The Ultimate Guide to Ubud for Yogis

If you’re into yoga you’ve probably heard of Ubud in Bali, Indonesia. Located in the uplands of Bali Ubud is a small town filled with rich Balinese culture and traditional arts and dance. Walk down the street from your accommodation and we guarantee you’ll be greeted with a Hindu ceremony at least once or twice during your stay! Most people travel to Ubud from far and wide and find peace away from the typical nights filled with partying and delicious-yet-dangerous cocktails, that you find in Canggu or Seminyak. Ubud is an ideal place for a reset, being the center of everything wellness and yoga. Turn your head in any direction and you’ll be met with spas, holistic cafes, yoga studios, and most importantly; yoga teacher training in Bali. But what makes Ubud so popular amongst these things?

Some of the best yoga certification courses in Bali for a start! Ubud provides what Bali is most known for; cascading rice paddies, flowing rivers, towering coconut trees, and tropical jungle that create a serene and majestic atmosphere. It attracts top yoga teachers from all over the world who decide to call Ubud home. People are health conscious and it’s a joke amongst local yogis that nothing happens after 10 pm because everyone is in bed early getting beauty sleep before their early morning yoga practice! Basically, it’s the perfect backdrop for learning how to become a yoga instructor. It provides a space free of distraction and full of energy, yet rich in Hindu culture. Bali is the only Indonesian island that is Hindu. It’s a nice synergy as yoga stems from ancient India with many elements coming from Hindu philosophy. Azadi Retreat Bali has welcomed yogis from all over the world who want to learn to become a yoga teacher in Bali. Here is their list of what makes Ubud special.

Melukat

The Balinese Melukat is a soul purification ceremony using holy water, as a way to get closer to a higher being. It is often performed after a storm in your life to surrender the bad and make way for good. Although it derives from Hindu practices, a Balinese priest allows anyone to take part in the magic. You can partake in Melukat for anything that you feel is going wrong but it’s performed often when people are feeling overwhelmed in life. They do this ritual to reset. The recommendation from the staff at Azadi Retreat is to start your trip with this, especially before a yoga teacher training to purify yourself, and wish you good luck on the transformational journey ahead.

Cafes

Food is the energy for our mind, body, and soul; especially if you’re going to be practicing yoga every day during your 200 hour yoga teacher training in Bali. Ubud has some amazing world-class cafes serving great coffee using Indonesian coffee beans. As Ubud is a yoga center, many cafes offer vegetarian, raw, and healthy food options. You can choose from Western-style cafes for brunch or dinner or traditional Indonesian food. Azadi Retreat serves amazing vegetarian dishes to students doing their yoga teacher training and all meals are included in the package that Yoga Teacher Training offers. However, some of their recommendations on the days off from the training include Clear Café, Milk & Madu, Watercress, Kafe, Alchemy, and Bali Buddha. There are many more, we could go in but this will give you a great start. Many students decide to stay and eat at Azadi Retreat though on their days off because the food is so good. They offer a carefully derived plant-based menu using only local and fresh produce from the local market. You’ll never get bored of the variety and you will feel great with the balanced meals. Even non-vegetarians love the food and are amazed at the ever-changing options!

Ecstatic Dance

You could say that ecstatic dance is the yogi version of a night out! As you move your body to the rhythms and beats of the music it can become like a moving meditation that invites to you enter a trance-like state and connect more deeply with yourself and those around you as everyone moves and connects together with the music. It is a safe space free of judgment to fully express yourself through movement. There is no right or wrong, no steps to follow just your own body intuitively moving to the music. Allow yourself to be guided by your body and what movement it needs to follow. It’s a chance to get out of your head and into your body. You can let your body and mind both be free from any expectations. The Yoga Barn hosts an ecstatic dance night every Friday. It often sells out so make sure to get your tickets at least one day before!

Yoga Wear

We know what you’re thinking, if I’m traveling to Ubud for yoga why should I shop? I’m coming to get away from that! Well, here’s a little secret; Ubud is full of great yoga shops! If you forgot your mat don’t worry because you won’t have trouble finding one. All down Hanoman Street, you’ll find endless stores dedicated to yoga equipment, yoga wear, and even energizing crystals. No more Lulu Lemons but many unique yoga wear brands that are locally designed and made using organic cotton and natural dyes. If you want to shop with a conscious for your yoga leggings or tops (and you’ll need quite a few if you’re doing your 200-hour yoga teacher training) then Ubud is abound with great options.

Best Yoga Certification Courses in Bali

We might be biased but Ubud, is full of the best yoga certification courses in Bali. Being in Ubud offers an amazing opportunity to deepen your practice and study the history and philosophy behind yoga, or even pursue a yoga career and become a mentor to others. Yoga Teacher Training offers one of the best yoga teacher training in Bali. Not only do you master and become certified in two forms of yoga – Vinyasa and Yin, but you also dive deep into Meditation and Pranayama, Ayurveda, yoga philosophy, Traditional Chinese Medicine, voice activation, sound healing and mindfulness. Their training is all-inclusive and is located at the beautiful Azadi Retreat Bali near Ubud. A 200 hour yoga teacher training in Bali can take around three weeks plus but it’s worth it, especially when the retreat center is surrounded by stunning rice fields. Who doesn’t want to spend a bit of time away to fully devote time to a practice they love in a beautiful setting?

Art and Culture

Ubud is known as the artistic capital of Bali and there are villages that specialize in certain crafts. For example, there is a village dedicated to silver making where you can find amazing jewellery. Other villages specialize in word work where you can find hand-carved mirrors and furniture. The Ubud Traditional Art Market is well worth a visit in the center of Ubud. Here you will find small shops selling a variety of local handicrafts including hand-woven bags, silk scarves, sarongs, hand-painted wooden masks, and pottery. If you wander the side streets you’ll find galleries showing the work of local Ubud painters. When you’re finished there, you can go across the road to the residence of the Ubud Royal Family and attend a traditional Balinese dance performance held every day at the Palace.

There is so much more that we could say about Ubud but you’ll just have to sign up for your yoga instructor course in Bali and come and experience it for yourself.