Fab Four yoga retreats: downward dog has never felt this good
Need to take a break? Here are four exotic and restorative yoga retreats to pick from.
1. Kamalaya, Koh Samui, Thailand
Shy about practising in a crowd? Private instruction in asana, pranayama (breath techniques) and meditation can be arranged here — just you, the teacher and a warm island breeze drifting through the yoga space. Three-, five- and seven-night Personal Yoga Synergy packages include Ayurvedic massages (such as the kati vasti, starring warm oil pooled on your lower back) and classes on everything from meditation to pilates to palm reading.
If you want to go all-in, the resort’s wellness “sabbaticals” (21-plus days) allow just enough free time to keep up with your job. If you want to. Three-night yoga package from $5480 a person, twin-share.
2. Prana Del Mar, Baja, Mexico
Fifteen minutes but a world away from the bustle of Cabo San Lucas, Prana del Mar’s 16 rooms look over a beach-rimmed desertscape that says “Ohmmmmm” as far as the eye can see. The varied roster of retreats, available from October through July, typically offer a vinyasa practice in the morning and restorative class in the evenings. In between, surfing, kayaking, horseback riding on the beach and cooking classes are on tap. Whale watching and sea turtle hatching are seasonal phenomena. Vegie-focused meals, accented with seafood, rely on produce from the property’s organic garden, and the stone-lined meditation labyrinth will help set you straight even as you go in circles. Weeklong retreats from $2880 a person, twin-share.
3. Lumeria, Maui, Hawaii
This one-time retirement home dating from 1909 has been transformed into an educational wellness centre with 24 guest rooms and 3ha in Maui’s less touristy Upcountry, a 10-minute drive from the beach. A 116sq m outdoor yoga platform is complemented by a lower lawn that’s also available for practice. Come for an immersive retreat or dabble in classes of your choosing — up to seven yoga classes are offered daily.
Sign up for sound-healing sessions, sunrise meditations and, why not, instructions on Hawaiian basket weaving. You won’t be tempted by TVs, as there are none, allowing you plenty of time for pondering the best way forward while ensconced in a hammock. Six-night yoga and meditation retreat from $3940 a person, twin-share.
4. Blue Osa Yoga Retreat and Spa, Osa Peninsula, Costa Rica
Sure, there’s tiptop yoga (including teacher training) at this 13-room eco-resort as well as an open-air practice space with ocean views. But for nature lovers, the wildlife is an equal draw. If you don’t see red macaws, sloths and spider monkeys hanging around the beachfront property, you’ll find them at the Osa Wildlife Sanctuary, a half-hour boat ride away, and likely spy some dolphins en route. Silence is observed before 7.30am, the better to pore over the spa menu and purposefully choose between a coconut orange scrub or chakra-balancing massage. Meals are made from food grown in the organic garden and if you miss your pets, the three resident pooches will fill the void. Five-day retreats from $2575 a person, twin-share.
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