The Island was a trip away from the hustle and bustle of Bali (if you can even call it that) and so of course yoga was going to feature heavily on the menu. Despite being a small Island there was a good amount of choice for the yoga seeker, especially in the area of Jungut Batu Beach, where the boat from Sanur comes in and luckily just near where we were staying.
My dream was to find a yoga actually on the beach, but unfortunately I couldn’t see this offered anywhere. The two centres I did visit might not have had waves lapping at my feet, but they did still offer a wonderful environment for my morning practice.
For those that want a holiday lay in (and why not) or an early morning stretch you’ll find a selection of class times across the day that can fit around your Island schedule. I opted for the morning classes, but at 8am and only a short walk from where I was staying it was no great drama to wake up for.
Yoga Shack
This studio is nestled within beautifully kept gardens of the Secret Garden Bungalows joined with Big Fish Diving school (which might be the easier sign to look for) whose staff were all super smiley and very helpful with my many non diving related questions.
Just inside the grounds you’ll find the studio, a circular wooden hut big enough to fit our class of 10 quite easily. I went along with my sister who is always a little nervous about her yoga experience compared to others in the class, but there were yogis of many different levels and the class was very chilled and relaxed.
The teacher Ied us through a slow, but well instructed Vinyasa class. Admittedly at times I would have liked a little less chit chat, but the 90 minutes whizzed by and by the end the slightly cranky feeling I arrived with had disappeared. Yoga – 1, Grumpyness – 0. A short meditation at the end allowed me to enjoy a little morning snooze and I left feeling ready for our day of island exploring ahead.
The studio is in the same grounds as the diving school, so if you’re looking for somewhere that can offer diving, yoga and a nice spot (I heard good reports) to lay your head then I reckon this could be it. If I went back again, I would probably look to stay here, you can’t beat stepping out of bed and into the yoga studio for real holiday ease. Find about more here.
Serenity yoga
Set back from the main road, keep your eyes peeled for the Blue Corner Diving and you’ll find the turning just after. Look out for the signs and head down the trees lined pathway towards the gate where you’ll spot the beautifully constructed yoga studio. Light, airy and with a viiiiibe that was definitely needed after my mornings escapade.
Just a note, if anyone directs you to walk along the beach to find it, do not listen to them! This route adds about 20 minutes to your journey and about 20 tonnes of stress, by the time I reached it my zen vibes were seriously depleted! Moral of the story, stick to the road and maintain your holiday chilled vibes!
Anyway, all was soon back to normal once I arrived and got myself on the mat. The teacher started the class by offering us all a stone to choose, each labelled with a word we could focus our session on if we wished. We were then led through a beautifully flowful Vinyasa class, more aimed at those with experience the teacher guided us through each posture gently, offering support for those that wanted to take themselves further into their inversions and binds. The 90 minutes whizzed by and the space had such a nice energy to it, I’ll be honest I didn’t want to go. However we were offered a freshly cut, cold coconuts for 20,000IDR (about £1.20) which I took as my que to leave and set off into the morning sunshine, coconut in hand. More info here.
Other recommendations
I didn’t attend any other classes, but here are some other yoga offerings that might be worth a look at during your stay.
Yoga Bliss
Set back slightly from the main road, head towards the Green Garden Warung (lovely vegan restaurant) and you’ll find it. Unfortunately the studio was closed whilst I was there, but is set to open in early May 2017. Instead we headed to the Green Garden, tucked into a salad and listened into the Managers conversations with the other guests about his plans for the space and thoughts on life…I do love an ear-wig. There’s some good energy going on there and I think this will be an absolute winner once it opens, and check out their yoga teachers trainings too here.
Ceningan Yoga Shala
If you fancy hopping across to Lembongan’s little sister Island Ceningan, then head to Ceningan Yoga Shala who offer classes across most days. You can also stay at their rather beautiful (and slightly higher up the price scale) resort and make the most of the diving they have on offer too.
Of course, you could always just take your towel down to the beach and have your own water’s edge yoga session. I wish I’d done this; sunset yoga on the beach, a little meditation as the sun goes down and a night cap cocktail to finish the day. Could you get anymore holiday smug?!
