There is no shortage of places to practise yoga in Phnom Penh, with a variety of yoga studios and classes across the city. Here are the 10 best spots to find your inner peace in the Cambodian capital.
Acting as the social enterprise for NGO Krama Yoga, Nataraj Yoga Studio’s main focus is on yoga. However, it also runs a weekly Mindfulness Meditation class following the tradition of Thich Naht Hanh. Yoga classes take in ashtanga, yoga basics, yoga focus, Sivananda yoga and private classes. It also runs prenatal yoga sessions for mums-to-be.
Now operating under the Azahar Foundation Center for Peace Yoga and Arts Cambodia umbrella, which promotes peace building and cross-cultural communication through yoga and the arts, Yoga Phnom Penh holds a range of day and evening classes in its quaint studio. Fly fit yoga is also offered.
Angkor Yoga is a locally-run yoga studio aimed at offering affordable classes to Cambodians, although foreigners are welcome to take part in the range of daily yoga and meditation classes. Based in Toul Kork on the outskirts of the city, the studio is light, bright and breezy with professional teachers on hand to guide students of all levels.
Enso Healing Space hosts a series of wellness sessions in a stylish setting. Yogis can choose from water yoga in the pool, sunset yoga on the rooftop and iyengar yoga. Other classes take in meditation, sound immersion and Shiatsu therapy, also known as acupressure – a finger pressure massage technique.
As Sofitel Phnom Penh Phokeethra hotel’s fitness centre, expect top-class facilities and equipment. As well as boasting a well-kitted out gym, its collection of spacious studios host a range of classes that take in yoga, steps, Pilates, aerobics, traditional Khmer dancing and kickboxing.
Physique Club is Hotel Cambodiana’s in-house gym and fitness centre, which is open to outside guests for a fee. As well as having access to the spacious swimming pool and fully-equipped gym, a range of classes run throughout the week. These include yoga, MetaFit and aerobics.
Probably the capital’s most popular gym, The Place is a modern stylish affair and is usually packed with Phnom Penh’s affluent locals and expats. Air-conditioned throughout, it offers yoga and aerobics classes, and is home to a large swimming pool, as well as the usual fitness suites. Personal training services are also provided.
Maggie Nimmo specialises in yoga and healing, and leads a host of classes across the city, including at Enso Healing Space and Nataraj Yoga Studio. She also has her own clinic in the capital offering a range of services, including homeopathy and counselling.
Kundalini Yoga Cambodia offers yoga and healing meditation sessions, as well as special events, including meditation weekends, full moon meditation and workshops. Kundalini Yoga is said to be the yoga of awareness, with each exercise aimed at deepening the experience of concentration and awareness of the body and mind. It combines breathing, movement, mantra and meditation.
The Cambodian centre of this India-based organisation offers a range of educational and self-development programmess and tools that help eradicate stress and foster a profound inner peace, happiness and well-being. Programmes include Sri Sri Yoga, the art of meditation and a silent retreat.
