Bali: Yoga Barn in Ubud – All you need to know

Yoga Barn is the largest yoga studio in Bali, and the lush green yoga oasis is famous among yogis all over the world. Calling Yoga Barn a studio is actually an understatement, as there are cafes, accommodation and an Ayurvedic spa on the location, as well as 7 yoga studios.

It’s a wonderful place and the atmosphere is peaceful and inclusive. Even dogs are welcome as long as they stay out of the café (for hygienic reasons). Though at the classes, most attendees are people in their 20s and 30s, and my mom, who joined me for my recent trip to Ubud, quickly noted, that she was ”about 40 years older than everyone else”.    

Which classes should you try at Yoga Barn?

There are over 20 different classes to choose among each day, and in addition to yoga, you can immerse yourself in meditation, dancing and healing. I usually go for one of the traditional yoga classes in the morning and take a more meditation-focused class in the evening. I have always found it easier to find the peace required to meditate in the evening, and clearing your mind before bedtime is a great way to wind down and prepare your body for eight hours of beauty sleep.

All the classes I have tried at Yoga Barn have been very good, and the standard of the teachers is impressive. No matter whether you are completely new to yoga or have a lot of sun salutations under your belt, I’m sure you will feel that you learn a lot. Be aware though, that the content of each class seems to be up to the teacher, so Hatha Yoga on Monday can be very different from Hatha Yoga on Tuesday, depending on who is teaching. If you find an instructor you really like, make sure to note down the name, so you can find other classes taught by her/him in the weekly schedule.

Among the yoga classes, I liked the Morning Flow at 7 am the best. The first couple of days, getting up that early can be hard, especially if you have been flying eastbound to get to Bali, but it is an amazing way to start the day and you will feel great after.  

At the High Fly Yoga class I attended, we were climbing ropes attached to the ceiling, and it felt as if I was hanging upside down most of the time. The class requires at least some degree of physical strength and suppleness to be able to follow the teacher’s instruction, and even though it was fun, I felt that I was lacking the acrobatic skills to reap the full benefits.

When my mom and I went to the Qi Gong class, we both felt nauseous at a point around halfway through the class. We are still wondering whether it was due to all the energy flows moving around or whether we were just dehydrated, but it was indeed a strange experience.  

How much are the classes at Yoga Barn?

If you just want to go for a single class, the price is 130,000 IDR (approximately 8 USD April 10, 2020), but if you buy a class card (5, 10 or 20 classes) there are great discounts to be had. You can share a class card with a friend as long as the person registered for the card is attending the classes you want to use it for, so my mom and I shared a 20 classes card, which brought down the cost to 70,000 IDR (4.5 USD) per class.

Food and drinks at Yoga Barn

At the Garden Kafe, you can indulge in delicious and healthy macrobiotic and Ayurvedic food. The prices are slightly higher than at the restaurants in the rest of Ubud, but a lot cheaper than at home. There is also a juice bar, where you can get daily-made cold-pressed juices and different kinds of snacks, so my mom and I quickly made it a habit to grab a juice before each class. You return the glass bottles after you have finished your juice, so they can be used again.

Best places to stay for Yoga Barn?

Yoga Barn offers on-site accommodation, so you can immerse yourself completely in yoga and meditation and stay in your yoga bubble without any distractions from the world outside. The accommodation at Yoga Barn is a bit pricey compared to other hotels in Ubud, so if you’re on a budget, you might consider staying somewhere else nearby instead.

I have previously stayed at Evitel and Bali Putra Villa, which are both in walking distance to Yoga Barn. Walking distance is important because traffic in Ubud can get chaotic at time and the city’s tiny pavements are not made for longer hikes. Furthermore, it quickly adds up if you need to arrange transportation to get to Yoga Barn several times each day

Yoga Barn, Ubud, Bali