Now that you're halfway through your holiday hangover, it's time to start thinking about New Year's resolutions. And if yours involve slowing down or shaping up (and really, whose don't?), yoga might be just the ticket to making good on your annual pledge. Our Startle.com team curated six hotels and resorts that are ideal yoga-centered getaways. And besides, wasn't your other resolution to travel more in 2013?
The Oberoi Udaivilas, Udaipur, India
The Oberoi Udaivilas, photo courtesy Oberoi Hotels and Resorts
Those seeking more luxurious digs in the yoga capital of the world than an Eat, Pray, Love-style ashram should head to The Oberoi Udaivilas, Udaipur. Located about halfway between New Delhi and Mumbai in the City of Lakes, the palatial resort offers an astonishing range of yoga classes led by an in-house teacher. Beginners and experts alike will find something of interest on the menu; one of the unique options is a three-day Monsoon Yoga program that combines practice with Ayurvedic treatments from The Oberoi Spa. Other programs integrate meditation, cleansing rituals and herbal massages.
Four Seasons Hotel Toronto
Inside one of Canada's tallest buildings-in the country's biggest city, nonetheless-hides an eighth-floor yoga studio offering you a serene escape from the bustle outside. Nestled in the newly relocated Four Seasons Hotel Toronto's 30,000-square-foot spa, the studio lets you get a glimpse of sweeping city views while settling into your asanas. The Forbes Travel Guide Four-Star hotel partnered with local program 889 Yoga to create a robust weekly schedule (regular classes include yoga pulse and slow-flow yoga), Sunday specials (two editions are aroma yoga and glow yoga for moms) and private classes (to which you can add a yoga massage or guided meditation).
Post Ranch Inn, Big Sur, Calif.
Post Ranch Inn's Yoga Yurt, photo courtesy Kodiak Greenwood
If India is the yoga capital of the world, California is the yoga capital of the United States. And one of the most beautiful settings to discover your inner Zen in the Golden State is the cliff-top Forbes Travel Guide Four-Star Post Ranch Inn. Get treated to complimentary morning sessions in a yoga yurt on the property's meadow, or for an additional fee, upgrade to a private class for just you or you and a partner. Yoga is only the first stop on your road to Big Sur bliss, however; besides spending time in the Forbes Travel Guide Four-Star Post Ranch Spa, you also can work with the resort's shaman, hiking guide and amateur astronomer to relax and recharge.
Parrot Cay by COMO, Providençiales, Turks & Caicos
Turks & Caicos' Parrot Cay by COMO is a go-to destination for Zen-seeking celebrities-yoga devotees Donna Karan and Christie Brinkley both own homes within the resort. The private-island retreat boasts strategically sunlit guest rooms, 24-hour butler service and, the crown jewel, COMO Shambhala Retreat wellness center and spa. The center's yoga classes are complimentary, but to really experience the beauty of yoga at Parrot Cay, attend one of the periodic retreats that bring renowned instructors to the resort. Next up are yoga specialists (and sisters) Andrea and Christina Curry, who will lead a six-night June retreat that includes a variety of yoga systems, meditation and spa treatments.
The Ritz-Carlton, Bachelor Gulch, Colo.
Seasoned skiers know practicing yoga is an effective way to avoid injuries on the slopes. The Forbes Travel Guide Four-Star Ritz-Carlton, Bachelor Gulch on Beaver Creek Mountain takes high-altitude yoga a step further with its Mountain Spa Mornings. From December through March, the experience includes a 90-minute scenic snowshoe trip through Bachelor Gulch to the historic Anderson's Cabin, a private yoga session and a 60-minute couples massage with the optional add-on of a copper tub soak for two. Then from July until September, a 90-minute hike replaces the snowshoeing, and the yoga and massages are enjoyed outside. The resort also offers daily group yoga classes year-round, and private lessons are available upon request.
Anamaya Resort, Montezuma, Costa Rica
Anamaya Resort, photo courtesy Anamaya Resort
If the daily yoga classes, nearly weekly yoga retreats and organic cuisine (like miso-seared yellowfin tuna with broccoli and coconut quinoa) aren't enough to lure you to Anamaya Resort, perhaps its outdoor yoga deck is. From your mat on the covered deck, you'll gaze down at treetops, cliffs and the Pacific Ocean, with the sound of waterfalls in your ears. It's the ultimate backdrop for your downward dog. Need more convincing? Anamaya's collection of bungalows offers ultra-private accommodations with organic bedding and bath amenities. The most popular is the glass-enclosed Bali Cabina, which was built in Bali and reassembled in Costa Rica. Anamaya is nothing if not authentic.
Source: Forbes
