On this mystic island in the Atlantic, 1000 km from its mainland Portugal, 600 km from the nearest continental country Morocco, you can easily get a feeling of being amidst of nowhere, far away from the rest of the world. 59 km from east to west, 22 km north/south of volcanic mountains and cliffs are made accessible with over 150 tunnels and take you within an hour or so to the vineyards in the north, banana plantations in the south or to any of the black sand and pebble beaches.
What about yoga practice on Madeira?
Madeirans are deeply connected to their island, their family and religious traditions. Surprisingly enough (or not at all?) you can find a vibrant activity of yoga, meditation and spiritual gatherings on the island, mainly in Funchal. However, a kind of seclusion characterising the island live style, combined with the humility taught by yoga, made it very difficult for me to penetrate the local activity, despite Facebook and Google. It took me 3 months of wandering through different private classes and gyms before I found “my” Ashtanga class, as I used to love it in Thailand and other countries before.