What? Your boss doesn’t give you time off for “National Yoga Month” so you can globe-trot your triangle pose from the forests of Vermont to the oceanside resorts of St. Lucia? Preposterous.
Still, while you may have to celebrate in more humble ways—like by committing to a morning practice at your local studio or working on handstands in your living room—it’ll be hard not to be inspired by the many gorgeous, exotic locales around the world now offering all kinds of classes.
Check out these six inspiring (okay, drool-worthy) places to do yoga across the globe, where sun salutations come with strikingly beautiful scenery.
Originally posted September 17, 2015. Updated August 25, 2017.
Scroll down to see six of the world’s most beautiful yoga retreats.
1. In a forest in Vermont
Super luxe Twin Farms is one of the country’s most celebrated inns (think super creative, private lodgings and award-winning farm-to-table cuisine). It’s situated amid 300 acres of quiet Vermont forests, farms, and meadows, and its newly completed yoga deck is home to classes like Sunrise Yoga and Gentle Flow Yoga Plus (plus, yoga hikes), and visiting pros from Core Power Yoga. Just think of the fall foliage!
2. Floating on a lake in Turks & Caicos
Exquisite Amanyara (frequented by Aman Junkies—taste-driven travelers obsessed with the resort group’s amazing luxuries and services) is situated next to a nature preserve on the ocean, and everything at the high-end spa resort is built into the surrounding natural beauty, like the outdoor yoga pavilion that appears to be floating on “Lotus Lake,” where you’ll experience private yoga and meditation sessions. But that’s par for the course given the word “Aman” means “peace” in Sanskrit.
3. Overlooking the Pitons in St. Lucia
Jade Mountain is like a luxury treehouse built into a hill overlooking both the ocean and St. Lucia’s famous mountains, the Pitons. Group yoga classes take place on the open-air top-level deck gazing out at the unparalleled view, and you can also get an instructor to come lead you through poses in your room, where the lack of a fourth wall makes for a similar view (and warm breezes) and in-room pools allow for an immediate refresh once you’ve finished a sweaty flow.
4. On a paddleboard in a crater in Utah
Park City boutique hotel Washington School House offers guests the chance to do yoga on paddleboards inside a 10,000-year-old crater, even in the dead of winter, where a natural therapeutic pool provides warmth with water at temps above 90 degrees, so you can jump in for a (post-ski?) soak, too.
5. On a rooftop with panoramic views of Berlin
During the warmer months, Hotel de Rome (a former bank, where the spa with an indoor swimming pool was the jewelry vault) teams up with Spirit Yoga to hold weekly classes on its rooftop terrace. From here hotel guests and locals get to survey the city of Berlin from their mats, while surrounded by lavender for extra chill-out factor.
6. In a red rock canyon in Sedona
Destination spa Mii Amo, in Sedona, held its first Global Mala Yoga for Peace classes on September 5 to ring in National Yoga Month, and it regularly offers classes set among the surrounding striking red rock formations, from vinyasa and restorative to WOGA, which takes you on a (spiritual) walk through the canyon, incorporating nature-inspired yoga poses throughout.
Before you hit the road, stock up on these travel gadgets that will make your next trip less stressful. And here are 11 life-changing wellness retreats for under $1,000.
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