Tropical Tadasana: Four Blissful Yoga Retreats

With a yoga hall that measures 3,000 by 1,500 square feet, the Maya Tulum resort offers retreat programs in several different yoga disciplines with many different master instructors. Retreat participants do yoga in between exploring the white sand beaches, surrounding jungle, and the nearby ruins of Chichen Itza.

Guests stay in a resortlike atmosphere with three gourmet vegetarian and seafood meals per day and cabana-style rooms. In addition to traditional spa procedures like wraps, massages, reflexology, and facials, the spa at Maya Tulum also offers special Mayan specialties like a Mayan Clay Massage and the Chocolate Nobility treatment.

Photo courtesy of Maya Tulum Resort

Photo courtesy of Maya Tulum Resort

Perfect your practice in the place where it all began. The Indian state of Goa is known for its beaches and tropical climate, and the Purple Valley retreat provides a place to study yoga in harmony with the beautiful natural surroundings.

The specialty here is Ashtanga yoga, with one-week and two-week programs for yogis of all levels. Students typically take two classes per day, which leaves them plenty of time to enjoy Goa’s interesting blend of Indian and Portuguese culture and to indulge in Ayurveda treatments and massage.

Photo courtesy of Purple Valley Yoga Retreat

Photo courtesy of Purple Valley Yoga Retreat

Photo courtesy of Purple Valley Yoga Retreat

This no-nonsense yoga ashram enforces a 5:30 a.m. wakeup call for morning meditation, followed by two daily yoga classes and another meditation session before bed. But despite the severe-sounding schedule, participants have the choice of master teachers in many different yoga disciplines, as well as other events focusing on mindfulness, healing, homeopathy, and other healing arts. Students are encouraged to practice “Karma Yoga” by helping out in the ashram for an hour per day preparing meals or tidying up. The Sivananda Center# also offers monthlong and three-month-long residential study programs in Karma Yoga. Meals are nutritious and vegetarian, accommodations are simple but comfortable—you can even choose to camp in the ashram’s coconut grove. And guests have the opportunity to take advantage of the beautiful beaches when they’re not in class.

Photo courtesy of Sivananda Yoga Retreat

Nestled on the eastern tip of the Big Island, Yoga Oasis sits secluded in the Hawaiian rain forest and is close to the beach and Volcanoes National Park. Attendees of yoga retreats or one of the facility’s boot-camp programs take classes in Chi Hatha yoga and yoga therapy; they can also snorkel, surf, hike, and just enjoy the beach and lush surroundings.

The retreat is eco-friendly and solar powered; it grows most of the vegetables for the daily vegetarian breakfast right on the premises. Yoga Oasis also offers teacher-training programs, Thai massage and lomi-lomi massage, and a work-study program that allows guests to exchange seven volunteer hours for a discounted rate on their stay.

Photo courtesy of Yoga Oasis

Photo courtesy of Yoga Oasis