MISSION & PHILOSOPHY
The Ubud Yoga House opened March 20, 2014, on the United Nations International Day of Happiness, with the intention of sharing the joy of yoga with others. Our mission is to make yoga accessible for Every Body and create an atmosphere where everyone has a sense of belonging and feeling of connection with others and the environment.
Ubud Yoga House is a socially conscious business with a profit-sharing model that provides all teachers and full-time Indonesian employees a share in the profits of the company. The business model also supports the John Fawcett Foundation by sponsoring mobile eye clinics offering free eye care and cataract surgery for Indonesians living near Ubud. We strive to make a positive impact on the Indonesian society and economy.
The founder is Sheila Burch, an American, who grew up in Seattle, Washington and lived for many years in Santa Barbara, California. Sheila first came to Ubud in 1985 while backpacking through Asia as part of a two year trip around the world, and in 2013 she moved permanently to Ubud, Bali, and opened the Ubud Yoga House.
She began her yoga practice in 1981 in Santa Barbara, California and has studied yoga in India, Nepal, Thailand, China, France, Azerbaijan and Bali and attended the world renowned Ramamini Iyengar Yoga Center in Pune, India in September 2013 where she studied directly with the Iyengar family.
Sheila has practiced mindfulness meditation and studied Buddhist philosophy for many years. In April 2017 she attended the Introduction to Buddhism course at Kopan Monastery in Kathmandu, Nepal, and in September 2017 completed the Healing Ourselves and the World Through Mindfulness workshop taught by Jon Kabat-Zinn at the Omega Institute in New York. In March 2018, she participated in Google’s mindfulness program, Search Inside Yourself, at the Green School in Ubud, Bali.
Sheila is a world traveler and an international educator who has taught in international schools around the world for the past 20 years . She is a Yoga Alliance certified teacher and is the lead teacher for the 200 Hour Yoga Alliance Teacher Training programs and also teaches Mindfulness Meditation and various yoga classes at the Ubud Yoga House. Sheila’s youthful spirit, enthusiasm, and positive energy are an inspiration for all who visit the Ubud Yoga House.
I KETUT SUKATRA
I am from Bali and enjoy sharing my yoga and meditation practice with others. I study with teachers at the Ananda Marga Society in Bali who believe the purpose of yoga and meditation is to join the physical, mental and inner being to find peace, happiness and freedom.
I received my 200 Hour Yoga Alliance teacher training at Ananad Marga in 2003 and began teaching yoga and meditation in 2005. My style of teaching combines yoga and meditation with philosophy and the Balinese way of life.
Join my classes for an authentic Balinese yoga class in Ubud.
SANDI
Ubud-based yoga teacher, musician and artist Sandi Kalifadani has been a dedicated explorer of yoga since 2002. He has also been studying zen meditation and several healing methods that include zen counselling, jin shin jyutsu, hypnotherapy, NLP, bringing many elements of these practices into his yoga teachings.
Sandi is a Yoga Alliance certified yoga teacher and has taught yoga for 12 years. In his teaching, Sandi uniquely combines aspects of iyengar yoga, ashtanga yoga and vinyasa yoga, bringing a wonderful mix of longer-held postures, deep stretching, slow flow, and meditation, modified for all levels of practitioner.
Also as a Yoga Alliance certified children’s yoga teacher, he taught yoga classes for children and disable children for 3 years. His profile can be seen at sandiyoga.com Off the mat Sandi initiates music projects, creates music, video, photography and works for several art exhibitions. Go to kalifadani.com for more of his art and music activities
NINA
Indonesian born in Surabaya and raised in Sumatra, Nina has a diverse background and understanding of both village and urban cultures. Nina has studied, practiced and excelled in all areas of the yogic arts for almost a decade. She received her first yoga training certification in Surabaya with Devdan Yoga International, and recently completed her training with Radiantly Alive in 2016, and few other short trainings.
Currently she studies with Chris Su on Yin Mindfulness since 2016, and on going studies with Krisnamacharya Healing and Yoga Foundation (India) on Viniyoga Tradition, under guidance of Dr. Kausthub Desikachar. Nina’s original and ingenious sequencing and emphasis on body alignment along with her genuine love for yoga inspires students to build confidence, strength and presence to cultivate their own personal practice.
She creates a supportive, casual, and authentic environment for her students of any experience to drop deep within themselves cultivating courage, self- determination and perseverance to excel both on the mat and out to the world. Nina has an uplifting, dynamic energy and presence beyond her years. Her unique and creative sequences stimulate physical, mental, and emotional growth. “ Yoga taught me to embrace my unique-self, what and who I am as a whole being while nourish me as I’m evolving. Its a blessed to have the opportunity to share this privilege with others.” – Nina
ARIKK
Arikk got her first introduction to yoga from a Balinese TV show which sparked her interest. She started to practice yoga at a deeper level in early 2017 which changed her outlook on life and wellness.
As Arikk began to experience a deeper level of well-being; mental , emotional and physical , she noticed that yoga began to change her perceptions about life. Her lingering health problems started to decrease and eventually completely disappeared. Through joining a local yoga community in Bali, Arikk got so inspired that she decided to complete a 200hour Hatha /Vinyasa YTT in 2017 and 100 hours Yin Yoga YTT in 2018.
After successfully graduating , there was an immediate impact in her own personal practice , and her teaching style of yoga in both English and Bahasa. Arikk’s style evolved into a more informative , educative and light-hearted approach, with the intention for students to fully optimize postures in their own bodies. This unique style is how she inspires and motivates her students in all her yoga classes.