Top International Yoga Destinations for Yoga Enthusiasts

More and more people each year are taking to yoga, and it’s with good reason. The age-old practice confers a host of benefits to its participants, ranging from the obvious, such as better mindfulness, more relaxed temperament, and better physical flexibility, to those less obvious, including better digestion, better and deeper sleep, and an indescribable feeling of spiritual connectedness and satiety.

Perhaps it goes without saying, then, that if you find yourself becoming especially serious with your yoga practice, you may soon be considering international travel to a top yoga destination to further advance your studies. There are so many places throughout the world that boast great yoga getaway options for participants and the sky’s the limit as to the “type” of experience that you can get.

When the time comes to plan for your international yoga destination experience, ask yourself many questions to better set the parameters for your search. These questions can include (but certainly aren’t limited to) what’s your budget like? How much time off can you take? Do you want a retreat that’s more spiritual than secular in nature? Do you want an experience that’s co-ed in nature or mixed between the sexes? Having answers to these questions, minimally, can help set into motion the initial planning stages of your yoga destination excursion.

Below, I’ll list and describe a handful of some of the top international destinations for yoga enthusiasts. Again, by no means is this list exhaustive, but it’s my hope that it’ll help to set into motion some ideas for you as you begin to plan for your yoga destination getaway.

India

Rishikesh

Obviously, India is one of the top international destinations for yoga enthusiasts. With yoga’s history richly steeped in that of India, many yoga aficionados find that their interest in yoga stems in part from their interest in India. The subcontinent is so huge, too, that yoga enthusiasts have tons and tons of options as to where to go to experience a great yoga destination getaway. Some of the yoga destination hotspots in India include Rishikesh, often called “The Yoga Capital of the World,” and Goa. Again, there are so many yoga destinations in India—and India is so enormous, as a country—that if you’re interested in travelling to India for a yoga-specific experience, you’ll have tons of options from which to choose.

Bali, Indonesia

Bali

Bali is another obvious choice for an international destination for a yoga-centric experience, and for most of the world, travelling to Bali and then spending time there can be a relatively inexpensive pursuit. Bali boasts some seriously beautiful views and vistas, so if you’re into getting your zen on while being surrounded by some breathtaking scenery and gorgeous water, you’ve hit the jackpot. As an added bonus, if you’re into vegetarian, vegan, or raw eating, Bali will greet you with tons of healthy eating options, which can only help to augment the “clean” feeling that you’ll get from your OM sessions each day. Sort of like India, the sky’s the limit in Bali when it comes to yoga offerings.

Book Your Flight to Bali

The United States

Hawaii

In particular, if you’re interested in travelling to the United States for a yoga retreat, I’d encourage you to check out yoga hot spots in Hawaii or in California. Hawaii is known for (among other things) its tropical climate and its easy-going nature, and surely there’s nothing like practising some yoga to the backdrop of an active volcano—or several. California offers more in the way of geographical diversity, so whether you’d like to enhance your yoga practice by being surrounded by the ocean, tall and old redwood trees, the desert, bustling city centres, or the mountains, California’s got your back. Depending on from where you are travelling, you may find the US to be more expensive and the ability to enter/exit the country more challenging, so I’d encourage you to plan far in advance if you anticipate travelling.

Book Your Flight to California

The afore-described three countries are but the tip of the iceberg when it comes to international destinations for yoga enthusiasts. Depending on many factors, such as your budget, how much time you can take to travel, what type of experience you’re looking to have, and more, you may find that some of these countries will more or less align with your travel plans. I’d encourage you to begin planning early and to book far out in advance and to also ask around, especially your yoga peers, because, with yoga’s recent explosion in popularity, chances are high that someone you know has participated in a yoga destination getaway recently.

At any rate, just as we do with everything else, please remember to enjoy the journey and not just the destination when it comes to planning for your international yoga destination excursion. It can be effortless to drown in the details and become stressed out, and that defeats the whole point! Instead, enjoy the process, control that which you can and let go of that which you can’t, and remain receptive to that which the universe will teach you on this exploration you’re undertaking.