Chiang Mai, Thailand, January 14, 2017 /PressReleasePing/ - The last 20 years the popularity of yoga has grown immensely and the practice of Yoga has changed from being something obscure to a mainstream form of spiritual practice. A long time it looked that Thailand and also Chiang Mai would not catch up. I myself moved to Chiang Mai around 15 years ago and that time there was hardly any Yoga in Chiang Mai and the local population even never heard about Yoga. The couple yoga studios who were there, were catering to foreign tourist, but there were no yoga studios at all for the Thai people.

While Yoga was taking of more and in the west there were no signs that this also would happen Thailand. Until 10 years ago there was no culture in Chiang Mai also of any physical exercise, so there were no gyms, fitness schools and also no yoga studios, there was only a culture of Muay Thai schools.

The yoga studios that were present 10 years ago were all run by foreigners and all lessons were taught by foreigners and catering to foreign yoga students. The last 5 years first slowly and the last 3 years more rapidly the practice of yoga also started to grow in Chiang Mai. I myself have been living in Chiang Mai for the past 15 years and opened up a yoga studio and teaching yoga in Chiang Mai for the last 10 years. So I first handed have seen the changes.

One of the main changes is a shift in starting to exercise, slowly the Thai population (and especially the higher and middle class) have taken on exercise as a means to stay healthy, fit and to look good. Once this happened the ground was there also to take on Yoga. Chiang Mai is heavily influenced by the great number of tourist that are visiting. Foreigners are bringing the trends to Thailand.

This also happened with Yoga, it was the westerners that introduced and took the practice of Yoga to here. Another similarity with the west is that the first part of the population that take on Yoga is the female part. The same is in Thailand if you would walk into a yoga lesson in Chiang Mai you will not see any male practioner only more affluent and higher class women. Where in the west men also start to practice yoga around here there are still only women yoga students. Although Yoga has starting to take off in Chiang Mai it is nothing compared to yoga in Europe and the states. Yoga is still very much for the happy few and it also seem that the Thai yoga student is especially interested in the physical aspect of yoga and not so much in the spiritual practice of yoga.

The real boom for Yoga Chiang Mai is in the explosive grow from western students who are looking to do Yoga training and yoga retreats in Chiang Mai and its surroundings. Where on the Islands of Thailand, especially Koh Panang and Koh Samui, any yoga retreats and teacher training are being offered. Now the same is happening in Chiang Mai. Just a few years ago the local yoga studios were just offering daily lessons or workshops for a short period, now retreat centers have opened up, detox centers and teacher training programs. Especially in the cold season (November to February) Chiang Mai is the perfect place for yoga retreat, the nature around Chiang Mai is just amazing, green, mountains, lakes beautiful views. Perfect to organize retreats and longer yoga training programs. The Chiang Mai Yoga Studios and well respected yoga teachers have picked up on the trend and a growing number of yoga retreats and yoga teacher training are offered.

What makes Chiang Mai further a perfect destination for Yoga seekers is the wide variety of healthy food available in Chiang Mai and the relative low cost of living. All this will contribute that in the years to come Chiang Mai will become more and more a destination for Yoga students and Yoga lovers.

For more information about our studio Blue Garden Yoga and Thai Massage Training Chiang Mai visit our website www.thaimassagechiangmai.com

Press Contact:
remco
Blue Garden Yoga and Thai massage training
Ratchamanaka road Soi 4, Chiang Mai, Thailand
851062895
http://www.thaimassagechiangmai.com/