Hey guys!
So my exercise regimen used to be pretty low key in LA (yeah, I know) and it involved yoga with a renowned yoga teacher. He moved, I moved and I am now *so* lost. I have looked at yoga resources in Zurich online and they seem to be kind of all over the place.
I was fairly serious about my practice and I don't want to spend say another year yoga teacher shopping. Also, the gyms here are expensive!

The one at the university isn't bad but it is kind of spread out.

sooo...do any of you guys practice yoga here in Zurich and have a recommendation?

Now. Jogging. I rarely see people jogging in my area. Some website mentioned that people run in the Zuriberg. By the time you get up there, aren't you kind of done with your workout?

Have you guys seen people jogging here? I just want to run around the neighborhood for a couple of miles, no park necessary, and I don't want to make some bizarre social faux pas.

ok.
Cheers!
Leyla

For yoga, if you're not needing something in the center of the city you could try Sebastian at http://www.practicalwellness.ch/.

As for jogging the lake in the morning is a popular place but generally people jog here when or where they want.

You might want to google 'Vita Parcours'. These are fitness trails with exercises where you jog from one to the next. There are some 400 such 'course' throughout Switzerland originally set up by life insurers Vita, now amalgamated into Zurich Financial Services...

A lot of people go jogging by the Zoo, take the number six tram to the final stop, use the way into the forest as a warm up and then use either the Vita Parcours or the track they have for precisely that purpose. A lot of people jog by the lake if you don't mind concrete/gravel.

And if you are getting strange looks it's because you are reminding people that they too should be moving their booties!

Thank you for the yoga suggestion. I like that they have different styles and none of them are Bikram. Have you been there before?

I'd heard of Vita Parcours but I haven't seen any trails. So, I assume I must travel to the trails and that just strikes me as kind of complicated.

Thank you Kittster for clearing that up for me. I'm just gonna go for it and run around my neighborhood.

Cheers
Leyla

For running you could also try giving these guys a shout. They describe themselves as a drinking club with a running problem. I've met them a few times and they seemed pretty cool. Just sign up to their mailing list.

Otherwise, just pick a route on a map from your house, and go for it. There're no real restictions on where/when you can run in Zurich.

No idea on the Yoga, but for jogging I have done a lot in Zürich. There is actually a large underculture of jogging in Zürich - Evidence in the yearly "Sola" put on by the Uni/ETH sport club where a teeam of 14 runs all around the city in a relay with legs between 4 and 14km - last year I think there was about 700 teams (~10000 people), the half marathon around Geifensee is also very popular in early september with 15000 or so people.

Anyways onto where to do it - Originally I ran through the streets as well and also got some strange looks - its just not how its done here, and for good reason because there are lots of really nice paths in the city, just very well hidden. Here are the ones I know:

1) The runs up by the zoo Kittster mentioned are good and well marked - 3 runs start from the driveway of the new Fifa headquarters (ie in the corner of the ASVZ parkinglot by the tennis courts, there is a 5, 7 and 10km I think. On the other side of the road there are also paths though the forest behind the zoo, but I think there are no marked trails. Definitely take tram 6 up, from town that climb is painful and long.

2) Greifensee - there is a path all around the greifensee, the lake in Urdorf, a very popular place for roller bladers and bikers, just follow the path, not sure how far it is, but there are bus stops here and there for when you are done!

3) Down the Sihl - there is a walking/running path down the sihl that goes on pretty much forever, the place I would start on it is to take tram 13 to the stop where they are building the new Media Market (Sihlcity or the one before/after, not sure), then there is a path leading though a wide field with some football pitches that path follows the Sihl for a long, long way, you might have to cross over a bridge here and there. From near the start of this one there is also a path to run up to Uetliberg, but be prrpared to run uphill!

4) Down the Limmat - There is a path down the Limmat starting from Bellvue pretty much, but its embarassing sidewalk running until you get to the Marriot (across from the Landesmuseum park), then down the stairs and off you go, the path is right beside the water and might be a bit busy with walkers on nice days, but once you get part Escher wyss platz it opens up a bit, then into the forest for a while - the best place to start is really from Dammweg - a little bridge across the river near escher wyss platz. On the other side of the Limmatt there is also a path with km markers that starts behind the 'modern architextured' houses 1-2 stops on the 4 after Escher wyss platz - that is nice and popular as well.

5) Lastly are the Hongg paths which you can start from Bucheggplatz, go up onto the red overpass and walk towards the forest that is up to the left of the Denner, up the little paved road and there is a path entering the forest, there is a wood chip covered 3km (?) path if you have bad knees, but also a 2 longer marked paths (white is the longer and about 10km) that go from there, you can also run through the forest all the way to the ETH Hongg campus and on the other side there is more forest and another 2-3 marked trails.

Hope that helps a bit!

Andrew

PS - oops one other is the path in Irchel park (Tram stop Irchel or Milchbuch) which is short, but nice and a loop so you can just keep going around, its gets muddy if there has been rain the night before though.

The Irchel path has peat laid out, which is nice. It's were I used try and jog but I think I need to lose a bit of weight before I subject my knees to that. I used to row and do other competitive team sports so I'm definitely someone who has issues with going it slow to start off with...

Do you mean in Uster?

It depends on where you want to run from. Personally i'm not keen on getting transport to/from somewhere for running, i always go from home or the office.

From home (Oerlikon) i'd go around Zuriberg, or Honggerberg and/or Katzensee.

From the office (in the city) along the Sihl and up into the hills offers lots of slightly different tracks.

For yoga schools look at this link:
http://www.guide4me.ch
In their Zurich section they have a `health and beauty`category. Sift through all the beauty salons and they list a lot of yoga schools here in Zurich - with links to websites, phone numbers, etc.
They also cover many other cities, not just Zurich.

oops, Yes - Uster!

Try Leela Yoga out. ( http://www.leelayoga.ch/ ) They just openend this new yoga studio in january. Its an amazing place and the two main teachers, Andre and Susan, teach in english and have taught a lot in the US.

Hello...

I don't know if you're interested in Bikram yoga, but I checked out a class last night and it was fine. A little crowded and (of course!) expensive.

I don't know if you speak Swiss German or not, but I don't and the teacher was happy to instruct me in English if I needed it. There's a website in English too:
http://bikramyoga.ch/index.php?id=22

Let me know if you find any other interesting studios in town

Tschuss,
Jeff

PM Lynn. I am sure she can help you with yoga or pilates

www.symetris-pilates.ch is her website, I believe.

Leyla-

I just remembered about this place as far as jogging/running goes...

http://www.tennis-laufen.ch

It is near Wollishofen but next to the lake.

Or maybe this is more to your liking...

Zurich Hash House Harriers
http://www.zh3.ch

Enjoy! It seems we are having some good weather for it

There is a Yoga Center on Seefeldstrasse 7 in Zurich that offers classes in English and German... http://www.yoganation.ch
You can write to cara@yoganation.ch for info in English ... http://www.yoganation.ch/cara.html

And another one...
Practical Wellness Yoga Studio
Dorfstrasse 54, CH-8957 Spreitenbach
Tel. +41/(0)56 410 20 91, Mobile +41(0)78 621 04 08
http://www.practicalwellness.ch

Hi Leyla,
Try www.airyoga.com. I do practice Yoga there... it is a nice studio and the teachers are nice (specially Frank).

Cheers and bye for now
Max

i do yoga at ETH Honggerberg

Totally agree with Max on Airyoga, great place, can't say anything on Frank, but Brett, Adrian and Olive are all great.

For yoga also try http://www.planetyoga.ch also a good studio and pretty central.

Enjoy.

try out Meet2Move.ch and you will easily find people from your neibourhood to go jogging with. I always go like this and its great