blisspassport.com

A Sivananda yoga students sits by the nearby lake. By Sonja Bjelland

I keep seeing different publications listing their “Top 10 yoga retreats.”

In the industry we call this a roundup, it’s what readers seem to like best. So today I’m rounding up the roundups in a collective of the top five lists. A few of these have overlap of the most popular places, but each has it’s own flair. One gives more luxurious places. One highlights a little more adventure with the yoga. It all depends on who their audience is.

Combined this gives a pretty good look at the world’s top yoga destinations, from the U.S. to India. The finds here vary in price point and type of yoga but if you’re making a bucket list of yoga retreats, this is a good starting place. I’ve been to a few of these places and would love to go to many more.

If you’ve been to some of them be sure to let me know if you thought it belonged on the list. And let me know what’s missing. What yoga retreat did you love?

• 

  View near The Yoga Barn in Ubud, Bali By Sonja Bjelland

  Gayot annually updates its list of “Top 10 Yoga Retreats Worldwide,” that includes Alicante in Spain and Big Sky Yoga Retreats in Montana.

• Coastal Living rounded up its “23 Best Coastal Yoga Retreats.” This includes anything near water from Mexico to Martha’s Vineyard and the Turks and Caicos to Vietnam.
• The UK’s Guardian newspaper has a more adventurous list that couches it’s title as “10 of the World’s Best Yoga Retreats 2012.” Their list includes several places I’ve been including Bali’s Yoga Barn and the Sivananda Ashram in Kerala, India. This reflects the more outgoing British traveler and the list is totally different than the first two.
• Well+Good NYC’s “9 Best Yoga Vacations” has some listings that are similar to the rest but they managed to come up with a few more original offerings. One of my favorites is the yoga, Tango and wine trip to Argentina.
• Departures magazine’s “Top Yoga Retreats” list ranges from the romanticized and secluded in Bangalore to Western and easier access at the Wanderlust Festival. Though it might be possible to buy a plane ticket to India for the price of lodging and an all-access pass to one of the Wanderlust Festivals.

Throughout Europe many out-of-the-way farms offer yoga trips or a place for yoga retreats.

Several articles popped up this week providing a glimpse at what a yoga traveler might get. All sound so great I don’t know which I would pick first.

An article from the Irish Times looks at ways to get out of your comfort zone this summer. The first placed mentioned, the Boghill Centre, is on protected bogland and offers yoga as well as workshops including American Indian healing traditions.

The article also referenced the Clare Island Yoga Retreat Centre, which has yoga retreats scheduled until October. The organic farm produces sheep’s milk, country wines, honey and herbal teas, according to the article.

I’ve also found a few articles on similar places in Spain that have yoga.

Ibiza off the coast near Valencia has a new crop of rural lodges such as Cas Gasi that offers sailing, biking and hiking and lists Richard Gere in its roster of visitors, according to a Wall Street Journal article.

Similarly quaint, an article in The Guardian extols the Andalucian Finca el Moro. In addition to cottages and grounds for exploring, a group of tents have been set up for yoga retreats and include wooden floors as well as solar electricity and showers.

I still can’t decide. Maybe I can manage to try them all.