A great way to spice up your yoga practice or fitness routine is to use principles from yoga to enhance your other activities. Slowing down, being present and cultivating awareness are all lessons that we learn from yoga that can benefit other areas of our lives. Try these retreats that allow you to build your practice and enjoy other activities, whether it be hiking, surfing, cooking or learning about permaculture.
Yoga at Red Rocks. Photo courtesy of Get in the Wild.
1) Yoga & Hiking Retreat (Goblin Valley State Park, Utah)
Get In the Wild combines invigorating and restorative yoga practices with canyoneering adventures to create the unforgettable Red Rock Yoga and Hiking Retreat. You’ll feel like you’re doing yoga on Mars in Utah’s Goblin State Valley Park where goblin-shaped stones lure visitors to their desert playground (and provide the perfect place for after dark stargazing). This retreat includes guided hikes and an all day canyoneering adventure as well as free time to explore the mysterious valley. If you can’t do the full retreat, they offer single-day yoga and hiking adventures offered throughout the year.
2) Yoga, Hot Springs & Horseback Riding (Gunnison, Colorado)
Treat yourself to a magical weekend filled with horseback riding, yoga and relaxation in the hot springs at the 3rd generation Waunita Ranch in Gunnison, Colorado. Your retreat includes three unique rides, daily yoga sessions, time to soak in natural hot spring pools and stargazing by the campfire. Wholesome, predominately vegetarian meals will be served family style at the ranch, and the experience is open to all levels of riders and yogis.
The Ranch. Photo courtesy of Waunita ranch.
3) Yoga, Hot Springs and Thai Massage (Sierraville, California)
Yoga, hot springs and massage… doesn’t that sound like a dream come true? You’ll spend three days soaking and unwinding in soothing hot springs, deepening your relationship with your yoga practice and learning Thai massage techniques to use on yourself and friends. Hatha and vinyasa yoga classes are geared toward all ability levels and accompanied by morning guided meditation sessions. Sierra Hot Springs is located in a forest that Native Americans considered a sacred healing space for centuries. There are four different hot springs of varying temperatures around the property.
Jessica Festa is the editor of the travel sites Jessie on a Journey (http://jessieonajourney.com) and Epicure & Culture (http://epicureandculture.com). Along with blogging at We Blog The World, her byline has appeared in publications like Huffington Post, Gadling, Fodor’s, Travel + Escape, Matador, Viator, The Culture-Ist and many others. After getting her BA/MA in Communication from the State University of New York at Albany, she realized she wasn’t really to stop backpacking and made travel her full time job. Some of her most memorable experiences include studying abroad in Sydney, teaching English in Thailand, doing orphanage work in Ghana, hiking her way through South America and traveling solo through Europe. She has a passion for backpacking, adventure, hiking, wine and getting off the beaten path.
