FitnessWorkouts

The 11 best wellness retreats in the world right now

These global wellness getaways—from St. Moritz to Marrakech to Brazil—offer everything from yoga and surfing to stand-up paddleboarding and beach bootcamps.

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Published Jan 25, 2016

Written by 

Christine Yu
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Need a vacation? Lucky for you, wellness travel has exploded. And we’re not just talking about yoga and juice on the beach.

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Now, top fitness instructors, yoga teachers, and Instagram wellness stars are taking you all over the world to strengthen your body, mind, and soul in stunning locales like Morocco and St. Moritz, and from the coast of Ireland and to Brazil.

Ready to take your fitness-and-wellness game on the road? Here are 11 amazing retreats that will rejuvenate your body and mind—and vitamin D levels. Apologies in advance for the bad case of wanderlust we’re about to inflict on you… —Christine Yu

(Photo: Kayla Rocca for Sky Ting Yoga)

wellness_retreat_breakfast_criminalsGoddess Retreat: Sacred Dance, Yoga and Acai BowlsIlha Grande Island near Rio de Janeiro, Brazil March 6–12, 2016

Hosts Ksenia Avdulova, yoga teacher and the mastermind behind Breakfast Criminals’ drool-inducing smoothie bowls in a heart-shape bowl, and Jaycee Gossett, movement teacher and an instructor of The Class, will lead you through daily meditation, vinyasa yoga, and dance designed to tap into your inner goddess. Not to mention, you’ll nosh on nourishing superfoods at this eco-friendly island retreat. And yes, Avdulova will even show you how to put together #breakfastcriminals-worthy acai bowls and share entrepreneurship and social media marketing tips.

(Photo: Tiara Marei)

wellness_retreat_prema_yogaMagical Retreat to Morocco with Amanda Harding and Lesley DesaulniersMarrakech, Morocco March 20–26, 2016

Prema Yoga Brooklyn founders Amanda Harding and Leslie Desaulniers host this magical adventure in Morocco. Marrakech’s luxury boutique hotels, Peacock Pavilions and Domaine Du Douar, will be your home for seven days. You’ll start your morning with an invigorating yoga class and close the day with a restorative yin practice. You’ll also visit the seaside town of Essaouira, where you can opt for a camel ride, a spa afternoon at the Bains de Marrakesh, or a henna party—and have plenty of time to explore the local markets.

(Photo: Prema Yoga Brooklyn)

wellness_retreat_santhoshSanthosh RetreatsSt. Moritz, Switzerland March 26–20, 2016

High up in the Swiss Alps, your days with Santhosh Retreats will be filled with yoga, Pilates and Santhosh’s signature dance class. Think salsa, tango, and dirty dancing combined. Plus, during your stay at the Carlton Hotel, you’ll have access to massages, hiking and amazing, healthy meals. If you’re a skier or snowboarder, don’t fret. There will be plenty of time to hit the slopes too.

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(Photo: Santhosh Retreats)

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Brooklyn Bridge Boot Camp’s Belize Jungle & Beach AdventureBelizeApril 2–9, 2016

Ariane Hundt takes her signature butt-kicking workout from the New York City landmark to Belize for an 8-day retreat, where you’ll spend nights in both jungle villas and on the beach cabanas for a best-of-both-worlds experience. It’s “full of fun and fit activities,” she says—think daily yoga and boot camps, plus nutrition workshops, acupuncture, goal setting and vision board workshops with her and Stefanie DiLibero of Gotham Wellness. Day-trips and excursions will replenish your vitamin D levels with snorkeling, exploring Mayan ruins, horseback riding, river-tubing, and hiking.

(Photo: Brooklyn Bridge Boot Camp)

wellness_retreat_las_olas2Las Olas Surf SafarisRiviera Nayarit, MexicoApril 3–8, 2016, plus additional dates in April, May, and June

Is learning to surf or hitting your board in more exotic locations on your bucket list? This women-only surf retreat along on the Riviera Nayarit can help with that. Your villa is steps away from the ocean, and expect two surf lessons a day, yoga, and lessons on the science of waves and how to care for your surfboard. You also have time for salsa dancing and lessons on how to make killer guacamole and margaritas. Las Olas recently debuted two new programs: It’s Your Wave, led by life coach Deseri Garcia to help you cultivate a positive mindset, and Mas Olas, a customized curriculum for returning guests and advanced surfers.

(Photo: Las Olas Surf Safaris)

wellness_retreat_cubaCuba Retreat with Yoga for Bad PeopleHavana, Pinar del Rio and Cayo Jutia, Cuba April 17–23, 2016

Some of yoga’s “baddest” teachers are bringing their light-hearted approach to the mystical island of Cuba. Expect daily yoga and meditation sessions with Yoga for Bad People co-founder Heather Lilleston and San Francisco-based teacher Stephanie Wang. You’ll also immerse yourself in Cuban history and culture with walking tours of Havana, visits to museums and artists’ homes, dance performances, and lots of good food.

(Photo: Yoga for Bad People)

wellness_retreat_gironaCosta Brava Running and Wellness RetreatCosta Brava, Spain April 23–29, 2016

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Starting in the historic city of Girona (pictured), you’ll wind your way on foot north toward the Pyrenees, traveling from fishing village to fishing village during this weeklong running retreat with Elinor Fish of Run Wild Retreats. And no, you don’t have to carry your luggage with you. It’ll be waiting for you at each luxury boutique hotel where you’ll spend the night (think castles and converted centuries-old homesteads). Not only will you enjoy jaw-dropping views along the stunning coastline, Fish will lead you through wellness workshops and natural running form clinics (on the beach!) to help you run mindfully so you can better manage your energy and prevent injury. And P.S.: There will be wine tasting and tapas.

(Photo: Run Wild Retreats)

Sky Ting Maderas RetreatMaderas Village, Nicaragua April 28–May 2, 2016

Maderas Village, a boutique resort on the Pacific coast of Nicaragua, is no where near the beaten path—which makes it a perfect setting to restore your body and mind. Teachers Jenn Tardif and Kate Posch of Sky Ting Yoga will lead twice daily yoga classes that they say will include some pranayama and “a little chakra-balancing magic.” You’ll have plenty of downtime to surf, go horseback riding, get a massage, or just lounge poolside with your green juice or frozen drink.

(Photo: Kayla Rocca)

wellness_retreat_sync_studioReTREAT with SyncStudioTulum, Mexico May 12–19, 2016

Work hard and restore hard. That’s SyncStudio’s idea of complementary wellness. The Brooklyn spin-and-yoga destination makes sure it’s also reflected in your retreat schedule, where your days will combine intense circuit training classes with the restorative power of yoga—and, of course, downtime at the popular beachfront Amansala Beach Resort.

(Photo: Amansala)

wellness_retreat_love_yogaEscape to Ireland: Yoga and Meditation Retreat with Love YogaThe Cliffs of Moher, Ireland May 29–June 5, 2016

Wall-to-ceiling windows overlooking the ocean (and heated floors!) make an amazing setting for twice daily yoga classes, meditation, and pranayama at this week-long getaway in the Irish countryside with Love Yoga founders Kyle Miller and Sian Gordon. You’ll stay in a renovated 19th century farmhouse (with panoramic views of the ocean), where you’ll enjoy vegetarian meals and optional spa treatments. When you’re not getting your vinyasa on, you can visit the famous Cliffs of Moher, ride bikes to nearby villages, and even surf—if you’re brave enough for the chilly early summer waters.

(Photo: Cliffs of Moher Retreat)

wellness_retreat_wilderWilder Running and Writing RetreatBend, OR September 2–5, 2016

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Want to find your inner wild? Over Labor Day weekend, pro runner Lauren Fleshman (pictured, left) and writer and human rights advocate Marianne Elliott will lead you through a weekend filled with running and writing at the debut Wilder Running and Writing Retreat. You’ll explore the trails around Bend, OR, and immerse yourself in transformational writing workshops. And don’t worry. There’ll be plenty of time for yoga, hiking, stand-up paddleboarding, along the Deschutes River and refueling at Bend’s local eateries.

Before you jet off to a wellness wonderland, how about a little pre-trip training? Fuel up with these healthy protein powders.  

(Photo: Wilder Running and Writing Retreat)

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FitnessWorkouts

Doing This Type of Breathing as Part of Your Pilates Practice Can Help Strengthen Your Pelvic Floor

Here's how hypopressive breathing, a deep breathing exercise, can help you with your Pilates practice and other forms of movement.

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Photo: Stocksy/Atolas
Published Jan 29, 2025

Written by 

Kelsey Kloss

If you’re obsessed with all things Pilates, you already know about the best athleisure, accessories, and self-care moments to incorporate into your practice. However, you may be less familiar with a type of breathwork that can improve your practice — and help you feel more grounded.

Experts in This Article

Anouska Shenn

certified Pilates instructor and founder of The Office Yoga Company

Blair Mauri

a pelvic floor therapist and owner of Blair Mauri Pelvic Health

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Enter hypopressive breathing, a deep breathing exercise that involves emptying your lungs completely. It’s similar to the uddiyana bandha in yoga (or an “abdominal lock”).

“It involves breathing in a way that creates a vacuum-like effect in your thoracic, abdominal, and pelvic cavities by decreasing the pressure, causing a lift and toning of the pelvic floor,” says Anouska Shenn, a certified Pilates instructor and founder of The Office Yoga Company.

But before we get into how to do it, let us clear up one thing: Don’t try any breath-holding exercises during your practice, since Pilates focuses on breathing through movements.

That said, practicing hypopressive breathing before, after, or separate from your Pilates workouts can help support your practice in a number of ways.

What is hypopressive breathing?

Hypopressive breathing is a technique that involves completely emptying your lungs and holding that breath to create a vacuum. It serves as a core exercise that can benefit your pelvic floor health.

Think of it this way: Your abdomen is a closed pressure system. That means that when the pressure changes—like with a cough, deep breath, or force like a lift—your abdominal structures need to be able to manage that pressure properly. That’s where pelvic floor exercises, like hypopressive breathing, come in.

“When we’re not managing that pressure properly, gravity takes it and sends it down into the pelvic floor,” says Blair Mauri, MS, OTR/L, a pelvic floor therapist and owner of Blair Mauri Pelvic Health. “Repeated downward pressure not only weakens the pelvic floor, but can also cause it to become extremely tense.”

That tension may lead to symptoms such as incontinence, pelvic organ prolapse, painful sex, low back pain, or chronic constipation. “Hypopressive breathing is an excellent way to optimize pelvic floor function, as it provides a natural lift to these tissues without increasing the tension,” says Mauri.

Improving your pelvic floor function can relieve pelvic pain or low back pain, improve your oxygen and energy levels, promote digestion, and support your movement throughout your Pilates practice.

In fact, an eight-week program of hypopressive exercises improved pelvic floor muscle strength and urinary incontinence symptoms in women ages 18 to 60 with pelvic floor dysfunction and urinary incontinence symptoms, per a 2022 study1 in Neurourology and Urodynamics.

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Plus, hypopressive breathing can work your lungs in a way that benefits your Pilates practice. “Optimizing your rib mobility is also important for diaphragm function and getting the most out of your breaths,” adds Mauri.

How do you do it?

First, take a few deep breaths and see where you notice that pressure (in this case, your breath):

  • Is it focused in your chest or belly?
  • Are your ribs moving apart as you breathe in?

You should feel some mobility in all of these areas, not just one. “Rib mobility is especially important for proper hypopressive technique, so you may need to start here,” says Mauri. “Take some time to retrain your breathing so that everything expands on the inhale and comes back together on the exhale.”

Once you’ve honed in on that, you can move on to your hypopressive breathing exercises, following Mauri’s instructions:

  1. 1.
    Gently exhale as if you are fogging a window. Don’t send any pressure or force down into your lower belly or pelvic floor.
  2. 2.
    After you exhale, hold your nose and close your mouth and “pretend” to inhale without actually taking in any air. Think about widening those ribs, which will make your stomach begin to look concave.
  3. 3.
    Hold this for 3-5 seconds and then inhale.

How does it benefit your Pilates practice?

This breathing technique shines as an add-on to your Pilates practice. You don’t want to hold your breath during Pilates moves (after all, Pilates is all about coordinating movement with breath), but hypopressive breathing exercises can serve as bumpers for an effective workout.

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“Hypopressive breathing is designed to stand alone, but you can use it as part of your warm-up or to close your Pilates practice,” Shenn says.

Pelvic floor strengthening is already often a key element of Pilates. In fact, a 12-week Pilates program focused on pelvic floor strengthening significantly improved stress urinary incontinence symptoms in women ages 45 to 70, with the results lasting even six months after the program, per a small 2020 study2 in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine.

“Hypopressive breathing complements a Pilates routine, as it also retrains and strengthens the deep core along with your pelvic floor,” says Mauri.

A strong and coordinated deep core and pelvic floor gives you more stability as you move your body throughout your Pilates practice—and throughout the rest of your day.

“Our pelvic floor muscles work together with our deep core muscles to stabilize the spine—supporting our posture and providing a solid foundation for all of our movements,” says Shenn.

Tips to get started

As you integrate hypopressive breathing into your Pilates routine, Shenn recommends keeping these tips in mind:

  • Start with 1-3 sets of 3 repetitions, resting between sets.
  • If you’re a beginner, practice your breathing lying down or seated, before progressing to more challenging positions like side-lying or quadruped (a four-point kneeling position).
  • Do your hypopressive breathwork on an empty stomach (it’s recommended to not eat at least two hours beforehand, since this type of breathing involves suctioning the abdomen inward and upward).
  • Avoid wearing clothes that are too tight—including collars, waistbands, and belts—as they can impede your breath.

Very little research has been done on the effect of breathwork on babies in the womb, so avoid hypopressive breathing if you’re pregnant.

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One more thing to note: Certain preexisting health conditions like high blood pressure can also be contraindications for breathwork, so always check with your doctor first and consider working with a trained provider to make sure your form is correct.

  1. Molina-Torres G, Moreno-Muñoz M, Rebullido TR, Castellote-Caballero Y, Bergamin M, Gobbo S, Hita-Contreras F, Cruz-Diaz D. The effects of an 8-week hypopressive exercise training program on urinary incontinence and pelvic floor muscle activation: A randomized controlled trial. Neurourol Urodyn. 2023 Feb;42(2):500-509. doi: 10.1002/nau.25110. Epub 2022 Dec 8. PMID: 36482844; PMCID: PMC10107869.

    ↩︎

  2. Hein JT, Rieck TM, Dunfee HA, Johnson DP, Ferguson JA, Rhodes DJ. Effect of a 12-Week Pilates Pelvic Floor-Strengthening Program on Short-Term Measures of Stress Urinary Incontinence in Women: A Pilot Study. J Altern Complement Med. 2020 Feb;26(2):158-161. doi: 10.1089/acm.2019.0330. Epub 2020 Jan 9. PMID: 31916840; PMCID: PMC7044776.

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The 10 Best Pilates Exercises for Beginners, According to a Peloton Instructor

A Peloton instructor shares the best beginner Pilates exercises and how to do them, plus the benefits of Pilates.

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Photo credit: Peleton
Published Jan 27, 2025

Written by 

Kristin Jenny

Pilates was created in the 1920s in New York City by Joseph Pilates and many of its exercises were originally used to help World War I patients rehabilitate injuries. Today, Pilates is used more for fitness than for physical rehabilitation, although its focus on building a strong core may help prevent or speed along healing from other injuries.

Experts in This Article

Rebecca Kennedy

certified personal trainer and Peloton instructor

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If you’re considering giving this mind-and-body-focused workout a try, it’s key to have a grasp of Pilates’ foundational moves so that you can safely make the most of this muscle-building, endorphin-inducing workout.

The benefits of Pilates

Pilates is a unique fitness practice in that it focuses on more than just burning calories and achieving toned muscles—although you’ll do both of those things with a regular cadence of classes.

Pilates is focused on three principles, according to the Pilates Foundation: breath, whole-body health, and whole-body commitment, with “the whole-body encompassing mind, body and spirit.” Within those principles, the concepts of breath, concentration, centering, control, precision and flow are mainstays in any well-rounded Pilates practice.

“There are many benefits of Pilates that go beyond toning muscles or getting in a great workout,” says Rebecca Kennedy, CPT, a Peloton Pilates and Tread instructor. “Some of the top benefits of Pilates for me are that it improves posture and balance, helps with overall flexibility and mobility, and is low-impact and low-stress on your joints.”

Additionally, Kennedy notes Pilates can be an excellent complementary workout to other fitness activities like running, cycling, or strength training.

Lastly, Kennedy believes the mind-body connection that is achieved from a frequent Pilates workout is unmatched in the fitness world. “A regular Pilates practice will improve your mind-body awareness while improving mental focus and concentration,” Kennedy says. “Its emphasis on enhancing breathwork can also have the effect of reducing feelings of stress and anxiety.”

Beginner Pilates tips to keep in mind

Before diving into Pilates head first, remember to listen to your mind and body—it’s better to forego a move or modify it than cause yourself pain or injury. While it may be tempting to launch into some of the more advanced Pilates moves, it’s better to view each movement with “curiosity, instead of just trying to do each move and check off a box,” Kennedy says.

She recommends nailing the basics of the moves featured below—and not just acing the look of a move, but truly internalizing the breathing rhythm, form, and alignment of these foundational Pilates movements before becoming overly concerned with time spent in a movement, number of reps, or moving into more challenging variations of a move.

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“A common misconception about Pilates is that you need to be flexible and also have a ton of equipment to get started with your practice,” Kennedy says. “Neither of these things are true. You do not need to be flexible to start a Pilates practice, and much of the equipment used is all extra, so don’t let either of those misconceptions hold you back from beginning a foundational practice.”

Finally, Kennedy reminds those who are new to Pilates that this is a slow, methodical practice. “Move slower than you think you need to, and always move with control,” Kennedy says. “Take modifications for any exercise that feels too challenging—it’s better to take a modification that allows you to maintain good form, breath control, and pelvic floor connection than to rush through a movement.”

The best Pilates exercises for beginners

Kennedy demonstrates each of the 10 moves in the video below. Follow along with her or scroll down for detailed exercise instructions.

1. The hundred

The Pilates hundred works your core and introduces the concept of timing your breath with your movements.

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