I wanted to share a few pictures and memories from my recent yoga retreat to Maya Tulum, Mexico. I’ve been to Tulum twice before, but the last time was in 2005, and the last yoga retreat that I got to attend as a participant (and not as the leader) was in 2006 to Peru, so it was definitely time for me to go again. The things that I I love most about taking an international yoga retreat/vacation are being able to practice my Spanish, going someplace warm and tropical, experiencing a different culture–including the history and people–and, for the most part, being off the grid. (One difference in going to Maya Tulum this time compared to 8 years ago was that I could use my iPhone to check my emails daily and text and Facetime with my husband!) And, of course, I love all the yoga!
At Maya Tulum, I got to take 2 yoga classes a day throughout the week. There were a total of 5 different instructors and all the classes were different, so it was nice to have a variety. Needless to say, I do not practice that much at home, so I was pretty sore most of the week!
Even though Maya Tulum is considered a ‘destination spa’ it is still very rustic. Do not go there if you’re not OK with sleeping in a palapa with a roof made out of palm leaves where you can actually feel the breeze blowing through, taking a shower in an open bathroom with only screens as windows (where, again, you can feel the breeze blowing through which is not pleasant when you only get about 2 minutes worth of hot water!), or not being able to flush your toilet paper down the toilet. However, if you enjoy getting back to nature a yoga retreat like this is awesome. We enjoyed our ocean-view room, took walks on the beach, laid out in the sun and ate lots of fresh fruit and drank lots of fresh fruit juices. All the food was delicious –super-healthy unless we decided to indulge in fruit crepes with ice cream for dessert on occasion!
Yoga retreats like this are not cheap. You can plan to pay $1500 and up for the week, plus airfare. But for those who want to combine their love of yoga with an opportunity to experience another part of the world, they are well worth it! I have had a number of students tell me since I got back that they would love to do an international yoga retreat like this. If you have serious interest in taking a retreat like this please let me know. If I get enough people who are interested I will look into planning a retreat in 2014 or 2015. (For those of you who were not aware, I led a retreat to Costa Rica in 2007; you can see some pictures here: https://yogaroom.wpengine.com/?p=308. And for those of you who might prefer to stick a little closer to home and not put such a big dent in your finances, don’t forget that our annual Fall Weekend Yoga Retreat is already scheduled for September 27-29, 2013. More details on this retreat can be found here: http://www.yogaroomannarbor.com/yoga-retreats.php)
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