When people picture studying yoga abroad, India, Bali, and Costa Rica usually come to mind first. Colombia — and specifically Cali — is a newer name in that conversation, but for the students who choose it, it tends to become one of the most memorable parts of the whole decision.
A destination with real cultural depth, not just scenery
Cali is Colombia's salsa capital, with a warm, expressive culture that shapes daily life in a way that is hard to fully describe until you experience it. Beyond the physical practice, training here means being immersed in a country with a genuinely distinct culture — not a generic "wellness destination" backdrop, but a real place with its own identity.
Access to a genuinely different tradition
One thing that sets a training in Colombia apart from most others is access to Mayan cosmovision as a living part of the curriculum, not an imported theoretical reference. IKY's Kankueb practice, integrated into the training, draws on ancestral Mayan knowledge — a tradition most international students have never had direct access to in a yoga training context.
Practical advantages worth knowing about
Compared to training in North America, Western Europe, or increasingly saturated destinations like Bali, Colombia often means a lower cost of living during your stay, without sacrificing quality of instruction. Cali has an international airport with connections through major hubs, and Colombia's tourism infrastructure has grown substantially in recent years, making logistics more straightforward than many people expect.
The setting itself
Trainings at Ishka Center take place in Pance, a natural area on the outskirts of Cali known for its rivers and green surroundings — the kind of quiet, nature-immersed setting that makes a real difference during an intensive training, away from the noise and distractions of a busy city center.
A note on safety and logistics
Like any international trip, it is worth doing normal due diligence: checking your home country's current travel guidance, confirming entry requirements for your nationality, and communicating directly with the school about logistics specific to your situation. Any serious training program should be able to answer these questions directly rather than leaving you guessing.
Why IKY specifically
IKY's programs are led by C.R. Kan, with more than 25 years of experience and 350+ instructors and teachers trained across more than 6 countries, combining tantric yoga, the Feldenkrais Method®, and Mayan kankueb cosmovision into a methodology you will not find replicated at a generic destination training.
If Colombia is on your shortlist, you can see the details of Teacher Training (Profesorado) and Instructor Training (Instructorado), or learn more about Ishka Center itself before you decide.