and they will translate for you or even teach the entire class in English.

Vancouver, B.C. Yoga Tour

Residents of this haven for outdoor enthusiasts are committed to a well-balanced quality of life.

By Robin Kalmek

Nestled against spectacular snow-capped mountains, lush forests, and the Pacific Ocean, Vancouver consistently gets rated as one of the most beautiful cities in the world. Despite its rainy mild climate, locals partake of outdoor activities such as biking, kayaking, skiing, hiking, and climbing with gusto. Not surprisingly, yoga has emerged as the ideal indoor activity to complement these seasonal obsessions and as a vital addition to a city that thrives on healthy lifestyles.

Kitsilano, a trendy tree-lined suburb where young professionals live and play, is home to Bikram's Yoga College of India on West Broadway. Established in December 1999, it is the oldest Bikram studio in the city. Owners Lisa Pelzer and Danny Dworkis proved so popular that the pair opened a downtown studio last August. A few blocks up on West 16th, The Yoga Studio offers a variety of styles, including flow, energy-based, power, and Iyengar classes.

Mike Dennison founded City Yoga on 4th Avenue in 1999. Originally situated inside a clothing store, City Yoga features classical Ashtanga as taught by Sri K. Pattabhi Jois, offering First and Second Series as well as six Mysore classes a week. They offer annual workshops with David Swenson, who does his single biggest Ashtanga training in Vancouver.

Driving west in Kitsilano toward the beautiful University of British Columbia (UBC) campus is Yoga West, the city's only Kundalini studio. The studio's founder, Dharm Kaur, has been teaching Kundalini for more than 18 years. Each class is unique, depending on the instructor, and the studio offers a variety of specialized classes, such as a women's class. Yoga West is well known for its internationally recognized and certified eight-month instructor program.

Heading east across the city
Is The Yoga Space, a large, well-equipped studio near the south side of Cambie Street Bridge. Opened four years ago by three teachers, Mary Balomenos, Louie Ettling, and Donna Rao, the Iyengar studio offers nearly 30 classes a week, with special focus classes including restorative, over 50, and private lessons.
Farther east, funky shops and restaurants make up the eclectic Commercial Drive. San Francisco's Larry Schultz, founder of It's Yoga, has opened his second studio here, with a variety of Ashtanga classes, including the advanced "Rocket" series that incorporates poses from the First, Second, and Third Series of the Ashtanga system.

Bikram Yoga Yaletown owners Felisa Fullerton and Ted Grand have gone out of their way to create a beautiful studio with reclaimed maple wood, full-spectrum lighting, and filtered water. Grand, Fullerton, and the rest of the teachers were trained by Bikram Choudhury in Los Angeles. Prana Yoga Center, also in upmarket Yaletown, has three studios that offer more than 65 classes in qi gong, Ashtanga, prenatal, hatha, gentle, and power yoga. The studio also offers meditation, chanting, and a relaxing weekly "yoga by candlelight." Prana has three cozy studios, but parking in the area can be a little trying, so arrive early.

Driving through Stanley Park, we're treated to gorgeous views of downtown. Located on Esplanade Street close to the popular Lonsdale Quay, Yogapod is a Bikram studio created by former graphic and industrial designers Todd Inouye and Laurie Thibeault. Artwork, pottery, and plants enhance the tranquility of the space, with a tiled water sculpture, drinking fountain, and waiting area."We wanted to add the touches we found lacking in other studios, while being sensitive to the environment and nature of Bikram Yoga,"says Inouye, who found yoga beneficial for climbing the local mountains. Opened in July 2001, Yogapod features two heating systems; non-absorbent, anti-bacterial carpeting; and an artist's touch.

Yoga classes in Vancouver usually range from $10 to $17 a class, with most studios offering free or discounted introductions. Vancouver's yoga community is friendly and accessible, much like the city itself. Traveling yogis will be pleased with the range of studios, quality of teachers, and the breathtaking views that have put Vancouver on the map.

Hawaiian Islands Yoga Tour

The raw beauty of the Aloha State inspires yoga practitioners to reconnect to the divine within.

By Tara Bray Smith

Instead of greeting each other with a kiss, the traditional Hawaiian welcoming and parting gesture consists of pressing one's nose close against another's to exchange sacred breath. In fact, the Hawaiian sound "ha"--the root of aloha--literally means "full of breath." This idea of filling yourself with breath, or as yogis call it prana, is just one of the many similarities that make practicing yoga in the Aloha State a natural fit. Founded in 1977, the Iyengar-based Silent Dance Center has grown over the last quarter century to three spacious studios around Oahu. A mainstay in the island's yoga scene, they offer Iyengar Yoga, classes for seniors and children, a pranayama and restorative class, teacher-training programs, and trilingual (Japanese-English-Korean) commentary in classes taught by the SDC's most senior-level instructor, Ae Ja Mobley.

It's this same kind of mix of cultures and traditions that provides the energizing spirit for one of Oahu's newest yoga studios, Yoga Hawaii, located in the heart of Kaimuki and founded by Kripalu-trained former triathlete Tania Jo Ingrahm and partner Rupali (Cheryl Figueira). The center features classes from several styles, including Kripalu, Ashtanga, Sivananda, Integral, Iyengar, hatha, and vinyasa flow.

If it's a high-energy, hot, sweaty practice you're seeking, you might head over the Pali (the ridge of mountains that divides the east and west sides of Oahu) to Bikram Yoga College of India in balmy Kailua. Founder Brent Purdue and studio manager-teacher Ted Grand find their core of devoted practitioners among windward Oahu's many athletes. A marathoner, surfer, and rock-climber himself, Grand finds the set of static postures in the Bikram series "very healing, very complementary" to his active lifestyle.

While Oahu might have the biggest and most diverse selection of schools and studios, the outer islands can't be beat in terms of setting. As Nadia Toraman of Maui Yoga Shala puts it, "These islands are alive, and it's something you can feel every day." Her studios--one in the busy, westside port town of Lahaina and the other in sleepier, plantation-style Paia--offer Iyengar, Viniyoga, flow, and hatha in addition to a full complement of Ashtanga classes.

Husband and wife team Nicki Doane and Eddie Modestini teach Ashtanga Yoga at their studio, Maya Yoga, in Huelo on Maui's north shore. Their studio, crafted of Alaskan yellow cedar wood, is warm and light, with one wall composed entirely of windows displaying a stunning view of the Pacific Ocean. The building uses no electricity and relies only on natural light and heat. Modestini has traveled to India several times to study with both B. K. S. Iyengar and Sri K. Pattabhi Jois.

Gary Kraftsow, founder of the American Viniyoga Institute, teaches a holistic approach to yoga philosophy and practice. Gary and his wife, Mirka Kraftsow, codirect Maui Yoga Therapy and direct the teacher development program at the American Viniyoga Institute. They also hold monthly retreats called the Art of Personal Practice in Maui and offer six and eight-week courses on everything from back pain to the yoga sutras. "We are trying to integrate the total human being," Kraftsow says.

In the old fishing village turned modern town of Kailua-Kona, Barbara Uechi founded Kona Yoga, an eight-year-old Iyengar center that offers workshops and retreats for senior-level Iyengar instructors.

If you are looking for restorative yoga, there's probably no better place than on the island of Kauai. "Kauai is where the healers come to be healed," says Bhavani Maki, one of Yoga Hanalei's founders along with Bikram instructor Lynn Moffitt. The studio, which offers a variety of Ashtanga, Bikram, and hatha classes, enjoys a steady stream of practitioners both from Hawaii and abroad who come for Hanalei's unparalleled scenery.

Practicing yoga against the tropical backdrop is a dream for most people. In Hawaii, it's a daily reality, an example of the profound connection between human breath and elemental energy that seems to be inherent in the islands themselves--the "ha" that defines both yoga and Hawaii.

Portland Yoga Tour

The heart of the Pacific Northwest draws yogis searching for a taste of the great outdoors.

By Mariniah Prendergast

The natural beauty of the Pacific Northwest makes Portland an obvious destination for outdoor fitness enthusiasts, but yoga is thriving indoors and changing people from the inside out. "Portland is a place where people can throw themselves into their yoga practice because of our access to nature," says Julie Lawrence, a certified Iyengar Yoga instructor with 25 years teaching experience. "Yoga teaches us to let go of extraneous activity and stress and allows us to be who we are; the simplicity of nature supports us in that."

Large windows let in light and a good view of downtown Portland at the Julie Lawrence Yoga Studio, across from the city's central library. Lawrence's experienced staff offer 30 classes per week, including Iyengar Yoga, pranayama, and prenatal courses. Lawrence teaches a popular Iyengar teacher-training program, and the other instructors are available for private and corporate classes.

Holiday Johnson opened Holiday's Health and Fitness Yoga Center nine years ago. Her journey began 25 years ago when she started bringing yoga to the masses at local community colleges, universities, the YMCA, and athletic clubs. Later she introduced yoga to several local businesses, including Nike. "I welcome people of all ages, shapes, and walks of life," Johnson says. Her diverse student population includes teenage girls, who are part of a program called "Standing on Your Own Two Feet." Teens receive discounted rates and classes are free to all students one Sunday each month.

Julie Gudmestad, a certified Iyengar instructor since 1970, physical therapist, and YJ contributor, is the proprietor of Gudmestad Yoga Studio. She offers an anatomy series in which each session incorporates principles of human anatomy into the yoga practice. Most of the teachers at her studio are trained physical therapists incorporating physical therapy techniques into their classes. "We start out more gently than most teachers do," Gudmestad says of her unique program, which offers five levels, from first-timers to advanced. "Safety comes first."

Barbara Fergusson, an established local teacher who helped form the Portland Teacher's Yoga Association 25 years ago, runs the Northeast Yoga Center in northeast Portland. She and her two associates teach Iyengar-based hatha yoga with an emphasis on therapeutic healing and personal attention. The studio offers more than 30 classes per week, and classes usually fill up; however, drop-in students who call ahead are welcome to fill available space. Free parking is available on the street.

Albert Trople is a popular yoga teacher who combines techniques from Iyengar, White Lotus, Ashtanga, Bikram, and Anusara Yoga. Trople uses his massage therapy training in classes, and his assistant, Lynn Brown, specializes in working with beginners. Students can attend one of seven weekly classes at Rejuvenation Day Spa, where they can have a massage, facial, or steam bath after class.

Sarahjoy Marsh runs The Sanctuary: A Center for Yoga, Dharma, and Healing Arts. The Sanctuary offers more than 35 classes each week in the Anusara style. The center also offers massage therapy and acupuncture. Sanctuary Sundays provide a change of pace for students by giving them the opportunity to explore in-depth a specific practice, such as pranayama or acupuncture techniques. Marsh says her studio serves a dedicated community of students and teachers. "This is a place where people find a home," she says.

The Yoga Space in southeast Portland offers more than 30 classes taught by nearly 20 different teachers in a range of styles. "We practice being firmly rooted so we can bend when the winds of our lives blow," says teacher Amanda Yampolsky. Amy Stange recently started teaching the moving meditative practice of qi gong at The Yoga Space. She says that with all the unrest in the world, qi gong helps people retain an inner peace. "The world may not be peaceful, but we can create peace within."

From hatha in the Hawthorne District to pranayama in the Pearl District, the range of styles and studios in Portland vary as much as the eclectic inhabitants of this friendly city. As the city grows, so do the opportunities for yoga students. With so many options, it appears that the City of Roses—named for its Rose Garden, where more than 500 varieties of roses bloom—has made room for the lotus flower as well.

Santa Fe Yoga Tour

In this high desert town, the spirit of the land and its ancient landscapes accentuate the sacred power of yoga.

By Debra Bakur

Santa Fe's sun-drenched landscape lies a full 7,000 feet above sea level, making yoga practice in this high desert town—not to mention breathing—a true challenge. Cultivated first by the area's original Pueblo residents, the town still retains much of the architectural influence of the Spanish who arrived in 1610. Even today, the aura of power is unmistakable. Whether it's the incredible Southwest light or the ancient mesa faces, there simply is no bad time of day or wrong season in Santa Fe—and for the dedicated yoga community in this pink adobe town, that's just part of the blessing.

"The spirit of the land is strong here," says Santa Fe Community Yoga Center's Michael Hopp. "This can actually be a very difficult place to live. People who move here often get more than what they asked for. Thankfully, yoga is supportive of spiritual growth." Gail Ackerman, who has taught Iyengar Yoga for 17 years at her studio, White Iris Yoga, agrees. "I think Santa Fe is the kind of place energetically that teaches one to develop faith and trust," she says. "It's definitely a challenging place to live. Often people who come here from urban environments arrive with a sort of got-to-get-it-done agenda," Ackerman says, laughing. "You have to get into the rhythm of letting things unfold. Santa Fe teaches patience and persistence."

Downtown on Early Street, known as the Rail Yard Cultural Arts District, Rima Mitchell offers a wide variety of classes, workshops, and spiritual adventures at Yoga Moves Studio. Besides Tantra, Kundalini, and Ashtanga classes, Mitchell's studio specializes in partner and prenatal yoga. Drop-ins are welcome, and the menu at Yoga Moves includes classes in trapeze, innovative art, movement, and acting, with regular performances offered as well.

If you're in search of a Buddhist-inspired practice, you can visit Yoga Source, where owners Tias and Surya Little incorporate meditation into all their classes. Yoga Source offers 30 classes a week, primarily in the Ashtanga and Iyengar styles, and the peaceful studio features a soothing waterfall and plentiful leafy green plants. Besides a lovely place to practice, Yoga Source also has a well-stocked boutique, offering numerous books, videos, props, and natural foods.

Just north of the city on the way to Taos is Espa๑ola, where the Hacienda de Guru Ram Das Ashram Community is located. The international headquarters for the study of Kundalini Yoga through 3HO (the Healthy, Happy, Holy Organization), Espa๑ola is a restful, rural town with breathtaking views of the nearby mountains. According to community member Ek Ong Kaar Kaur, morning sadhana begins daily at 3:45 a.m., with visitors always welcome. Monday and Tuesday evening meditation classes are personally led by Kundalini Master Yogi Bhajan when he is in residence.

To practice Bikram Yoga, you can visit Bikram Yoga Santa Fe, the only studio in the town offering Bikram classes. Two to three classes are taught per day in this newly remodeled space, which is decorated with original artwork.

If you drive all the way to Taos, less than an hour from Santa Fe, you can drop in at the Taos Kundalini Yoga and Health Center, owned and operated by husband and wife team Rajinder and Harbhajan Khalsa. Located on Paseo del Pueblo Norte at the north end of Taos, close to the Kachina Lodge, the center has a yoga room and two additional healing rooms. Besides classes in Kundalini, Ashtanga, and hatha, the center provides professional massage, aromatherapy, hot stone, Swedish, craniosacral and myofascial treatments. They offer monthly weekend retreats year-round, along with Pilates, prenatal, yogic communication, and special chakra courses.

A few miles south of Santa Fe along Hwy 285 lies the tiny community of Galisteo, once the setting for westerns featuring screen legend cowboys Jimmy Stewart and John Wayne. Spread across this dramatic backdrop is the Vista Clara Ranch, where yoga teacher Ramona Mitchell offers classes in the ranch's enormous and inspiring underground kiva. Day visits to the ranch include transportation to and from Santa Fe, with packages that feature classes, massage, and hikes or horseback rides to the nearby petroglyphs.

If you stay longer, you can relax in the ozone pool, treat yourself to a leisurely art or cooking class, get a massage, or participate in a Native American sweat lodge. Whatever type of yoga you choose, just remember to take it easy—you've definitely achieved altitude here.