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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.

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.

Downward dog is one of several immunity helping poses By Susan Gill

A series of yoga poses meant to boost immunity can be especially important during these winter months.

Even some yoga retreats focus on revving up your immune system.

If you question the physiology, it really only matters that you believe it will help your immune system considering placebo remedies are sometimes as much as 50 percent effective. If we can think ourselves sick, we can think ourselves well.

For an at-home immune session, Yoga Journal has an online sequence that lists 10 mostly supported poses that you hold for at least 2 minutes each. The aim is to get your lymphatic system doing its job and helping out your other efforts to stay healthy. Because you’re eating your fruits and veggies right? To get your lymphatic fluids going this requires your body enjoys play and keeping your head and feet in positions far from standing upright.

Me by one of the A-maze-ing Laughter statues in Vancouver. Looked like a laughter yoga class. By Doug Quan

Now after you’ve stood long enough on your head, it’s time for the easy part of being well. It’s time for a belly laugh.

Yes, science is still debating how humor affects immunity. But I found it hilarious how seriously one study on the National Center for Biotechnology Information’s website handles laughter.

“This finding indicated that only the subjects who laughed out loud during the humor video had significantly increased immune function following the intervention,” the study stated. “Persons who just smiled or did not have observable responses to the humor video did not have positive changes in immune function.”

I’m bummed to not have a laughter yoga group in my immediate area but I will have to check out the ones in Denver and Boulder at some point.

These are easy and cheap remedies but a good yoga retreat or longer ayurvedic trip for India’s healing side of yoga can be the ultimate immunity enhancer.

In western Massachusetts, Kripalu is holding an immunity and yoga retreat Dec. 16 to 18. The weekend includes lecture and discussions about low immunity as well as ayurvedic tips and restorative yoga with an intention of uplifting participants while also being restful.

SwaSwara yoga resort near Gokarna, India. One of a few yoga and ayurveda resorts. By Sonja Bjelland

Farther afield, India has all sorts of ayurvedic resorts and retreats. Many yoga places I visited from Parmarth Niketan to a Sivananda ashram also have ayurvedic clinics on site. One of the traditional immunity boosting methods is to have a hot oil massage. Just remember you’re out of the West so make sure you pick a clean place and if it caters to Westerners that may help. A traditional version is not for those nervous about their bodies and quite frankly wouldn’t be legal in the U.S.

The hotel group CGH Earth owns one purely ayurvedic resort in India and another that focuses on yoga and meditation as well as ayurveda. These are full on resorts so the accommodations are Western vs. the ashrams though they offer the same healing and services for those wanting to be healthy in style and comfort.

Warrior II pose by Susan Gill

Before I get started on today’s post, I wanted to offer an update about my earlier post on feeling awful after a yoga class.

Turns out I’m not alone in this and it might just have to do with the type of yoga your personality needs.

The Colorado Springs Gazette yoga columnist, Jen Mulson, wrote about this very topic today.

She wanted yogis to ask themselves, how do you want to feel when you leave class and base your practice choices on that. Knowing yourself and the different types of yoga will help you find a good match. This paragraph from her column had me laughing outloud.

“Maybe the style of yoga you’re doing isn’t ideal for your body type. For example, if you know your ayurvedic dosha (body type) is pitta, which is a composite of the elements fire and water, then Bikram (hot) yoga might not be your best bet, especially at high noon on a July day. That’s a fireball waiting to happen.”

Fireball indeed. You might remember that the class I had so much trouble with was a hot yoga class over the lunch hour. And oh yeah, I’m pretty pitta. It all makes much more sense now. If you’re wondering what I’m talking about, India’s ayurvedic system of medicine sorts people by three body types, pitta, vata and kapha. Imbalances in the body are considered the root of all ailments.

Sunset in front of the Agama Center on Koh Phangan By Sonja Bjelland

But that question about what do you want in the end can be applied now in another way. We’re in the waning days of 2011 and if you want 2012 to start differently maybe it’s time to schedule a new years yoga retreat. Each has a focus on healing from the past year and creating new intentions and goals for 2012.

The multitude of options only represents the number of people who want to put themselves on a new path. There are enough options to find one that’s as personally intense or relaxing as you choose.

The Agama center where I studied off the coast of Thailand does an annual retreat and New Year’s Eve is spent meditating in a way that harmonizes with the different time zones as each one enters 2012.

On the neighboring island of Koh Samui, the Samahita Retreat spends one week on asana or pose practice and another on philosophy.

For something lighter on the internal and more toward relaxation and luxury, the Australian outfit, Yoga Health Retreats is taking a group to Bali. That would be one way to beat any winter/holiday blues.

For some cheaper options closer to home check out these below:

A sunset view from the Mount Madonna Center By Sonja Bjelland

• Teen meditation retreat at Spirit Rock in Saratoga, Calif. Teens 15 to 19 are taught meditation in half-hour sessions between time hanging out and playing music. What a gift that would be to give teens coping skills that would last their lifetime.
• Vipassana on Salt Spring in British Columbia. I haven’t tried a Vipassana retreat yet but I hear they’re amazing. Typically it’s multiple days of not communicating. That’s right, not speaking, not journaling. Forcing yourself to handle all emotions within yourself.
• In Nevada City, Calif., Expanding Light participants have guided meditation to offer introspection to 2011 and setting goals for 2012.
• Not so far away at the Mount Madonna Center, their staff will help guide visitors into the new year with an Ashtanga yoga retreat.

Most recent snow fall By Sonja Bjelland

I’ve already felt some winter chill so it’s no wonder I was drawn to a few tropical locations for this month’s roundup. I really can’t believe there’s already another month gone. How did that happen? Obviously, I’ve been a bit busy traveling this month and trying to set up my new place. But I know that after Halloween it’s a crazy shot straight through New Years and all of a sudden it’s 2012. Just thought I’d remind you in case you weren’t already freaking out about all that.

Instead give your mind, and body, a break. It’s no secret that I loved Bali and now Surf Haven Bali is giving visitors a $300 discount if they come by the end of the year.

I’d take them up on it because from what I hear that’s the best way to learn and yoga and surfing fit well together. I tried when I lived in California and took a serious beating. Maybe I’ll have to try again next time I’m in Bali.

Or if you’re still thinking tropical, Black Tomato Costa Rica has a new adventure and yoga vacation in the works.

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

The trip promises endangered wildlife, eco-lodging and yoga. Another one to add to my list.

Now thinking more toward next summer, Canada’s Globe and Mail had an article on Montreal that included a note about the Shea Mayer’s Fitz & Follwell Co. bike and yoga tour through the city.

“His Bike & Yoga tour, for example, takes visitors through the bohemian neighbourhood of Le Plateau, with a break along the way for smoothies at his favourite juice bar and stops for yoga sessions in three of the area’s tranquil parks,” the article stated.

Kanyakumari, India By Sonja Bjelland

Sounds like a pretty good way to spend the day and yet another note in my ever-growing list.

In more practical yoga travel information, Anusara yoga founder and yoga stuperstar John Friend has teamed up with Manduka for a product line that includes a travel mat.

I haven’t seen the new mat yet to compare it to my prAna yoga travel mat but I’ll have to check it out because Friend travels all over the world for yoga. It’s a toss up for me between taking a yoga travel mat and just taking the ToeSox and gloves. Or going au naturel. But I kinda like having a mat between me and a hotel room floor.

But what if that hotel room was on a women’s only floor?

The New York Times InTransit blog had a piece this month on more Indian hotels offering floors for women only. So if you’re planning on an Indian yoga holiday, this might help ease you into the chaos.

A blue heron on the Sunshine Coast by Sonja Bjelland

It’s hard to go 5 kilometers in British Columbia without driving by a yoga studio – Or a yoga bed and breakfast or a yoga retreat center.

Even stores here riff off the yoga vibe with names like Shaktea, a play on the Sanskrit word “shakti,” the feminine sacred energy within everyone.

With so much yoga going on it’s hard to narrow down the options.

Canada has several good websites dedicated to all the options in The Great White North and a few are also Vancouver or British Columbia yoga specific.

VancouverYoga.com and YogaVancouver.ca offer similar information about finding studios and upcoming events but in different formats. I’m also not positive how often VancouverYoga.com is being updated because the “community events” page is from 2006. YogaDirectoryCanada.com is what it claims providing a list of yoga options while Travel to Wellness has more of a focus on Canadian yoga destinations.

Tenthouses at Rockwater Secret Cove Resort By Sonja Bjelland

If you plan on being in a larger city for a few days, you can also pick up a Passport to Prana card. For one price you get to try a bunch of different studios. This started in Canada and has now spread south in major metro areas.

Heading away from B.C.’s biggest population centers does not lessen the yoga findings.

I headed off to the Sunshine Coast for a few days thanks to Tourism British Columbia and the sun did in fact start shining.

Once I spotted one studio, I started seeing more and more. Yoga bed and breakfasts and a touch of that spirit in the enclave of Roberts Creek. The studio named “Yoga by the Sea” pretty much wraps up this burg. Even The Gumboot Restaurant offers a diversion from seafood chowder with a menu of veggie friendly foods and salads from a nearby garden topped with tofu, beats and carrots.

Further up the coast, the Rockwater Secret Cove Resort has yoga teachers available for groups wanting to include a yoga element in

Sunset on the Sunshine Coast By Sonja Bjelland

their trip such as girl getaway weekends or weddings.

And no, I’m not done yet. The Salt Spring Centre (yep its Canadian with that “re”) has personal yoga retreats and group programs on its farm off the coast of Vancouver Island north of Victoria.

If these options aren’t remote enough, there’s the Yasodhara Ashram Yoga Retreat and Study Centre between Vancouver and Calgary, north of Idaho. This falls into a more niche category of yoga vacation options focusing on Kundalini yoga with short weekend programs and seven to 10-day-long yoga retreats.

Seriously, I could spend several months just touring British Columbia yoga vacations. As always, let me know what you think of the ones you visit. My list keeps growing for the next trip.

Some places are embracing the beauty of fall and continuing outdoor yoga adventures.

I see no reason not to enjoy what each season has to offer.

Sometimes I’ll try to pick a favorite season but I never can. Too many good things about each one.

Yes, you might need to take a fleece with you, but yoga among the calico autumnal shades would be worth the extra effort.

Fever River Outfitters in Illinois runs summer Yak and Yoga programs where you kayak for awhile and then get your yoga on near Galena, Ill., and also in certain parts of Iowa.

This fall, they’re continuing the kayaking program along with a fall yoga class on a mountain this weekend.

I know you may be a little confused about what mountain range runs through Illinois, but you’ll just have to trust me that Galena is one spot that didn’t get pancaked by glaciers the way the rest of the state did.

Sticking with this weekend in the Midwest, the Iowa City Yoga Festival runs from Oct. 7-9. Classes range from building a successful yoga business to laughing yoga and essential oils. This offers a great option for Midwestern yoga teachers who can’t get to Chicago or Minneapolis for great times with fellow yogis.

So what if you might have to rake away some leaves before you put down your yoga mat. Just embrace the yoga of this time.

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

I’m a music person, not doubt about it. Like some people are dog people or cat people. Some people are music people and some are not.

I listen to music when I’m cooking or writing and yes, even doing yoga. Writing this post I have that chorus “You’ve got the music in you” blaring in my head.

It’s actually my background in music that gave me my first nibble at yoga.

While in high school I studied vocal performance with a student at Milliken University the same way some kids take violin. It trained me early on to pooch out my belly when breathing in and to take deep breaths.

My teacher also got her students into a session on the Alexander Technique, a method for relieving tension in the body and ridding oneself of the habits that caused and treats back pain, according to the British Medical Journal.

It’s similar to yoga in its focus on body awareness.

Ruins of the ashram in India where The Beatles wrote The White Album By Sonja Bjelland

This link between body movement and musical performance isn’t limited to this process or classes either. In my looking around online last week, I found a Piano-Yoga retreat. Russian pianist GéNIA also does one-day programs in the U.K. but has an upcoming yoga retreat in Cyprus. The schedule includes using yoga props as support while playing and conquering nerves.

I haven’t found many yoga vacations that incorporate a specific instrument like the Piano-Yoga one but I’m sure there will be more. During my yoga travel in India some ashrams had music rooms and you might see ads for places to learn the tabla style of drums or other instruments. That and getting henna are two of the reasons I must go back to India. And it has long been a spot for musical inspiration mostly made famous when The Beatles wrote The White Album during their stay at an ashram in Rishikesh that is now in ruins.

More spas and retreats incorporate yogic music such as the Spanda Yoga Retreat on Koh Samui at Samahita Yoga Thailand that plays music with vibrations that resonate with your body.

It makes sense to have yoga and music come together because both come from the inside and are expressions of yourself. Many of the yoga festivals have a music component growing out of the whole genre of yogic spiritual music known as kirtan. It’s a connection not unlike a rock concert. There’s a reason people describe seeing Bruce Springsteen as a religious experience.

Cobra pose By Susan Gill

Adding a new feature today. The last Thursday of every month will be a monthly roundup of cool stuff in the yoga-travel world. So read on for yoga travel for new moms and Costa Rican getaways.

For those of you traveling but not to a yoga destination, the makers of Toe Sox have now come up with Grip Gloves. This way there’s no mat required and your hands aren’t clawing bear handed into carpeting while noticing stains and crumbs you can’t account for.

If you’re looking for a fall yoga getaway, it’s pick and choose what you want.

The Guardian had a story this month on a yoga retreat for moms and babies. That’s right, tote the toddler along and you get a vacation. Oh yeah, and it’s in Tuscany. I’m thinking of a few friends who just might love this.

Then there’s the Richard Gere designed yoga shala at a small spot in New York state. He and his wife own the Bedford Post Inn but you don’t have to stay there to take a yoga class so Westchester Co. residents take note and tell me how it is.

Warrior II pose by Susan Gill

Or a discounted splurge in Costa Rica. The Red Palm Villas is running a late summer yoga special for $1,195 per person. The 6-day, 5-night yoga package includes twice daily asana practice, morning meditation, breathing instruction, asana theory, sunset chanting as well as two massages and two jungle canopy tours.

Maybe I need to be watching hotel deals to Costa Rica.

Then for all that travel, CheapFlights.com interviewed yogi author Elaine Masters on getting people to stretch out while they’re driving and flying. Her book and recommendations on getting your body unstuck in traffic and on board are being implemented by cops and business travelers alike.

And after you’re there, maybe it’s time to relinquish your iPhone. Many yoga places are now offering an option to put your technology in a safe upon check in, according to a Wall Street Journal article.

Are you up to the task? Could you do a technological detox?