Yoga in Stockholm
Christie Petrakopoulou spotlights Stockholm as a yoga destination for travelers including a list of studios worth checking out.
Yoga teacher: Anders Asker
This article is dedicated to yogis and yoginis that plan to visit Stockholm and would like to know more about the yoga community and where to practice. After all, our yoga practice follows us wherever we go!
Stockholm beautifully combines city life and nature. One of the things I like about Stockholmers is that they care about being healthy and exercise regularly. They also care about being centered and balanced.
Thus, it’s no wonder that the yoga community in Stockholm keeps growing and new yoga studios keep popping up around the city waiting for locals as well as visiting yogis and yogis to go through their doors.
I talked to Anders Askers and Mateusz Krawiec, two of my favourite yoga teachers and important representatives of the community, about the yoga scene in Stockholm. I believe that our yoga practice is personal thus it can mean different things to each practitioner.
Photo of yoga teacher Mateusz Krawiec by Koka
1) What does ‘yoga’ mean to you?
Anders Asker: Yoga is union. It comes from the word “yuj” which means “to unite”. What is it that you want to unite? Well, we can explain this in different ways but one possible explanation is connecting the left and the right hemispheres of the brain. Or, connecting the heart with the mind. Uniting. Creating a balance. Yoga for me is very much about creating balance in the body, in the mind and in the world at large.
Mateusz Krawiec: With yoga we find connection. We connect the body and the mind with awareness. I love the metaphor where yoga is the connecting point between a horse, a carriage and the driver of the carriage. More specifically, the horse-the animal-is the mind. The carriage is the human body and the driver is the awareness. Yoga is what connects all those aspects.
Christie P: If you’re lucky with good weather, I highly recommend taking your yoga practice outdoors. There are so many forests and islands around Stockholm, so escape city life and treat yourself to yoga practice by the water where you enjoy sunlight and breath fresh air surrounded by Mother Nature.
2) What would you advice yogis and yoginis visiting Stockholm?
Anders Asker: The best time to visit Stockholm is the second half of the year from May to October. It’s wonderful and you can enjoy nature. I think that the archipelago is beautiful.
Mateusz Krawiec: Try different things, visit different yoga studios and practice with as many teachers as possible and feel inspired by different yoga traditions.
3) One of the greatest gifts given from the East to the West, is Stockholm a travel destination for yogis and yoginis?
Anders Asker: It can be! Yoga is very popular in Stockholm. There are several big studios. Travelers can very easily find a place to practice yoga. The community is constantly growing.
Mateusz Krawiec: This is exactly the reason why I’ve chosen to live in Stockholm. There are a lot of teachers in Stockholm and a great variety of approaches to the different yoga traditions. Stockholm is a very open and multicultural place to be. Also the nature is very beautiful and easily accessible and the size of the city is not overwhelming.
Studios for Yoga in Stockholm
Photo courtesy of Happy Budhha
If you’re planning to visit Stockholm during the winter and outdoors practice is not your thing, then take a look at the list of yoga studios below. The list focuses on studios located in the city or close to the city. Most of them provide yoga courses that are taught in English. You can find information about their daily schedule and drop-in prices on their website.
Little Peace
There’s always room for yoga, literally and metaphorically which is exactly what the team behind Little Peace Yoga Studio is hoping to teach us. Located in Råsunda only a couple of minutes away from the blue line T-bana station Näckrosen. Courses in different yoga traditions are offered daily.
Urban OM
One of my favourite yoga centers for yoga and meditation. Urban OM is an urban paradise in Vasastan and offers a beautiful space, daily classes taught by inspiring teachers and organizes fun events. Urban OM has an established yoga community that only grows bigger and bigger. If you’re planning to stay in Stockholm for a couple of months and you have free time and you want to offer, then I strongly recommend their Karma Crew volunteer program. Work becomes meditation and time becomes devotion. The best volunteer program I have ever participated in.
Happy Buddha
If you find yourself around St. Eriksplan, then you should go to Happy Buddha. Experienced teachers and many different classes to choose from are waiting for you, whether you’re an experienced yogi or you’ve never stepped foot on a mat before. Happy Buddha also offers a yoga clothes collection made out of hemp.
Photo of Anne Sophie Sjöblom and Pernilla Cristvall by Eric Josjö
Studio Yogansa
There are always events and workshops happening at Yogansa in Kungsholmen. A place for people of all ages, Yogansa offers dance classes as well as yoga and pilates classes with the aim to spread knowledge and stimulate curiosity about different cultures. Rendez-vous at Pipersgatan 26.
YogaDevi
YogaDevi consists of two yoga studios in Kungsholmen, at Garvaregatan 22 and at Pontonjärgatan 36. They offer 36 yoga classes a week with a focus on Ashtanga and Yin yoga with a maximum of 20 people in each class. YogaDevi also organizes interesting workshops that will help you make the most out of your practice.
Altromondo Yoga Studio
Located in Stockholm’s Östermalm, Altromondo Yoga studio opened its doors in 2005 and since then, has been inviting yogis and yoginis to ‘another world’… none other than the beautiful world of yoga. An oasis in the middle of a busy city, the experienced teachers invite you to forget the daily stress and simply find tranquility, relaxation and balance.
Yogayama
Yogayama is one of the city’s most popular yoga centers that in 2017 will expand in Norrköping and Göteborg. Yogayama offers classes for all different levels taught by highly trained teachers, a vegetarian restaurant and a boutique with a large collection of yoga accessories.
