Luxury Yoga Retreats in the Caribbean

Three luxury resorts offer special weeks where well-being and good living meet

 

A yoga retreat provides a chance to escape the everyday world and focus on your physical health and spiritual well being. Sometimes, this could mean living and eating simple. But not always. A select number of Caribbean luxury resorts are staging yoga weeks that allow you to work toward inner peace while also enjoying all the physical comforts, services and culinary delights of a world-class property.

Carlisle Bay, Antigua

Carlisle Bay sits on the shores of a secluded cove on Antigua’s scenic southern coast, surrounded by lush rainforest, and facing white sand beaches and the Caribbean Sea. The property blends urban chic and a touch of Caribbean charm, with 82 contemporary designed luxury suites, each with a private balcony or terrace leading directly to the shore. Active guests have access to water sports, world-class sailing, guided rainforest treks, tennis and a state-of-the-art gym. This family-friendly property also offers specialized activity programs for youngsters and teens. As a member of the Leading Hotels of the World, Carlisle Bay offers fine dining in four upscale restaurants and relaxing treatments at the 17, 000-square-foot Blue Spa.

From August 11 to 18, 2018, Carlisle Bay will host “A Journey through the Elements,” a weeklong yoga and wellness retreat led by international yoga instructor Tanja Mickwitz. With a focus on the yogic practice of Panchamahabhutas (the five great elements – earth, wind, fire, air and space), the program will take guests on an immersive, soul searching experience through nature’s powerful and healing elements in a breathtaking Caribbean setting. Each day will focus on one of the five elements, with yoga, breathing and meditation techniques to match. Morning sessions will feature dynamic practices to invigorate for the day, while afternoons are reserved for slower restorative yoga such as Pranayama, Yoga Nidra and Shakti meditation, etc. The retreat’s all-inclusive pricing also includes off-site activities to connect guests to the island’s natural beauty, from horseback riding to helicopter tours and sunset cruises. Learn more at www.carlisle- bay.com/offers/carlisle-bay-yoga-retreat/51-13/

Parrot Cay, Turks & Caicos

At COMO Parrot Cay, guests find relaxation and wellness through the resort’s signature holistic therapies, yoga programs, and savory, healthful cuisines. Set on a private 1,000-acre island in the heart of the Turks and Caicos, and overlooking a mile-long beach, Parrot Cay underwent a recent refreshing to create brighter rooms and fresh spaces, including a new COMO Shambhala gym, a Play by COMO Space for children’s activities and an improved COMO Beach Club and Lotus restaurant. Guests can also benefit from COMO Shambhala Cuisine, designed to maximize energy and wellbeing with the use of raw foods rich in living enzymes, vitamins and sea minerals. The Shambhala Retreat offers yoga, Pilates and related treatments. The holistic centre also includes an outdoor Jacuzzi garden, two double massage rooms, Japanese baths and large fitness center overlooking the ocean and surrounding wetland. An Ayurvedic doctor is also permanently in residence. Those who enjoy outdoor pursuits can schedule diving and snorkeling trips, beach drop-offs and fishing trips, and visits to a championship 18-hole course at Provo Golf and Country Club.

From November 4th to 10th 2018, Parrot Cay will host the “Well of Grace Workshop,” taught by renowned yoga teacher Elena Brower. This workshop will focus on self-awareness and self- discovery, with five days of guided yoga sequences and meditation – the ultimate goal to inspire change that can be adopted in your daily life. Elena, who has been practicing yoga since 1998, is respected across the globe for her distinct blend of alignment and attention in her teaching of yoga and meditation. Each day will include morning yoga and meditation practice, and a nourishing afternoon practice that includes Yin Yoga, restoratives, meditation and journaling. Packages for the workshop include six nights accommodation at COMO Parrot Cay, five days of yoga instruction, daily breakfast, lunch and dinner from the nutritious COMO Shambhala Cuisine menu, and one 60-minute COMO Shambhala Massage. To book the Well of Grace retreat, email [email protected]

Montpelier Plantation & Beach, Nevis

Nestled into 60 acres of lush tropical gardens on a hillside overlooking Nevis’s Caribbean coast, Montpelier Plantation & Beach is a traditional West Indies homestead that has been transformed into a world-class boutique resort. Each of the property’s 19 rooms and suites include ocean views and private terraces that invite guests to unwind and disconnect from everyday life. Originally constructed as a sugar mill in the 18th century, the property evokes the island’s rich colonial heritage, which is combined with a chic minimalist décor accented by local artworks. Guests can relax on the private beach or tranquil pool and sample innovative cuisines in three casual-elegant restaurants that feature locally sourced ingredients. It is an ideal setting for quiet relaxation, along with select activities such as chef-led cooking classes, Caribbean Nights with live music, sunset BBQs, beach bonfires and limbo dance competitions to celebrate the full moon.

In keeping with Montpelier’s mantra of “Live Fully,” the resort has created its first Yoga Week. Between December 2 and 8, 2018, international yoga coach Patti Coan will lead daily programs that will encourage participants to enhance their wellness experience by discovering benefits of Samapatti Yoga. Practices focus on creating a state of equilibrium or stillness of the mind rooted in the science and philosophy of Raja Yoga, the royal path. Following the Himalayan tradition, the practice explores the union of body and mind through breathing. Patti teaches about the eight separate limbs incorporated into the practice, including ways of living, postures, breathing, relaxation, concentration and meditation. Yoga week is a complimentary addition for guests; with room rates start at $235 including daily continental breakfast. For reservations, visit www.MontpelierNevis.com.