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Zion Shooting Star growing out of the canyon walls By Sonja Bjelland

Swaths of the Utah desert have split, moved and shaken into a range of colors and geologic wonders.

Fortunately, many of these places are now preserved as national parks.

Last weekend I had the chance to venture to Zion National Park and see some of this for myself – flowers growing out of rock formations, climbing red peaks. I was camping with friends which made it all the more fun to have great people to share it with.

Unfortunately, the only drop-in yoga classes are offered at the Springdale Community Center. The town is right at the edge of the park and its resorts and amenities make Zion much easier to visit than a more remote location such as Death Valley. It also means there’s a coffee shop right outside the campground and things like WiFi can be easier to come by than showers.

Zion National Park By Sonja Bjelland

Of course you don’t need a class to rock your yoga on the rocks. But there are a few yogis offering hiking and yoga retreats in Zion this year.

Adventures on the Go will hold a yoga and hiking trip through Zion and Bryce Canyons in “Mother Nature’s Yoga Studio” this Memorial Day weekend. It’s sold out for now but if you’re interested plan your 2013 vacation for it the trip titled Where Nature Nurtures. The team of adventure guide husband and lawyer, yogi wife also holds yoga retreats in California.

A pair of yoga instructors from Alpine, Utah’s, Lifted Life Yoga Center will hold their second annual retreat in Zion this Sept. 20-23. Accompanied by a nutritionist, the hiking and yoga retreat will include gluten-free, organic meals.

North Carolina studio Yoga Blyss will be in Zion National Park for a yoga retreat the following weekend. From Sept. 27 to Oct 1 yogis will explore the canyons and hanging gardens that make Zion a favorite among many visitors.

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?

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  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.

Monks resting outside of Angkor Watt, Cambodia By Sonja Bjelland

Hobby vacations have taken off with yoga being no exception.

But some yogi vacationers want less focus on poses and more on philosophy.

I was reminded of this last night while listening to Tibetan Buddhist Monk Khen Rinpoche Lobzang Tsetan address a crowd at the U.S. Air Force Academy.

No, it’s not everyday a monk speaks at a U.S. military installation. But his calm presence reminded me of the monks I saw daily during my travels in Asia. His lessons on different types of gratitude allowed me to recall chats with monks and various religious leaders during the same trip.

“You are to give an open heart without expectation,” he told the group.

I have always found asking questions to be the best way to find out something and I feel the same when learning about the world’s religions. Some places make this easier than others so if you’re looking for clarification or insight during a vacation or for your complete trip here’s my recommendations.

For serious study of Buddhist thinking try a vipassana retreat. Typically 10-days long, participants stay in silence at a monastery. The point is to internally confront whatever your mind brings up.

My friend and occasional poster, Laura Hitchman, wrote about one she attended in Thailand.

“Throughout the day we would all file silently into the meditation hall, where we’d sit cross-legged on our allocated cushions and receive instruction from a recording,” she writes. “Despite feeling like a mixture of school assembly, sitting exams and some sort of authoritarian regime, this was strangely enjoyable. The mornings and evenings especially so because they’d dim the lights and we’d all wear pyjamas and shawls, and everything was quiet except for the sounds of the rainforest outside.”

Musical service known as aarti in Rishikesh, India By Sonja Bjelland

And this isn’t something you need to go to Nepal or Thailand to experience. They have them at Buddhist centers across the U.S. with several annually in Colorado and Illinois.

For something lighter, stop in at the Tibetan Mongolian Buddhist Cultural Center in Bloomington, Ind. Visitors can meander through the 108 acres of wooded trails and take guided or self-guided walks through the grounds to see two traditional Tibetan stupas, central to Buddhist practice. Or if you happen to be in Chiang Mai, Thailand, the main temple has a “chat with a monk” session most evenings.

To dig a little deeper into Hinduism, staying at an ashram puts the resources in front of you. As a visitor in a town such as Rishikesh, India, you can stop by the ashrams that do nightly services and hear the spiritual leader chat about life’s questions.

Where I stayed in Rishikesh, Parmarth Niketan, we could listen to the guru and his American colleague explain Eastern philosophies. Those who wanted more in-depth study had a chance to research at the onsite library.

Sailboats anchored off Thailand's islands By Sonja Bjelland

I can only imagine rocking a boat pose aboard a Clipper ship or catamaran with the sea salt sticking to my sunscreen, but for many yogis this is a reality.

Around the world, yogis are gaining permission to come aboard and taking their yoga out to sea.

To me that’s a little bit of heaven. I love all the fun I’m having in Colorado, but I miss blue water. During a recent cleaning binge I realized my sailing gloves still hold a perfume of sunscreen, salt, fish and algae. The scent made me smile.

And I’m not alone in thinking this is a great idea. From Australia and Turkey to Baja and Connecticut, yoga teachers are floating with the flow.

Lamps at the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul, Turkey By Sonja Bjelland

I’m not saying tree pose gets any easier when you’re bobbing up and down, but sivansana is a pretty good name for a boat. Now, I just have to find a way to make this trip possible. I’ve listed below a smattering of what I’ve found but there are tons of options available. If you have a particular country or island in mind just search for yoga and sailing options and you may well find your next vacation.

• Sailing-Charters.org offers multiple sailing and yoga retreats through the Greek Islands. It’s limited space on the catamaran with six cabins but each day includes sailing for a few hours and yoga classes.
• Herizen Sailing for Women has a whole list of upcoming sailing and yoga retreats – British Columbia, Belize, the British Virgin Islands. Right now they’re in Thailand for a sail training, yoga and self-awareness adventure. I’m not sure jealous quite captures it.
• Seaflower Yoga holds classes on her boat in Connecticut if you want to get a taste of yoga on the water but aren’t sure about a longer trip. If you’re ready for several days at sea, she also offers Caribbean sailing and yoga retreats.
• YogaCruise.net has yachts sailing the Turkish Mediterranean with an iternary that includes twice-daily yoga classes and tea time – a must in Turkey. Sailing down the coast was one of the things I didn’t accomplish during my time in Turkey and this would be a great way to do it. I should admit Turkey may well be my favorite country to visit. It has a lot of competition, but I loved Turkey.
• The ships of Star Clippers hold yoga classes on their teak decks during cruises to Greece and Turkey. Sailing along in the Aegean Sea, yogis have the chance to practice with celebrity teacher Christel Vollmer.

Stand up and rock a warrior pose when you need to By Susan Gill

During a visit to REI last weekend I noticed a rack of men’s yoga wear.

For awhile, I’ve had a note about some yoga retreats for men but that moment in REI got me thinking that there might be more out there these days.

And there are.

Slowly men are creating their own yoga space as more studios offer men’s only classes and more teachers create men’s only yoga retreats.

These days it may be women who are most associated with yoga but traditionally it was dominated by men. Men passed down the great yogic wisdom and it’s men in photos of yoga gurus. In India, it is still very much a man’s world. I was happy the two teachers I had at Parmarth Niketan were women. The other 8 weeks I was in India I mostly had male teachers.

Now you’ve got Broga, a style designed for the modern man and Jonathan Bowra creating what he’s deemed the men’s yoga tribe.

Yoga retreats for men will take place this year in the U.S., Australia, Cambodia and Costa Rica. But not all are the same. Some specialize in retreats for gay men who do nude yoga while others focus in different directions. Granted, I can’t really partake in any of these so if you have any tips or info feel free to pass it along to me.

• Will Duprey forged new paths with his yoga retreats and again this year will meet up with fellow male yogis in New Mexico for a few days of downward dogs, hiking to 9,000 feet and drinking beer. “The real goal is to have some time to reignite the masculine energy and power that, though not glorified, is ever steady and alive,” the information states.
• Through Australia’s Yoga Institute,  men will discuss bringing yoga philosophy into daily life and studying the yogic greats. Pretty typical yoga retreat syllabus but from a man’s perspective and among the company of men. All at a forest retreat outside of Sidney.
• Broga is organizing a retreat in Costa Rica that starts a month from tomorrow. In addition to the daily yoga classes, attendees can take jungle hikes or surfing lessons and one note I haven’t seen on other retreat pages, world-class fishing.
• Also in Costa Rica but happening this fall, the man behind the popular New York studio Hot Nude Yoga will introduce fans to his new home and retreat in the jungle with a 30-day teacher training. But before that, he’ll be leading a retreat in Cambodia.
• Later this fall, several male teachers are joining together for yoga retreat in Hawaii. Mornings will be spent on yoga and the afternoons are open for snorkeling and hiking.
• Bryan Harrelson will also lead naked yoga retreats in Costa Rica and Hawaii this year. The ashtanga primary starts off the mornings and he fills afternoons with poses to work on a particular body part as well as meditation and restorative yoga.

Ton Sai Bay Koh Phi Phi Thailand By Sonja Bjelland

There’s some good, but not great news out recently for the yoga retreat and travel industry.

The American Express Spending and Saving Tracker Survey taken in January showed about 37 percent of consumers planned to spend more or the same as last year on yoga retreats, fitness cruises and other fitness vacations. The same report stated that 6 percent are planning a spa vacation and 17 percent are up for an outdoor adventure trip.

The CNN article I found on the survey goes on to give a few yoga retreat and wellness vacation spots from Massachusetts to Mexico. But here at BlissPassport it’s monthly roundup time. OK it’s a little late.

The UK’s Daily Mail had a feature on a yoga course in Morocco in the bucolic Berber country. Morocco is still on my list of must-see countries and I’m loving all the yoga places I’ve heard about there. It just makes a comfortable break in a sightseeing trip.

“As we return from the morning’s yoga, the farm’s brunch is laid out like a buffet for the Buddha,” the writer detailed.” ”Carafes of beetroot, apple and ginger juice sit beside thick, nut-studded Bircher muesli, newly-leavened bread and homegrown

Some of Bali's most famous surfing in Ulu Watu By Sonja Bjelland

fig jams rub shoulders with coriander couscous and fava dips, earthenware bowls of giant roasted vegetables and softly cooked lentils find space next to bulging wheat berries drizzled with homemade Argan oil. We look on in stunned, appreciative silence,” the article stated.

I’d also note that the teacher they had at the time had students hold poses for 12 minutes at a time and told students to “acknowledge the pain but don’t attach yourself to it.” A stretch can feel intense yes, but you should never feel pain in a yoga class. This is a perfect example of why it’s important to find out what type of teacher will be leading the yoga retreat.

Then a lucky writer got to go to Surf Haven Bali, at their treat. Yes, I’m a little jealous. I loved Bali and could really use a few days when my biggest decisions are where to sit on the beach or what juice combo I should order.

“Sitting on yoga mats on the lawn in the fading evening sun, we set our intentions for the week, Bali-style. Deeply spiritual, the Balinese are famed for their fresh flower offerings, which they place at the family shrine up to five times a day,” the author describes. Sure sounds like Bali to me.

"Be the change you want to see in the world" quote by Gandhi at the BaliSpirit Festival By Sonja Bjelland

I practiced yoga for years before I wound up in India learning all about aspects of yoga beyond downward dog and crow poses.

So if you’re like I was, the terminology listed on the websites for some yoga retreat and yoga festivals can be confusing. And considering that Wanderlust is adding a fourth location this year in Whistler, B.C. more of us will be trekking to festivals this summer than every before.

Here’s a little primer to get you started. If there are any other terms you’d like for me to address, just ask:

• Bhakti: Considered the yoga of devotion, this is the spiritual side of yoga. It frequently includes chanting to Hindu deities but can also include dancing.
• Kirtan: The act of doing those chants in a group. The call and response chants are historically in Sanskrit but many have been rewritten in English or new ones created by Western devotees.
• Meditation: Expect anywhere from 15 minutes to an hour. There are multiple types of meditation. Some require paying attention to your breath. Others have you repeat a mantra in your head or maybe focus on the flame a top a candle. In most cases this isn’t an effort in getting your brain to stop but in getting yourself to ignore the thoughts your brain is pumping out, at least for a few moments.
• Yoga philosophy: This can be a discussion of the works of Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras, the Upanishads or the Bhagavad Gita. Patanjali is said to have written the collection of  yoga philosophy that guides us today including the principals of being non-harming and most popularly, doing asana or poses. The Upanishads are considered the core of Indian philosophy and some of the base teachings for Hinduism. The Bhagavad Gita, a 700-verse Hindu scripture, reads more like an epic battle story but address philosophical matters within the tale.
• Pranayama: A variety of breathing exercises used to enhance concentration as well as warm up or cool down the body. These include, among others, a fast paced forced release of air out of the nose and using your fingers to breathe in one side of the nose and out the other.

Kissing Camels rock formation at Garden of the Gods By Sonja Bjelland

Awhile back a friend posted on Facebook “The process is: Love yourself -> Love other people -> Love that one other ‘special’ someone. If you aren’t happy in your relationships, it’s because you skipped a step.”

Valentine’s Day isn’t just about that loving someone special. Because before we do we have to be able to love ourselves.

Without loving ourselves first, we expect other people to fill a void they cannot and then we resent them for it.

So on this Feb. 14, take the time to send some love your way.

Maybe you do that by helping out others with what a few organizations have declared as Generosity Day. They’re encouraging people to leave a larger tip and say “yes” when someone asks for your help, time or attention.

But there’s also plenty of you who are so busy helping others that you fail to help yourself. Today is about loving the one you don’t normally show your love to – be it yourself or others.

It’s not sending yourself flowers, you can always buy yourself some to pretty up your place. Maybe it’s something simple like giving yourself the time to go to a yoga class today. Or maybe it’s deciding to get down to business and buy “The Four Agreements” or ask a friend for the name of their therapist who seems to be doing such a good job. Or maybe signing up for a yoga retreat that specializes in self-regard or self-discovery.

"The longest journey is the journey inward" quoted at the Bear Creek Park sculpture By Sonja Bjelland

The Omega Institute for Holistic Studies has several of these throughout the year in both New York and Costa Rica. For a longer dive into making such changes, Yoga Life has a three-week course on Koh Phangan, Thailand, to jump start the process. No, you don’t usually resolve such things in three weeks.

This can be especially difficult for people with certain backgrounds and coming from different cultures but it  is the basis of yoga. “Namaste” the salutation of certain parts of India, means the divine light in me honors the divine light in you.

In yoga philosophy, we are humbled by God while being able to love ourselves the way we are. Some sections of Christianity have trouble with that because of a basic tenet that humans are unworthy, sin-filled souls.

It was what one American woman at an ashram in India wanted all Westerns to take back with them. That we are all are created in God’s image and worthy of love.

So celebrate this as a day of love for all things – for yourself.

As we’ve been reminded this week, “learning to love yourself, is the greatest love of all.”

The view from one run at Wolf Creek Ski Area in Colorado By Sonja Bjelland

I’ll be the first to admit that a ski trip is not always the most healthy excursion.

The skiing lifestyle tends toward drinking and a fair amount of carousing. Something has to kill the pain from all day in those boots and sore muscles.

So a yoga and skiing retreat seems a bit counter. But it’s a different way to take the edge off of the body after a day shredding the mountainside. These retreats also mix in healthy and frequently vegetarian meals, again counter to most of what I’ve had on ski trips. And as with all yoga retreats, it gives you specific poses to do before and after skiing so you can continue that on your next trip.

I’ve written before about some of the skiing and yoga retreats in the U.S. but today I’m focusing on European options.

France and Switzerland both have several ski and yoga retreats, and most don’t even require you to downhill ski. It’s a choice of cross-country, snowshoeing or reading a book by the fire if you’d prefer. And being that it’s France and Switzerland, these aren’t exactly lacking wine and I hope there would be a little cheese.

• Yoga with Altitude had one ski and yoga retreat last month and is offering another in April. At resorts of Val d´Isere and Tignes attendees may enjoy morning yoga classes with brunch and access to a sauna and hot tub.
• Villars Yoga has one retreat that starts tomorrow and another in March. The small groups stay in a private chalet in Switzerland by the Villars-Gryon ski area. The weekend includes restorative yoga sessions, post-skiing tea and cakes and a three-course dinner with local wines. The organizers also arrange private ski and yoga retreats for groups of four or six if you have a group of friends or fellow yogis from your studio who want to go.
• Adventure Yoga Retreats Europe is leading a seven-day retreat in the French Alps that they’re marketing as “Eat, Pray, Ski.” The farmhouse setting also comes with organic and ayurvedic meals as well as twice daily yoga and your option of skiing or snowboarding. Days are bookended with yoga and finished off with a yoga nidra session, a deep relaxing meditation that helps with sleep.
• Symmetree Yoga has the longest trip with a nine-night stay in a Swiss ski town. The package include train and gondola passes for the week to ski as well as travel the area exploring other towns that cannot be accessed by car. The daily yoga classes are worked in with a seven-day ski pass to three major ski areas.
• Teacher Michelle Riordan leads yoga retreats all over the world but has returned home to Switzerland to host them there. The two yoga and ski sessions are coming up in March and if you don’t yet know how to ski or board you can mix it with lessons. And if you don’t want to do either of those, she has options for sledding and snowshoeing as well.

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

21 days, did it change my life?

We’ll see.

On January 10, I signed up for Yoga Journal’s 21-day Yoga Challenge to hold onto my 2012 intention of “possibility.” 

I’ll admit, I’m a little behind. This morning I completed the video for day 15.

But I have done yoga almost every day in the last 21 days so if I was heading to an hour and a half yoga class, I didn’t always make time for the 45 minutes or so of the Yoga Challenge.

Doing so much yoga lately has taken me back to my traveling days. When I stayed in ashrams or was participating in a yoga program, it was my life. Hours of yoga every day. The Yoga Challenge has been a way to bring a little of that back to my daily life and would be a great addition for teachers to include as a take home from a yoga retreat.

It’s the kindling for an at home practice. But I haven’t yet started it as a ritual.

In doing this and needing a new book to read, I’ve finally picked up my copy of Twyla Tharp’s “The Creative Habit.”  She talks about the importance of having a ritual to start your day to put yourself in your creative place.

This has melded nicely with the Yoga Challenge and given me options.

I plan on continuing through the 21 days worth of videos, and stretching out this challenge by mixing in regular yoga classes. This way I can figure out what suits me. Do I want to do 15 minutes of sun salutations every morning followed by stretching out what feels like needs it. Or do I like a video telling me what to do?

Most of the Yoga Challenge teachers I could easily follow on video but one required more looking at my screen because even the model had trouble following her instructions.

These last few weeks have also made me rethink how I do yoga. Changing clothes multiple times in the morning would be a barrier for me. So I gave up on that.

Taking a shoulder stand in the Singapore Flyer By Sonja Bjelland

I’ve done the videos in my jammies and my jeans. Neither is ideal. But really it’s 20-30 minutes and it doesn’t have to be perfect, I just want to do it to see if it helps me stay focused for the rest of my day.

I’ve also put my mat in my office so I can’t avoid it. I leave it rolled out and even have pillows handy for sitting during the 15-minute meditation.

Yes, I could have a special place in a less busy space without cushy carpet. But I needed this set up for success.

I agree it’s nice to have a place that’s designated for yoga just like the bedroom should not double as an office. But this is also about working yoga into my day, not working my day around yoga. Maybe keeping this up will mean I work more efficiently and I will be able to take 90 minutes for a daily yoga practice in a separate room. Until then, I’ll fit in what I can and try to rebuild the daily yoga I enjoyed during my travels.