Are you a yoga guru and a travel buff looking to travel around South America while simultaneously keeping your asana in tip-top-shape? With enchanting topography, mystical ruins, and a culture rich in magical traditions, South America may be the perfect place to keep your yoga practice in motion.
So where should you “flow”? While there are many captivating seascapes and landscapes that offer the perfect setting for a yoga retreat, I have listed below a few places that I have heard (through the back-packer grape-vine) as being some of the best in South America.
Santa Catarina, Brazil
Set in an untouched subtropical region of Brazil, Santa Catarina is the perfect place to bask in the heart of nature while staying in touch with your “OM”. Unspoiled beaches, lush forest and tucked-away swimming holes are a paradise for yoga retreats. Offering a variety of retreats, Yoga Retreat Brazil has somewhat of a hefty price-tag but offers everything daily meditation classes to vegetarian cuisine to holistic massages. The rooms are rustic but have hot showers and magical views of the mountains and river streams. I think the best part of this retreat is that they offer a mix of Ayurvedic therapies, an alternative medicinal system originated in India.
Písac, Peru
If you read my last article, “Písac, the Prettiest Little Town in Peru” you will understand why this magical setting at astounding 9.750 feet is the perfect place to salute the sun. With ancient ruins, mile-high pinnacles perched above funky artisan markets, Písac is one of my favorite places to vibe and vinyasa. There are many yoga retreats offered in the sacred valley of Peru, but I recommend checking out one that is facilitated by Dharma Yoga Retreats that includes a trek to Machu Picchu and 7 nights with meals included in a shared bungalow. For information contact: dharmayogaretreats@gmail.com.
Vilcabamba, Equador
Known as the “Valley of Longevity” Vilcamba, Ecuador has a picturesque backdrop of lush landscape, rolling mountains and has become the epicenter of alternative health enthusiasts from all over the world. There are a plethora of lodges and hostels that cater to the alternative mindset including Hosteria, Izhcayluma that offers free yoga classes to its guests. The town center has a bulletin board that is pegged with all sorts of activities related to meditation and yoga, but you may find that the exquisite beauty of the landscape may be enough to have your own practice. Either way, this is the perfect place to unwind, reflect and take in the cosmic beauty of this enchanting little village.
What South American countries have you visited to get your yoga on?
1 Comment
You don’t happen to know anywhere to practice yoga in Rio, do you? I’ll be bunking down there for a month and so far haven’t had any luck finding a yoga studio online :/ Planning on asking around when I get there, but would be great to get extra advice!