The sanctuary where human contentment is the order of the day

The American owner of a Frederiksberg yoga centre is a chef who provides food that’s good for the body and the soul

Denmark has a reputation for having some of the happiest people in the world, but does happiness always come from within? Not in the case of Jack Davis, the American co-founder and owner of Yogacentralen (YC), a yoga centre in Frederiksberg that brings contentment to all who frequent it.

Davis founded YC with his Danish partner Peter Huber as a sanctuary for body, mind, and spirit. Bilingual and accessible, it hopes to contribute positive energy to the lively pulse of the surrounding community. This authentic and grounded space is home to a broad range of yoga styles, traditions, teachers and levels – there’s something for everyone.

YC also embodies a sanctuary for the belly: food that’s good for the body and the soul. Davis, a professional chef, serves fresh, homemade vegetarian meals after selected weekly classes and workshops. Practitioners can enjoy classic dishes that have been imaginatively re-created or try something new and innovative. Whatever the season, Jack’s dishes are healthy, colourful, and delicious, prepared with the most important ingredients: mindfulness and love.

YC understands that healthy food is as important as yoga practice, and that the choice of food directly affects wellbeing. YC therefore supports a conscious, healthy, holistic lifestyle from top to toe, and it has plans to introduce demos, workshops, and cooking classes for those wishing to incorporate yoga principles into their diet and eating lifestyle.

“Food and yoga are interlocked in many different ways,” says Davis.  “I particularly love how both cooking and the practice of yoga are both a science and an art form – that with a devoted attention feeds both the body and soul.”

Most yoga studios in Copenhagen are focused on a single style of yoga and teach only that style. But people live very different lives and have very different requirements. While all yoga styles seek to balance body, mind, and spirit, they go about it in various ways. Yoga, being universal, is truly owned by no-one and no style is better than the other; it is a simple matter of personal preference.

YC accommodates this need for variety, offering different styles, courses and workshops tailored to different age groups, body types, and those suffering from health-related conditions such as stress and obesity. YC is the only studio in Scandinavia to offer yoga classes for the blind and deaf.

YC is a platform for the teachers to teach from a variety of yoga traditions, and they are given the freedom to run their own classes independently and to apply their own personal touch to them. Classes range in size, offering both large room workshops and classes and smaller, more intimate sessions where teachers can provide even more individual focus and tips for proper alignment. Yoga styles range from faster flowing classes, to slower, restorative sequences. Some of the many yoga styles available include Dynamic, Ashtanga, Hatha, Iyengar, Tara, Shadow and Kundalini.

“At Yogacentralen, the sky’s the limit,” enthuses one of the teachers, Ulla Elena Nielsen. “There is a sense of unity and there are no pretentious rules on how anyone should be. We are able to teach from our own experiences and allow our personalities to shine through. All of the teachers are experienced, passionate and come from a range of experience – this itself gives me a spark.”

YC wants to offer the best opportunity for practitioners to find a teacher they can relate to and a style that furthers their own personal growth.

“Yogacentralen is my second home!” reveals Sze Huei Yek, a YC student. “I feel very welcome there. The teachers know their stuff and are really approachable. You can choose from different types of yoga if you want and meet many different people from all walks of life – especially at the dinner table. It’s a place where you can feel comfortable no matter where you come from – although the best thing is how wonderful the food is!”

New customers are welcome to take advantage of an introductory reduced price, and beginners are welcome to contact us with any questions. Consult the YC website, www.yogacentralen.dk, for more information.

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