Yoga And/or Meditation Lessons

Although this town is brimming with talented yogis and teachers of Cuban descent, Ernesto is a rare example of a yogi who studied, practiced and taught in Cuba before moving to Miami. Very few have submitted to the extraordinary trainings he has undergone, not just in physical asana, but also in philosophy, meditation, pranayama, ancient texts, vedic chanting and more.  And it's highly unlikely that any other person in this hemisphere has humbly sat for 16 (YES sixteen!) 10-day Vipassana Meditation retreats, as he has (so far).  In addition to luring visitors with its famous nightlife, shimmering coastlines, and rolling hills and rivers, Cuba has also attracted many luminary teachers of yoga, ayurveda and philosophy. Because of them, Ernesto was inspired to pursue yoga as a lifestyle and career. Cuban society is unique in that the 50+year lack of certain amenities and distractions has created a population with unparalleled attention span, and lots of free time on their hands... Before he left Cuba, Ernesto taught a class that met every Sunday, on the basketball court of a former convent. Not only is it hard to imagine nuns shooting hoops, but it's hard to fathom that people paid about 50 cents a class. "On Sundays I would teach a four-hour class: one hour of meditation, one and half hours of asana, a half-hour of breathing and one hour on the Sutras or the Upanishads, but the students wanted more!" he says.  In the neighborhood of El Vedado, he led an ashtanga vinyasa class three times a week in the evenings, where about 15 students would spread out on the marble floors of a primary school.  They came with lots of energy, but very few yoga mats. "¡Traían de todo, o nada!" he laughs as he fondly recalls that students would bring whatever they had to practice on-- mostly towels, swaths of carpet, comforters or burlap sacks.  Ernesto packs a lot of learning into his classes, and offers multiple layers of expertise on the vast subject of yoga.  If you're ready to learn traditional teachings from a tropical master, he's your guy.  Ernesto is a gem in this field, not to mention on our schedule...  now you can check him out twice a week!