So your luxury travel plans have been made; you’ve booked a stunning resort or found a far flung beach to while away the hours on your luxury getaway. You might choose to drink cocktails next to a pool, ski down mountains in the frosty weather or laze around on a tropical beach, but whatever kind of luxury trip youre planning doing yoga whilst you’re on your travels might just be the icing on the cake.
Whether youve been doing yoga at home for a while, or youre a regular attender at your local class; youll see and feel the benefits of this ancient lifestyle come modern day exercise phenomenon. Not only will it enhance your yoga practice but it will also enhance your luxury travel experience.
Not convinced? Here are 6 reasons to do yoga on your luxury travels.
1. Youll come across some of the best yoga teachers around
Weve met some amazing teachers when when weve stayed in luxury resorts and each of them has shared something unique from their own culture and training. Whether they are a visiting teacher or the resident instructor, weve found that they were all well trained, hugely experienced and just as world class as the resorts they are teaching in.
At the Nam Hai in Hoi An, Vietnam we got to learn how to practice with laughter even though we were being stretched further than ever before under the expert guidance of the resident yoga instructor. Daily complementary meditation and yoga classes were the perfect start to the day before we settled into long luxurious breakfasts overlooking the South China Sea.
2. You get to practice in some pretty amazing places
Lets face it, its easier to feel at one with the universe when your surrounding universe is a beautiful jungle, or beach or yoga shala built from natural materials. Its always much more motivating to get on your mat when you can stare out at a turquiose ocean or breathtaking mountain.
Some of our most memorable moments of our luxury travel stays have been as we’ve stood on our mats, looking at the rising sun and listening to the ocean waves. Yoga teaches you to be at one with your environment andthere’s no better way to appreciate just how wonderful your environment is than by practices yoga in a luxury resort.
Want to experience what we’re talking about? Then climb the steps to the ‘outdoor living room’ at Six Senses Yao Noi and enjoy your yoga class amongst the jungle, looking out over the breathtaking sea view. It really is something special.
3. You can stretch out that yogic experience all day long if you like
Theres no jumping in the car to rush to work or to get home to make dinner when you do yoga on your luxury travels. After youve done your yoga class youre more likely to be rushing to the pool, or beach or maybe even just head back to your villa to enjoy that inner peace.
Our Sunset Ocean Suite at Ayada Maldives was one of those places that inspired us to carry on that peaceful feeling all day long; relaxed, stretched and balanced from our yoga class we got to cycle back to our villa on the water and breathe in the beauty of this pretty awesome slice of paradise. Certainly beats driving to work in the rain after a morning yoga class at home, something which used to cancel out that great feeling instantly.
4. Yoga is a great way to detox
Let’s face it, after a lot of luxury and indulgence you just might need a bit of detoxing. Luxury travels wouldnt be the same without a bit of top class food and drink but day after day of all this good living can certainly begin to weigh you down (literally if you really go for it). Doing a bit of yoga on your luxury travels might just be the thing to balance things out a bit.
Despite popular myths about the need to go on ‘a detox’ and drink lemon water for days on end, the body is well designed to detox all by itself. However, we can help it along a little (and help it recover from all our indulgence) by doing a little bit of exercise and because yoga bends, stretches, compresses and moves nearly every pat of your body, it’s great for detoxing.
If you really want to embrace the yogic approach to detoxing your mind and body then ‘barefoot intelligent luxury’ expertsSoneva Kirioffer a ‘Yogic Detox’ package at their acclaimed Six Senses Spa. Get personalised yoga sessions, guided meditations, detox scrubs, facials, massages and more, carried out in your personal in-villa spa room and feel just like new by the end of your stay.
5. Recover from the city
Some of the best luxury hotels in the world are located in busy, vibrant cities which although fun to visit and full of opportunities for the finer things in life, can drain your energy because of the fast pace of this kind of luxury travel. City based luxury hotels are often set up to help you recover from all those full-on experiences but pick one that offers a complimentary yoga class and you can find your inner peace, even though it’s crazy outside.
Located in the heart of the Central Business District,The Westin Singaporeis a high-tech city centre hotel with jaw-dropping views of the city and the port. They offer weekend yoga classes by the infinity pool to all guests, where you can work with their experienced instructors to rebalance and rejuvenate after a hectic day in the city.
6. A luxury resort or hotel is one of the best places to try yoga out for the first time
You might be someone who has never stepped on a yoga mat, let alone relaxed into a down-faced dog or stood on your head, but dont worry doing yoga on your luxury travels is still for you. Teachers will be used to beginners as theyll have taught hundreds of people wanting to try out yoga for the first time.
Classes are likely to include students with mixed ability and experience, so you dont need to worry about walking into a group full of people who can bend twist and stretch into shapes youve never even contemplated.
We loved the way that the teacher at Mesa Stila, a luxury resort in Java that offers great health and well-being packages, worked with a whole variety of new people wanting to try out yoga each day. With a bit of patience, some clear instructions and a watchful eye, everyone enjoyed their yogic experience in this peaceful resort in central Java.
So dont forget to pack your yoga clothes and find out what time the next class is when you check in. All luxury resorts offering yoga classes will have their own mats and any equipment you need so you just need to book your class and enjoy adding some yogic bliss to your day.
