With its hippy heritage and laid-back vibe, it's no great surprise that Ibiza offers all kinds of yoga courses and retreats. Sometimes though, you just need a drop-in class to, well drop into to and keep practising to stay in shape.
If you are on holiday or spending a reasonably long amount of time on Ibiza, a good drop-in class makes sense, with the option of choosing less expensive monthly class packages. With so many different types of yoga out there, it can be confusing which one to pick, so Ibiza Spotlight went on tour to help you navigate the many different ones available here on the White Isle.
We tried just about everything from the daringly dynamic, to the soft and gentle to suit the varied needs of everyone. With all the classes we reviewed, you can go as an absolute beginner, though make sure you mention that if you do go - it's easy to think you can go full tilt, though yoga can be demanding physically, so pace yourself.
The classes are mostly given in English, with many offering a side explanation in other languages too. Read on and see which one suits you best.
Namaste!
Soft yoga
Pure Om, Santa Eulalia
What is it?
Pure Om has classes through the week of many different varieties. We tried the "Soft yoga", which is for when you want to do a more gentle practice or if you are just starting out and it is suitable for all ages and abilities. Lija leads you through a gentle set of poses and explains everything in a beautifully calm manner. The best way to explain it, would be to call this a soft-dynamic style of yoga, that's perfect for all.
How does it make you feel?
A lovely session, where you will come out feeling bright and energetic, yet at the same time, very relaxed. Because this class isn't too difficult, it means that you can practise this form and still feel like you've done something. Yoga is about not pushing and that's what this class is about, working with the body and staying within your limits. Stepping out into blazing sunshine after this class felt like walking on air.
When: Every day of the week
Languages: English and Spanish
Class price: €15 with cheaper pack prices for multiple classes
Kundalini
Elevate, San José area
What is it?
Nicole at Elevate gave us what was an amazing and beautiful Kundalini class to get the day started. Each week, the focus of the class changes, so you will do something different such as clearing toxins or laying down a foundation to build energy; you do this by working focusedly on the chakras either one by one or in combination. It's said that this form of yoga is the original one as practised by Hindu holy men over millennia: it is in fact a synthesis of yoga traditions that uses chanting, meditation and visualisation as well as dynamic poses.
How does it make you feel?
Quite simply: magical. The classes take part at Nicole's home in San José village. Nicole by the way is lovely and will make you feel easily at ease. I walked out, floating and very relaxed, with the instruction to take it easy that day. I still had to start my day of work, though I didn't “attack” the day; instead, I let the calmness I'd engendered guide me through my to do list. If you like the spiritual side of yoga or have a particularly active mind that needs quieting, you'll love this class.
When: Every Thursday at 18:00
Languages: English (main), Spanish
Class price: €12 or a monthly inclusive price of €40
Hatha yoga
Chandra Ibiza, Ibiza Town
What is it?
Hatha yoga has been for around in the west for a long time. Essentially, it's a mix of medium power postures with proper breathing integral to it. Chandra Ibiza's yoga classes have a lovely meditative warm up to start with, all guided by the soft, yet commanding voice of the teacher Nora. Then it's time to get into the series of poses that follow where you will work with the chakras.
As well as the regular classes that take place during the week, an unmissable event is the monthly Sonidos Sagrados, or Sacred Sounds, a journey of sound and music vibration using gongs and bowls, combined with hatha yoga postures and breathing. A superb adjunct to normal yoga practice that helps unblock energy and stagnant thoughts and bring you to the present, all using the resonance of sound that will return the body to natural functioning.
How does it make you feel?
In both the regular class and Sacred Sounds' yoga, you are guided throughout by the very encouraging Nora, who takes you on what we thought was a rather magical journey. The class will give you much needed focus and attention on the body for regular maintenance. Doing the sound class once a month, should super-charge your body, making it ready to take on anything.
When: Every day Monday to Friday. Sound Yoga mid-month
Languages spoken: Spanish
Price per class: €12 and much lower when you go for one of various monthly deals. Sound yoga €21 (€15 for class regulars)
Yin yoga
Marrejan Oepkes, Santa Gertrudis
What is it?
A class from a long-time Ibiza master Marrejan Oepkes, that is simply beautiful. Yin yoga is unlike other forms you may have tried as it works slowly on a deep muscular level. Marrejan believes that the yin approach is the perfect counterbalance to all the negativity we see in the news or on social media. There are fewer poses overall and you stay in them much longer, stretching for around three to five minutes apiece. On the day we went, it was a full moon in Gemini, which according to our teacher makes you likely to have a short fuse, so that day we worked specifically on poses to aid anger management. This is a class that people of any age could go to.
How does it make you feel?
This class takes place in a beautiful countryside studio outside of Santa Eulalia and we loved it, lots. Marrejan puts a limit on numbers so that each person gets enough attention and guidance. If you haven't done it yet, know that the deep work that this entails will mean, you'll probably want to go home, avoid alcohol and junk food and go straight to sleep. Waking up the next day will have you super refreshed and you will notice you've used your muscles. Perhaps the best way to some sum it up the approach of this class is in Marrejan's own words: “the paradise you are looking for is already inside you, yoga helps you achieve that”.
When: 17:30 on Fridays (Yin yoga flow) 11:30 on Wednesday's (for seniors: alignment, core strength and stretch
Languages: English (main), Spanish, German, French and Dutch
Price per class: €18 (residents €15) or 12 classes €170
Vinyasa Flow
Yoga Projects Ibiza, Es Caná, Playa d'en Bossa, San Lorenzo
What is it?
The “flow” part of the name is what you need to know. Vinyasa pulls together various poses all co-ordinated with breathing. Our teacher Davy of Yoga Projects Ibiza organised a special session just for us. Davy really knows his stuff and is sensitive and gentle with you and we really loved his soft placement of a blanket and eye mask on us at the end, meaning you end it all in a very serene manner. We did a gentle flow, though intensity can be increased. This class is a kind of yoga therapy, where you'll be shown how to perfect poses, become more aware of the body and notice your breathing much more.
How does it make you feel?
I had been concerned that this was a power form of yoga. It is not. The two-hour class went by quickly and we fitted a lot in. You'll notice your thoughts stilling quickly because of the way and speed by which you move from one pose to another. It's dynamic yes, taxing, no. After finishing and leaving to see a shining sun, we thought that life could not get much better.
When: Throughout the week from April to October at Beachouse on the beach and Mikasa on the rooftop (See the above link for class timetables/location, published weekly)
Languages: English (main), Spanish, Dutch
Price per class: €10
Article updated and revised in December 2019
