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In my time in Chiang Mai, I managed to attend classes at only three of the studios and enjoyed all of them.

Some classes, however, are quite advanced and may fill up fast requiring pre-registration.

All the yoga studios and some organic cafes have fliers about what’s going on in the yoga community. Different retreats, new teaches or gatherings will be advertised there. I really like DaDa Kafe because it has free wifi and a huge bowl of muesli, fruit and yogurt.

Some of the classes even allow you to see inside more traditional Thai architecture.

Namo and Wildrose both hold classes in old, dark wood buildings.

I kept being reminded I was in Thailand during the morning class at Wildrose Yoga. I found my balance focus point on a banana tree outside the window in the garden. Rustic wood panels on the walls bedecked with white lights created that magazine look. From a house nearby a baby cried and I could hear the tap, tap, tap of a wooden mortar and pestle, likely a woman making green papaya salad.

The Thai king in flowers for the Chiang Mai Flower Festival By Sonja Bjelland

I made my way to Gernot Huber’s Sunday 11 a.m. class. After the first half hour I wasn’t sure I would be able to keep up but that proved the most vigorous. The rest of the class remained challenging but using different body parts so the stress didn’t go just one area. And I managed to start some complex poses I’ve never tried before.

I managed to keep up my energy all day and tackled the Sunday night market late into the evening.

Namo’s studio is upstairs on these creaky wooden floors that provide character and it’s back enough from the street to be quiet.

The teacher Vari’s New York accent stuck out from all the Brits and Canadian’s I keep meeting. He brought a level of playful whimsy to the class and played music. I know not everyone likes music in class, but it’s what I’m used to in the States. He played songs I knew from my favorite teacher’s class in So Cal and I melted.

His evening class used simple enough poses for a beginner to follow along but in a way that a more practiced student can enjoy and even find challenging. Like many of the teachers I’ve met in Thailand, he brings several styles of yoga to his class. A few flowing movements mixed in with some vigorous chaturangas and always some fun poses.

“The key to my class is to enjoy your practice,” he said.