Yoga in Ubud

Ubud, in the hills of central Bali, is the island’s cultural and spiritual centre and has one of the densest concentrations of yoga studios anywhere. Open-air shalas look out over rice terraces and jungle valleys, and the town is full of vegetarian cafés, healers and traditional dance performances.

Daily drop-in classes cover almost every style, and many schools run 200-hour teacher trainings and retreats. April to October is drier and cooler; the wet season brings afternoon storms. Ubud is about an hour from the airport and beaches, so many visitors combine a stay here with time on the coast.

Why Ubud became Bali’s yoga centre

Ubud has been known as an arts town since the 1930s, when Balinese and visiting painters worked here with the support of the local royal family, and it remains a centre for dance, carving and temple ceremony. Yoga arrived much later, with visiting teachers and long-stay residents, and grew quickly in the 2000s. The Yoga Barn, which opened in 2007, became a large and widely known studio, and the annual BaliSpirit Festival brings yoga, dance and music to the town, usually in April or May. Yoga here is an imported practice that sits alongside Balinese Hinduism rather than growing out of it.

What you can study

Ubud suits people who want choice. Larger studios run classes from early morning to evening, so you can try Hatha, Vinyasa, Yin, restorative yoga, meditation and sound sessions in the same week, usually with class passes for short stays. Retreats typically last five to ten days and combine yoga with massage, walks and Balinese food. Residential 200-hour teacher trainings run for three to four weeks. For a training, look at the lead teachers, the size of the group and how much of the day is taught by the people named on the website.

Where to stay

• Central Ubud: around Jalan Hanoman and Monkey Forest Road, walkable and busy, with the most cafés and shops
• Penestanan: a village on the western side, reached by footpaths through rice fields, popular with long-stay visitors
• Nyuh Kuning: a quiet, leafy village just south of the Monkey Forest
• Pengosekan and Peliatan: on the southern edge of town, close to several large studios
• Tegallalang and the villages to the north: rice-terrace views and resort-style retreats, but you will need transport

When to go

The dry season runs from about April to October and is the most comfortable time, with July and August the busiest months. From November to March expect humid days and heavy rain, most often in the afternoon or evening, though mornings are frequently clear enough for practice. Ubud sits in the foothills, a little higher than the coast, so evenings are slightly cooler. On Nyepi, the Balinese Day of Silence, usually in March, everything closes for 24 hours and visitors stay inside their accommodation.

Getting there and around

Ngurah Rai International Airport, near Denpasar, is about an hour to an hour and a half away by car, longer in heavy traffic. There is no railway and little public transport, so most visitors book a driver through their accommodation or use a taxi. The centre is walkable, although pavements are narrow and uneven. Scooters are widely rented, but the roads are busy and accidents involving visitors are common. Ubud is inland, so it is not a beach base: the coast is a drive away.

Good to know before you go

• Step around the small offerings placed on pavements and doorsteps
• Wear a sarong and sash to enter temples; they are usually lent or rented at the entrance
• The monkeys at the Sacred Monkey Forest take food, glasses and phones; keep belongings zipped away
• Popular classes can fill up in high season; arrive early or book ahead where the studio allows it

Questions