Around the world in 6 yoga destinations

Here are six destinations around the world that you should visit this year for an unforgettable yoga retreat.

2019 will inevitably lead to goals and new resolutions, and we’re willing to bet that yours will include at least one of the following: “get in better shape”, “travel more”, or “start meditating”—-or maybe all of the above. So, we’d like to help you with that: here are six yoga destinations around the world where you can go for an unforgettable retreat at any time of the year.

1. Rishikesh, India

India, the birthplace of yoga, seems like a fitting place to start. Last year, the ashram in Rishikesh along the Ganges River where the Beatles famously spent two months in 1968 reopened last year. This time was crucial for their career as they released the legendary White Album shortly afterward. The restored ashram does have some touristy components, including a souvenir shop and a cafeteria, but you can also see where fans of the Fab Four wrote messages and painted murals dedicated to the band over the decades that the ashram was abandoned. Of course, there are also classes available where you can Maharishi’s Transcendental Meditation.

2. Somerset, England

On to the charming English countryside in Somerset where a stone cottage with wood interiors and cozy furnishings offers 24 rooms amidst 42 acres of quiet and unspoiled nature. In this setting, you can take part in yoga, meditation, and mindfulness workshops, as well as organic and vegetarian cooking workshops. Website.

3. Colli Piacentini, Italy

A center similar to the Somerset estate can be found in the hills surrounding Piacenza, situated among ten hectares of cliffs, woodlands, and meadows: the Miri Piri bio-architecture center, a building restored according to the principles of bio-building combined with those of Feng Shui. In order to minimize the environmental impact, only five materials were used, all-natural and recyclable (stone, wood, seasoned mortar, brown cork, and bio-bricks), and all the furniture is handmade. These features make Miri Piri the perfect backdrop for yoga and Ayurveda seminars as well as for Taichi, martial arts, bio-dance, and vegan cuisine.

4. Ibiza, Spain

Ibiza, the famous Isla Bonita, is also a great retreat for lovers of yoga and meditation, faithful to its roots from decades ago when the island was a welcoming destination for hippies dedicated to oriental disciplines and free love. Today, everything on offer here is much more glamorous, even when it comes yoga and meditation—but who said that you’re more likely to find inner peace in a cave rather than on a beautiful finca with a sea view, surrounded by green nature, with a private chef preparing nutritious meals for you from produce grown right there on the spot?

5. Praia do Rosa, Brazil

Praia do Rosa is considered one the world’s most beautiful bays as well as a unique energy center, the only one of its kind: it lies right between the ocean’s salty waters and the fresh-water cascades in the middle of the pristine nature of the Atlantic Forest. Here you’ll find Morada Darshan, a center that offers yoga classes, seminars, retreats, and courses to become certified instructors. Plus every year, from August to November, you can watch the migration of the humpback whales, which often stop in the bay to give birth to their calves—an event you really have to experience for yourself.

6. Bali, Indonesia

Bali is one of the true classics when it comes to yoga retreats and seminars. The breathtaking nature surrounding the ashrams serves as a perfect backdrop for the search for the true inner self—and then, after the retreat, you can immerse yourself in the incredible Balinese culture.