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The Memorial Day weekend rings like the opening bell for summer leaving a plethora of websites touting yoga as the must-do workout for a “bikini body.”

Impending summer vacations can bring out self-consciousness and a craving to loose a few pounds. Yoga might help with both.

The focus this week on Sex and the City 2 opening also had several articles about how the actors used yoga as part of their get-in-shape routines.

Yes, regular hatha yoga practice (the classes with the poses) can tone muscles and increase flexibility. Nothing has helped me more with skiing than holding chair and horse poses for longer than I really wanted to.

Then there’s also the mindfulness yoga helps build. One study showed yogis eat less because they realize what they’re eating and pay more attention when they are full.

But what amuses me the most is how this focus on “bikini ready” goes against yogic teachings. Maybe a yoga class will help people feel less anxious about their bodies.

Yoga is about everyone being divine and accepting all of ourselves and what that may entail.

India Arie said it best in her song Video.

“My feet, my thighs, my lips, my eyes; I’m lovin’ what I see.”

Travel to Europe frequently includes visiting a convent or monastery for historic or religious reasons. But more and more visitors can add a massage or yoga retreat to the experience and mix self healing with the sightseeing.

Austria has at least two such locales, one which started in 1969 and another that is just opening. The nuns of the Marienkron Abbey & Hotel in Mönchhof lead bike rides, teach gymnastics and provide a variety of spa treatments including being squirted with cold water, according to an article in The Guardian.

“It’s a wonderful setting for my first exercise class: chi kung with Sister Bernada, a qualified psychotherapist. Nun chi kung sounds like something eaten with steamed rice, but in the sister’s experienced hands – she learned it 14 years ago while studying meditation – the Chinese discipline involving fluid movement and breathing is an absolute stress buster,” the article stated.

Taking advantage of the recent boom in spiritual tourism, The Sisters of the Cistercian Order have more recently opened their convent for wellness stays, according to one article.

“The home of the contemplative daughters of Saints Robert, Alberic, Stephen and Bernard has been transformed into a center for fitness, beauty, Yoga and Tibet meditation,” according to the article.

Spain is also filled with monasteries that are open to the public and can be used for yoga retreats, according to this AP article.

I know not everyone sees being active and eating healthy as much of a vacation but I think it’s becoming popular because of a realization that a holiday isn’t just about debauchery and doing what you otherwise withhold.

There’s a balance to be had during vacation and life.

Sonja Bjelland sporting a tree pose among palms Photo by Dug Begley

As I mentioned earlier this week, Joshua Tree National Park is one of those great outdoor spots for yoga.

Giant rock formations spring out of the vast landscape dotted with yucca, Joshua trees and cactus. At certain times of year, wildflowers join this harmony, especially after being scorched by fire. One trail I hiked last weekend suffered a large brushfire in 2009. The blackened earth now gives way to shades of purple, yellow and orange.

Burned yucca plants and purple lupine Photo By Sonja Bjelland

This is the desert where Kylah Barrett challenges herself.

“It’s very raw, it kind of forces you to strip away those layers of things you hide behind in your daily life,” she said.

In September, Barrett, director for Back to Earth Outdoors, will be leading a four-day yoga and backpacking trip in the park. Twice-a-day yoga sessions coalesce with guided meditation, campfire discussions and rock scrambling for an outward and inward experience.

The majority of the trips she leads go to Yosemite National Park but the desert is different, she said.

“The desert holds some sort of almost magical, spiritual quality,” Barrett said.

That allows people to really connect with yoga and get back to how yoga has been practiced for centuries.

She’s also looking forward to the challenges the desert brings – finding shade and water. Those physical challenges bring up more personal needs and allow everyone to go deeper, she said.

But it’s also quiet. The mind is not distracted by the ding of new e-mail or a television in the background.

“Faced with that silence, it allows me to really look at what comes up,” Barrett said. “In the desert, it forces you to look at what comes up and forces you to just be.”

Nikie Johnson takes a Warrior I Photo By Sonja Bjelland

Joshua Tree in evening light By Sonja Bjelland

A trip to Joshua Tree National Park may mean altering your tree pose into something more “Lorax” looking but the vastness and serenity make it ideal for yoga trips.

The numerous large, flat rocks also provide many spots to sit and ponder or practice some asanas hot yoga style without needing a heater. Near Palm Springs in Southern California, the area has long been popular with visitors seeking holistic wellness for its hot, dry climate.

Today, this is visible in the Joshua Tree Retreat Center and Ding Le Mei Institute of Mentalphysics that hosts the annual Bhakti Festival in September.

The retreat center, marked by a sculpture just outside the park on 29 Palms Highway, was partially constructed by Frank Lloyd Wright and his son Lloyd. For visitors, staying at the center balances experiencing the flora and fauna of the desert with creature comforts.

Regional yoga studios hold weekend yoga retreats at the center but it also serves a national audience. Upcoming wellness and yoga retreats include Thai yoga massage training and four days with don Miguel Ruiz, author of the popular book The Four Agreements.

In September, the center hosts the four-day Bhakti Festival. Organized by the Center for Spiritual Studies, the festival focuses on various aspects of yoga including music, chanting and classes. Between 1,500 and 2,000 attendees danced and sang in the desert heat at last year’s festival, according to local newspaper coverage.

Come back Thursday for a post focusing more on yoga adventures in the park itself such as backpacking and rock climbing trips that include yoga.

Yoga and related aspects such as ayurveda may have given India a boost in visitors after declines since the Mumbai bombing in 2008 followed by the world economic downturn, according to one tourism operation.

But what will it take to make people, especially women, more comfortable traveling to India.

A recent post in the Gulf News stated that if the country really wants to make spiritual tourism a main business, it needs to better ensure the safety of women arriving to study yoga.

The article doesn’t give accurate numbers that would show the number of crimes against women has actually increased versus women being more willing to report crimes. But the perception of safety remains a key issue.

The U.S. State Department’s India page stated: “U.S. citizens, particularly women, are cautioned not to travel alone in India. Western women continue to report incidents of verbal and physical harassment by groups of men. Known in India as “Eve-teasing,” these incidents can be quite frightening.”

Worldwide more hotels are adding all-female floors, including one in India. The Imperial Hotel in Delhi made a 12-room wing for only solo female travelers. In addition to increased security, the rooms have floors and pink touches, according to a CNNGo story.

But the larger problem appears to be cultural. Both what the West exports as a view of itself, and how that has been interpreted in India.

Las week, a post on the Huffington Post from a woman visiting India described the frequent stares and questions: “Where are you from?” to more vulgar.

I am planning to travel to India later this year and will admit this is one of my least favorite aspects of traveling. But it is also not new territory. It will be interesting to compare India to my experiences in Mexico and less so in Peru. Despite my conservative dress, the catcalls and comments about my anatomy became a din of noise in the background.

Many movies and television shows such as Baywatch are popular in other countries but do not portray American women positively. That can lead people in other countries to build a distorted view of Americans based on popular entertainment. Somehow that gives men the thought that American women will respond to such gestures.

While this makes many women uncomfortable, is it better or worse for the men to vocalize what they’re thinking? I remember during college when the weather warmed the women would wear tank tops and shorts again. The men, from construction workers to professors, took notice but were not likely to yell something across the quad.

This week, I’ve spotted a few articles on a new travel trend to make the holidays more relaxing.

Yes, I know it’s May and all that Thanksgiving through New Year business is months away.

But it could also be the time to book a pre-holiday holiday, according to Marie Claire’s UK edition.

It seems like a good plan to me as I am usually booked starting with Halloween.

According to the article, some folks have made arrangements to head to a relaxing yoga spa or yoga center for a few days before the craziness ensues.

Creating the calm before the storm if you will.

A sunset view from the Mount Madonna Center

A little yoga vacation in advance would be a great time to reflect on gratitude, reshape in your mind what all those holidays are really about and realize that enlightenment is spending a week with your family without going crazy.

To prep for the holidays, you could go all out with a wellness trip to India and drink green juice for a week to make up for cookies and pumpkin pie. Loose the weight before and you won’t have to after I suppose.

Or go lazy and relaxing to a place that wont let you think about the impending crunch like the Caribbean or Mauritius. A recent article in the UK’s Daily Mail said of Mauritius: “This is the place to spoil yourself, enjoying privacy and mellow peace while admiring idyllic natural scenery as your mental clock winds down.”

If that’s not possible the Yoga Journal has 6 destination ashrams that would make for a great getaway. The first one listed is the Mt. Madonna Center in California where I visited in January. Meals are provided leaving visitors to only think about how to bring more yogic harmony into their lives. Many more yoga centers and ashrams have locations throughout the United States so one is never very far away.

Maybe if you make the arrangements now while it seems like a good idea you will carry through with it in the fall when you see the busy times ahead but mentally could use a break.

Last week, I posted about the importance of a yogic mindset while traveling. To feel your feet on the ground of wherever you are and be there, not thinking about the laundry that will need to be done upon return or anything else.

But traveling also usually includes sitting uncomfortably for hours. My middle back likes to remind me just how uncomfortable those seats are. Stretching out before, during and after traveling may help ease some of those issues.

The New York Times tackled this subject this week and several books and websites have focused on yoga poses for during a flight  or while on the go.

Many recommend poses that stretch the back, hamstrings and hips.

But it’s not only helpful during the travels. An article in The Jakarta Post recommends travelers put their feet up a wall after a flight and stretch again the next morning to help the blood recirculate.

My yoga practice this week gave me some ideas for how to celebrate and honor mothers this weekend.

Me and my mom

Yoga provides strategies for dealing with stress making it a gift that truly does keep on giving.

In honor of Mother’s Day, some studios in my area are having special events. F.U.N. Yoga Studio in Riverside, Calif., has a two-hour class of restoration and renewal for women.

A Google search of “yoga mother’s day” showed restorative yoga sessions all over the country. Restorative yoga uses props such as blankets and pillows to make your body comfortable in certain positions allowing the yogi to relax. It’s pretty much the opposite of power yoga and perfect for Mother’s Day.

For moms already into yoga, a weekend at a retreat center would make a good present as well. Such centers have become established all across the country and can make for a relaxing getaway close to home or far away. Just make sure the trip is at least three days. In my experience, the shorter stints are nice, but it takes at least two days to unwind and truly forget about what’s going on at home – even for a yogi.

But you don’t need to send your mom to a beach in the Caribbean to have a little yoga retreat. Though I’m guessing she’d enjoy it. Give your mom her own yoga day. Maybe add a new DVD, bolsters or a new mat bag, fix some tea and set up a yoga spot in the backyard.

For a truly yogic gift, spend time with your mother and be present in that time, not thinking about the week’s work, the grocery list or bills.

Happy Mother’s Day.