Namaste, Welcome to Avigal Yoga Center

Under the direction of Kripalu certified yoga instructor Dana Ruch, Avigal Yoga Center is dedicated to the teaching of yoga and hosting related workshops and events since 2002. The tranquil sunlit studio with private garden is located in the center of La Tour-de-Peilz (between Vevey and Montreux).

Through the practice of hatha yoga, slow, structured or freeform movement, we explore and awaken the vitality and consciousness of our bodies, minds and hearts and find trust to express our essential nature – energy in motion. In classes, we implement gentle warm-ups (pratipana), adapted movements for the spine and joints, postures (asana), movement exploration, dance, breath awareness and exercises (pranayama), relaxation, mantra, and meditation. Class structure or theme varies, depending on inspiration.

Yoga addresses all people cultivating conscious, sincere, and healthful living. Weekly classes are offered for all level yoga practitioners, teens, seniors, and also adapted for expecting mothers. Groups are limited to 10 participants per class.

Avigal Yoga is an experiential process of non-judgemental witnessing, self investigation and discovery based on the physical, energetic and spiritual practices in the Hatha and Tantra lineage of Yoga. HA-THA, the sun and the moon – nature’s dance of life – joining of the vital polarities – active and receptive – yin/yang – expand and absorb. TANTRA– woven into the entire scheme of life; (that) which moves us beyond limitations and boundries, leading us to a life free from fear, opening us to a life full of joy.

According to the ancient scriptures of India, the realization of yoga is the union of the individual consciousness with the One. The One may be called God, Goddess, supreme Consciousness, the Universe, the Eternal, Nature, Energy, Life, the Source, the Divine, the Creator, Father, Mother, and so on. Every language and culture can express with words and symbols a myriad of facets of the One. But if One is always one, then by no means can the individual not be part of the One. This realization is however, beyond words and thoughts, beyond beliefs and rationality. It is a surrender to the presence of life and how it moves within and around us.

Our yoga practice invites us to open our awareness. To explore and trust the continuous, creative flow of life in all its expressions.
This is the vision of Avigal.

If you are looking for a center in which to study yoga in a non-judgemental and non-competitive, environment in La Tour-de-Peilz, Vevey, Montreux region, or if you are interested in hosting a special event or workshop at the studio, we look forward to hearing from you!
Centre de Yoga Avigal Cours

Class Info & Schedule

The classes (90 mins) are considered moderately paced - accessable to beginners or more experienced yoga practitioners. Group level may vary, according to participants. Registration is required. The first trial class "open rate". Private instruction is possible upon request. You may also inquire about yoga in schools and at the work place.

Program

There are 3 trimesters adapted to fit the school year.
Fall 2024: August 26 until December 16.

Winter 2025: beginning January until Easter Break.
Spring: After Easter break until end of school year.

There are no regular classes during school and official holidays, but additional classes (summer by the lake side) and workshops may be given at these times. Check the site for weekend workshops given by Dana or other invited guests, or sign up for the newsletter to keep informed.

Price is based on the number of classes in each trimester session. Missed classes may be replaced in the same trimester.
Fees are payable at the beginning of each trimester.

Pricing

1 weekly class

CHF25per class
  • regular trimester registration

2 weekly classes

CHF20per class
  • regular or drop-in

Cours à la carte

CHF32drop-in
  • 5 classes – chf 155,-

10 class card

CHF290
  • valid for 1 trimestre

Small groups with 5-10 participants.
Classes may fill (or be cancelled), depending on participation.
Please call or write to reserve your (trial) class space.

Schedule

Monday
17:30 – 19:00 all levels
19h15 – 20:45 all levels to intermediate
Tuesday * opens with 4 participants
9:00 – 10:30 all levels
*17:00 – 18:15 Slow Attitude, Teens 13-17 years
18:30 – 20:00 all levels to beginner
20:15 – 21h30 gentle yoga and meditation
Wednesday
9:00 –10:30 all levels to intermediate
12:15 –13:30 Noon yoga, balance and revive
*14h30-15h45 Easy Chair Yoga, min. 4 part.
Friday

The yoga studio is located in the center of La Tour-de-Peilz, between Montreux and Vevey, on the beautiful Swiss Riviera, and just a minute’s walk from the Lake Leman. The simple layout of Studio Avigal breathes an atmosphere of friendliness, ease and discretion. The studio space is unencumbered and full of light – perfect for yoga practice ! Classes and weekend workshops offered for beginner or more advanced students, expecting mothers (prénatal) for seniors and youth.

You can easily walk or cycle to Studio Avigal, take the bus or park in the many blue and red zones in town as well as the abundant paid parking. However, you will not be bothered by noise of cars and traffic. The studio opens to a private terraced garden, where you can hear the call of birds in the spring and enjoy outdoor breaks during workshops.

Centre de Yoga Avigal Ateliers

Workshops & Events

SUNDAY MORNING WORKSHOPS

SUNDAY MORNING WORKSHOPS

6 October
17 November
15 December

With registration, invite your friends, share the news around ! MERCI
Open Rate – conscious donation at end of  class, all ages and levels welcome

For more information and registration, Dana Ruch  078/878 71 58 ou
la page contact du site.

Rent Studio Avigal for Your Event or Workshop

Studio Avigal provides a pleasant and discreet environment adapted for yoga practice and other developmental living arts and personal exploration techniques.

Studio Avigal is for rent “a la carte” for weekly classes, or for weekend workshops and seminars. There is a kitchenette and bathroom facility ajoining the studio space. 50 square meters of open room to accommodate private sessions or groups up to 15 people.

There are 15 yoga mats, blankets and pillows, as well as 20 regular chairs and 8 backjack chairs. Shops, restaurants, carry-outs, bakeries, grocery stores (Migros and COOP with cafeteria), the train station, and the post office are just steps away.

For more information and inquiries about renting Studio Avigal please contact Dana Ruch.

Yoga, a Living Tradition

Why Yoga ?

Yoga means to join, to unite, to reconcile. In yoga practice we gather and focus our physical and mental forces creating, like rays of the sun, light, joy, energy, power.

Through the practice of yoga we uncover our attitudes and beliefs about our lives and our connection to our vital source. Hatha yoga techniques serve to focus the mind on the breath and subtle body sensations. Correct practice (sadhana) enables us to calm the chattering voices and impressions, the doubts and projections which fog a clear perception of our true nature- energy in motion. When the mind is still, we are receptive to reality – to the ever unfolding dimensions of our »selves » and the entire universe in which we live. Our perception and awareness expand to comprehend the all inclusive energy of life. All part of the One. Yoga invites us to resource, balance, and celebrate this energy.

“And me ?” u say… but,

I’ve got a demanding job, never-ending bills to pay, kids to care for and a blessed partner (or not) to accompany my days and nights. All this challenges my personal limits and takes so much time and energy… Yes, this is exactly why we practice yoga ! Our systems are overloaded. No time for joy in just breathing and marveling in the sensations of being alive. We feel many aches and pains, physical and emotional, and we tend to get stuck in mind patterns and behaviors which do not nourish truth and abundance.

Yoga gets us back in touch with the simple pleasures of life by activating our vital forces – deeply filling our lungs with breath, mobilizing stiff joints, detoxifying the organs, and strengthening the nervous system, while gently stretching and toning the muscular system. The spine and back are relieved from chronic tension and come to alignment, the digestive tract is cleared. The hormonal system, our basic feedback and adaptation system, is relaxed and naturally shifted into balance.

About Dana

Certified professional-level yoga teacher from the Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health (2000) and former dancer/choreographer with a Bachelor of Arts Degree from the University of Maryland, USA, Dana creatively shares the richness of experiencial learning and the power of expression through movement, stillness, and breath – the primordial rythms of life. Dana transmits the ageless wisdom of yoga based on the universal principles for human and spritual growth, self-observation and conscious living.

As owner of Studio Avigal, Dana takes yoga into the community, facilitating people of all ages and in many situations- weekly classes for groups and individuals, seminars and workshops, in day camps, and retreat centers. She brings the benifits of yoga and healthy living to both students and teachers in the public school environment and also specialises in prenatal yoga.

Dana’s movement backround and over 30 years of teaching experience have enabled her to develop a keen sense of the learning process and of group dynamics. Her approach and methods create a pleasurable and safe environment for progressive learning, sharing and integration. Dana is most comfortable conversing in both French and English.

In her own words...

“I have been blesssd by meeting and practicing with yoga masters of all sorts !

Sri Venudas, yogi and singer of classical Indian music from Kerala India, now living in Paris.

Martine LeChenic, close disciple and friend of Sri BKS Iyengar. Her teachings reflect an intensely profound understanding of the human body and how energy circulates.

Eric Baret who shares the practice and teachings of Cashmerian Tantra yoga, as transmitted by Jean Klein. The simplicity and depth of his teachings resonate with my personal expression of yoga practice on and off the mat.

Patrick Torre (Institut les Arts de la Voix) transmits the art of of sacred sound, mantra and harmoniques. A practice of surrender into meditation and the adventure of spiritual growth.

Rod Stryker, founder of ParaYoga, an enthusiastic master and teacher of the power of hatha yoga, mantra and kriya according to the tantra lineage.

As the human experience is my passion, I continue to explore and learn through readings, workshops and seminars, in other domains of interest such as nutrition, ayurveda, energetic healing, massage and interpersonal communication.

A special thanks to my mom, Hillary Blackton, yoga teacher for over 35 years at her home studio, Divine Life Yoga. Mom most certainly paved the way for me as a spiritual seeker (and finder) in the divine quest for unconditional love.”

-Dana