Om away from home
24/07/10 17:00
Om away from home
Ottawa yoga teacher leads trips to Bhutan
Daniel Drolet, The Ottawa Citizen
Published: Saturday, July 24, 2010
Seven years ago, Janice Soderholm was a federal government project manager with back problems.
She began studying ayurvedic medicine, which led to yoga. She found that the yoga helped with her back. Today, she's left the government to teach yoga. And that has led her to create a company, Yoga Travels, that offers yoga tours in Bhutan.
Soderholm, a certified yoga teacher who works at the Shunnya Centre on Beechwood Avenue, led her first tour to the Asian kingdom earlier this year, and she's going back with another group in October. She's also planning at least two visits next year.
Soderholm's tours run for 13 days each and include a maximum of 12 people. Her tours are as much a chance to visit Bhutan as to practise yoga.
"It's not a retreat," she says, explaining that they do yoga sessions twice a day -- sometimes in a monastery -- but otherwise spend their time touring. Soderholm works with Bhutanese partners to organize the visits, which include sightseeing, hikes and exploring towns.
Bhutan, a Himalayan land between India and China, does not welcome many tourists and is off the beaten path. That, for Soderholm, is one of the main attractions.
"It's really a country that's preserved its culture," she says.
The trip is comfortable, but don't go expecting the height of luxury. Soderholm says the accommodation can be likened to motels here.
"The bathrooms are always western style," she adds.
While western food is available, she encourages people to sample Indian or Bhutanese cuisine.
- Soderholm's fall tour runs Oct. 15 to 27. The price is $3,400 U.S. per person. That includes shared accommodation, food, daily yoga classes, ground transportation and all fees and tips, but not the cost of airfare to Bhutan. See www.yogatravels.ca for more in- formation.
© The Ottawa Citizen 2010
Ottawa yoga teacher leads trips to Bhutan
Daniel Drolet, The Ottawa Citizen
Published: Saturday, July 24, 2010
Seven years ago, Janice Soderholm was a federal government project manager with back problems.
She began studying ayurvedic medicine, which led to yoga. She found that the yoga helped with her back. Today, she's left the government to teach yoga. And that has led her to create a company, Yoga Travels, that offers yoga tours in Bhutan.
Soderholm, a certified yoga teacher who works at the Shunnya Centre on Beechwood Avenue, led her first tour to the Asian kingdom earlier this year, and she's going back with another group in October. She's also planning at least two visits next year.
Soderholm's tours run for 13 days each and include a maximum of 12 people. Her tours are as much a chance to visit Bhutan as to practise yoga.
"It's not a retreat," she says, explaining that they do yoga sessions twice a day -- sometimes in a monastery -- but otherwise spend their time touring. Soderholm works with Bhutanese partners to organize the visits, which include sightseeing, hikes and exploring towns.
Bhutan, a Himalayan land between India and China, does not welcome many tourists and is off the beaten path. That, for Soderholm, is one of the main attractions.
"It's really a country that's preserved its culture," she says.
The trip is comfortable, but don't go expecting the height of luxury. Soderholm says the accommodation can be likened to motels here.
"The bathrooms are always western style," she adds.
While western food is available, she encourages people to sample Indian or Bhutanese cuisine.
- Soderholm's fall tour runs Oct. 15 to 27. The price is $3,400 U.S. per person. That includes shared accommodation, food, daily yoga classes, ground transportation and all fees and tips, but not the cost of airfare to Bhutan. See www.yogatravels.ca for more in- formation.
© The Ottawa Citizen 2010