While I daydream on my way into work in the morning, I envision yoga retreats in a distant land where a warm sun rises to greet my face as I curve my back in cat and cow. I imagine cleansing my body from caffeine and sugar with an Ayurvedic diet and afternoons filled with massages, facials, hikes in the mountains or floating on my back in an aqua sea. I want a teacher with experience, who comes highly recommended, and can possibly get me to finally do a handstand or headstand away from the wall, and then gently remind me that yoga isn’t about my ego. Yoga retreats are the one trip I want to book each year to renew my skin, rejuvenate my energy, and find peace in places where nature is louder than my own voice. I found seven auspicious yoga retreats in beautiful spots or with recommended teachers that I hope to travel to someday.
Balispirit Festival
Ubud, Bali, Indonesia
Held during Bali’s annual Nyepi celebration, Balispirit Festival weaves twelve days of dance, yoga, and music into the beauty and artistic culture of the Balinese in the lush town of Ubud. I arrived in Bali for the first time just after Nyepi and wished I had arrived for its silence, prayer, and fasting as they welcomed in the Balinese New Year. Go early to experience Nyepi among locals, and then follow it with intimate yoga retreats with world-renowned teachers. Then, there are musical concerts, nightly dance performances, and an opportunity to give back to a local organization and attend an intimate evening with (and private concert by) one of my favorite singers/social activists, Michael Franti. If I only had enough airline miles and some leftover Indonesian rupiah, I’d be on the next plane to Asia.
Sagrada Wellness Mountain Retreat Center
San Miguel de Allende, Mexico
Perched in the high desert near the Spanish colonial village of San Miguel de Allende, guests stay in eco-friendly indoor/outdoor adobe houses/cabanas surrounded by cacti and trees. Local cuisine coupled with an organic garden work magic into your daily meals. Yoga retreats may include Pilates, figure drawing, Ayurvedic training, as well as local trips on horseback to nearby hot springs for a soak in thermal waters.
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