I took my first yoga class last week. Big deal, you might say. I have been thinking about taking yoga for a long time, certainly as long as I have lived here in Carlsbad. And I’ve been told it would be good for my back. So I finally took the plunge at my local gym where I go. It was great, and I hope to continue as my schedule allows.

That being said, the real purpose of this post is to talk about yoga and Encinitas, the town just next door to Carlsbad. Encinitas is well known for several things, perhaps first and foremost for its flowers, and especially poinsettias. Ecke Ranch is known worldwide for its poinsettias, and there are still a good number of local nurseries and greenhouses in the community, although they are disappearing with development.

Surfers might argue that Encinitas is best known for surfing…and Swami’s Beach is probably the most well known surfing beach in North County, or so I’ve been told. But a visit to Grandview, Stone Steps, Beacon’s, and Moonlight Beaches is a clear indicator that surfing is popular in Encinitas no matter where you go. Not being a surfer I can’t really say which is best, but the views at Swami’s are the most dramatic.

Many folks do not know, however, that Encinitas has a reputation as a center for yoga, and a long history of yoga practitioners.

Perhaps the most famous facility for yoga is the Self Realization Fellowship at the south end of town close to Swami’s Beach. Founded in the 1930s by Paramahansa Yogananda who introduced meditation to the area, and the Fellowship remains a world-renowned center for yoga and mediation, as well as having gorgeous seaside gardens to tour.

Read: To learn more about the many forms of yoga and much more, visit the Yoga Journal.

There are at least 20 facilities in Encinitas that offer yoga in all its various forms (e.g., Ashtanga, Vinyasa, Hatha, Anahata) so depending on your level of expertise, the form of yoga you prefer, and the type of studio you enjoy, you are sure to find a place that you will be comfortable with. My health club offers free classes for its members, but fees are commonly around $15 per class.

Practitioners of yoga do so for many reasons – relaxation, stress reductions, spiritual fulfillment, as part of a holistic health approach to living, strengthening the core, improving balance and flexibility, sweating out toxins, and so on. You don’t need to be able to twist yourself into a pretzel, or enjoy yoga in 105-degree heat as they do at Yoga Tropics in Encinitas.

A FEW ENCINITAS YOGA FACILITIES:

Bikram’s Yoga College of India has a facility in Encinitas, along with many other California, and worldwide, locations. The well-known Encinitas health clubs, Frog’s Fitness (where I go), 24 Hour Fitness, and LA Fitness all offer a range of yoga classes, and the Magdalena Ecke YMCA offers a variety of classes for all generations. Other popular yoga studios include Synergy Yoga Center, Yoga Tropics, and Soul of Yoga. Yoga Swami is a yoga clothing boutique that also offers classes.

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All content copyright © 2007 Jeff Dowler Carlsbad Homes and Real Estate Tidbits