From lessons for friends to big yoga school

April 2007
THE SAIGON TIMES DAILY

Students of different nationalities and ages come to the three-story residence of American couple Suzanne and Erik Vian to practice various types of yoga from morning until evening.

The students are all eager to learn the techniques of “a sound mind in a sound body” at Saigon Yoga in HCMC’s District 1.

Suzanne, senior instructor and director of Saigon Yoga, says the school nestled in an alley off Nguyen Thi Minh Khai Street has two studios, offering more than 20 classes of all levels every week.

Who would think now that the school started off with only a few students. Suzanne, a massage therapist, who has studied yoga for a decade, founded Saigon Yoga three years ago, not long after she and her husband who was working for HSBC, came to Vietnam.

Suzanne first opened a studio at their house in District 1, practicing yoga herself and teaching it to some of her friends. The school started to take shape as more students joined her classes, and demand continued to grow.

So much so that the couple’s house soon was too small to accommodate all the students, forcing Suzanne and Erik to move to their current house two years ago.

In the first years, all of the students were expats, but now a lot of locals join the yoga classes as well, says Suzanne, who has spent the last 18 years researching holistic health and spirituality.

Also, Erik quit his banking job, which he had been with for more than 12 years to devote his time to the school and family.

“The business had grown to the point that Suzanne needed my help,” Erik says. “We also have a small son, and now that I’m involved, Suzanne can spend more time with him, as can I. This was a big factor in my decision to leave corporate life.”

Erik says he also loves practicing yoga and wants to do more of it. He says it is great to be involved in something that is beneficial to people’s health.

“I like being a part of something so positive, and this brings me great satisfaction,“ he says.

His wife agrees. The couple says they enjoy their work and life in Vietnam. “We feel at home here,“ Suzanne says.

And they have their hands full. The school will open a third studio to offer more yoga classes to meet the increasing demand, says Suzanne.

Now Saigon Yoga has a $25 introductory course for people to get a feel for yoga and try different styles to see what best suits them.

There is Bikram yoga for beginners to learn poses and do breathing exercises. Pilates yoga focuses on flexibility and strength of the entire body to help students improve posture and circulation, reduce stress and rehabilitate the body.

Saigon Yoga also has Power yoga classes for students to practice weight-bearing poses, Yin yoga for relaxation and Vinyasa yoga involving flows of breathing and synchronized movements.

American and Singaporean instructors of the school run relaxation courses for private groups to learn and practice restorative poses, deep breathing and meditation to release tension and gain a calm state of mind.

Mothers-to-be can take prenatal yoga to feel more at ease during their pregnancies. The class helps them relieve discomfort in the back and legs and the swelling in the feet and hands.

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