yoga

Ready for a vacation? Our sister site, MyDaily, is offering a giveaway for one reader (and a guest) for a seven-day, six night stay at a women's surf camp and yoga retreat in Malpais on the Pacific Coast of Costa Rica through Pura Vida Adventures.

Barefoot luxury accommodations at the beachfront resort are included, as is daily surf lessons, use of a surfboard and other necessary equipment, daily yoga sessions, three meals daily and one private massage. The adventure takes place May 7 to the 13 and is non-transferable. The total value of the package is $3,000, but does not include airfare.

Here's how you can enter:

Wanderlust is one of the country's fastest growing festivals and its purpose is not only to bring yogis together with each other but also to provide premier nature and music experiences. This year the festival is expanding from just one event to several nationwide and will kick off at The Standard Spa at Miami Beach in Florida.

The festival consists of 4 days and 3 nights of yoga workshops taught by the nation's top instructors, access to The Standard's full range of therapeutic spa treatments, evenings full of musical inspiration from Bonobo and others, and of course lots of fresh air and sunshine. The season's opening festivities are scheduled for March 17th-20th and ticket packages start at $750 per person for the weekend.

The holidays are here, and you know what that means ... New Year's resolutions are right around the corner. Promising yourself you'll work out more, maybe try yoga or Pilates? You'll need your own mat (gym mats = germs), and no doubt, as a Luxist reader, you'll want a mat bag with style. Look to oGorgeous for bags that are practical but won't look like anyone else's in the locker room.

The Pleated Pocket bag is shown; take a gander at the gallery for some other styles. All bags feature 2 side water bottle pockets, 1 inner zippered pocket, 1 inner cell phone pocket, 1 MP3 player pocket, 2 pen slots, a satin silk lining, and the oGorgeous golden emblem. The bags can fit the standard 1/8" mat, as well as 1/4" mats, with room to spare for shoes, towels, a change of clothes, and other personal items. $85-$109

The Bedford Post Inn, actor Richard Gere's perfectly restored eighteenth-century country inn (above) located an hour outside New York City near the actor's Westchester estate, has a new chef and some special offers to welcome the fall season. Situated on 14 acres, the bucolic property is home to an exquisite eight-room luxury inn featuring marble baths, fireplaces and Frette linens, two restaurants and a yoga studio. Gere and wife Carey Lowell recently hired Jeremy MacMillan, formerly of A Voce Columbus and A Voce Madison in Manhattan, as the new chef at the Inn, where he will emphasize high-quality seasonal local ingredients at both its restaurants.

MacMillan will offer classic seasonal country cuisine at The Barn, the more casual of the Inn's two eateries, and hearty Mediterranean-influenced American fare at The Farmhouse. To celebrate the season the Inn is offering a number of different packages combining overnight stays with various dining options and yoga instruction, with rates ranging from $295 per night for a basic bed and breakfast experience to $630 per night for the Inn's King Deluxe room with a terrace, breakfast at The Barn, the Chef's Tasting Menu at the Farmhouse and a yoga class for two guests.


[via JustLuxe]

Everyone is doing Costa Rica nowadays, and why shouldn't they? It's one of the few places with a jungle that's actually inviting, where you can color-coordinate your attire with black, brown and white sand beaches, and that isn't overrun with tourists even though, well, everyone is doing Costa Rica. Still, few are doing anything new when they do Costa Rica, and Soto Retreats has a few packages that will allow you to address that.

For more involvement with the locals, the Spanish and Surf program will initiate you to Latin American conjugations while you learn how to stand up on a longboard to catch three-meter waves. You'll stay in Jacó, which the locals call The City of Surf, and stay from one to four weeks doing ten to 20 Spanish lessons per week and getting in the water daily. Should that not be enough, you can swap out the Spanish lessons for plain old adventure, doling out your non-surfing hours between zip lining, white water rafting, ATV-ing and haunting jungle trails already haunted by scarlet macaws and white-faced monkeys.

Soto additionally offers an All Women Surf, Yoga and Spanish getaway for those times when men just aren't allowed. You'll still need to share the water with manly types, but the yoga classes take place on an open-air deck by the ocean, or in the shade of one of Costa Rica's active volcanoes. Soto takes care of everything once you step off the plane, and packages begin at $1,700 for a seven-day trip.

Flooring isn't a topic that gets a lot of attention in hotel reviews, but what you're standing on definitely contributes to the sense of luxury in the room. I've gotten to the point where I can pinpoint what the price range of an accommodation should be simply by slipping off my shoes and socks and walking across the floor. The best quality flooring is soft and caressing when it's carpet, just scratchy enough when it's sisal, pleasingly variable when its stone or wood. (And as for the rooms where I don't want to take my shoes off -- well, that's not what we discuss here on Luxist.)

There's far more to Encantado in Santa Fe than terrific flooring, like the kiva-style wood burning fireplaces in each casita, a private patio from which to admire that sky in its particular shade of blue, décor which tells you you're in New Mexico without hitting you over the head with it, a plush bed that you don't want to leave. But it was when I slid my socks off and discovered that the extra-large bathroom had radiant floor heating, I became officially delighted. Since I was, after all, in Santa Fe, I immediately assumed the yoga posture called Adho Mukha Svanasana, better known as downward facing dog. I was reluctant to break the pose, it was all I could do to not curl up on the floor for a nap. In a cold climate, it's the small, warm touches like that one can help justify a room rate that can stretch to over $1,000. See the gallery for more Encantado enchantments,

"I'm sorry if you'll be sore tomorrow," the massage therapist informed me unprompted, "but you needed it."

Set foot in the Spa at Esperanza in Los Cabos, Mexico, and you will encounter professionals who know their jobs cold. Surrender yourself to their capable hands, and you will not be disappointed. From the front desk, where your order for a post-treatment beverage is taken, to the gender-specific and general relaxation areas to the treatment rooms, you will be treated to the sights and sounds of trickling water, stone-based décor (commonplace in this part of Mexico) and a staff that is singularly focused on relieving you of the emotional baggage that you carried onto the plane en route to Baja California Sur.

The Spa at Esperanza, part of the Esperanza Resort, offers a wide selection of treatments, including facials, massages, manicure and pedicure packages, private yoga sessions and couples options. In addition to the basic presentations of these themes – such as the Esperanza Massage, the deep-tissue treatment I enjoyed through which I persevered – twists are available to suit your mood or help you connect more closely with the part of the world you're visiting. The Corona Beer Face Lift, Papaya Plus Enzyme Peel and Avocado Butter Mani/Pedi, for example, feature local color that you're unlikely to encounter back home. Spice up your revitalization a bit with the Esperanza's local expertise.

With shorter days and colder weather, the temptation to snack your way into a new size is upon us. One way to fight the urge to cocoon is to splurge on new workout clothes. Even better if the clothes are cute. The clothes from Beyond Yoga are meant to do exactly what the title say, to go from yoga to the rest of your life. The pants are made from soft, wrinkle-resistant and sweat-wicking Supplex so they feel cozy but won't get soaked if your yoga life includes a Bikram class.

These yoga pants have a large following with everyone from Cindy Crawford to Reese Witherspoon and Charlize Theron singing their praises. The line includes several styles of pants and tops ranging from camisoles and tanks to jackets and long-sleeved tops that would also look great with jeans.

We are giving away two pairs of the original pants. One in medium and one in large. These pants sell for $77. To win, throw a little fitness inspiration my way with a comment on what you do to avoid the threat of winter weight and let me know which size you need, medium or large.

To enter, all you need to do is leave a comment below before 5:00PM Eastern, Friday, September 19, 2008. We'll randomly choose two winners amongst the eligible entries.

Some other important details:

* To enter, leave a confirmed comment below answering the question above.
* The comment must be left and confirmed before Friday, September 19, 2008 at 5:00PM Eastern Time.
* You may only enter once.
* Two winners will be selected in a random drawing.
* Two winners will receive the a pair of Beyond Yoga original supplex pants valued at $77 each.
* Open to legal residents of the 50 United States, the District of Columbia and Canada (excluding Quebec) who are 18 and older.

See complete contest rules here.

This contest is now closed thank you for your participation.

So you do yoga, and love it. But your mat is, well, a big bore. And sharing mats at the gym ... um, no thanks. Go upscale and green with a Mindful Mat from Plank Designs ($85). These cool-looking mats feature high-quality photos in four themes, Cobra (main photo; get it? snake in the grass?), Pill, Plank and Shag (gallery), and are made with eco-conscious materials. They're constructed of EcoLite, an eco-composite synthetic rubber, and EcoCell, a recycled polyurethane foam, and are biodegradable and recyclable. They do not contain rubber, later or PVC and don't use a lot of energy to produce. You'll have a clear conscience, to go along with your clear head, when you leave class.

P.S. Also offered are three text design mats ($65, gallery), "Bling," "Me," and "Chocolate," though I'm not sure whether these meet the eco-standards of the photo mats.

Photo by Michael Thompson / W magazine

While we're on the subject of the Supermodel Comeback - which we think will be in the news for a while yet - it's worth pointing out Christy Turlington's stunning new shoot in the August issue of W magazine, titled "Champion". The 39-year-old knockout, who as we mentioned has been re-signed as the face of German fashion house Escada, poses as a "Greco-Roman warrior-goddess" for photog Michael Thompson in old-school black-and-white. Talk about classical beauty - obviously all that yoga and being married to Ed Burns agrees with her.

There are many several sites online that help yachts find crewpeople but the latest Hands Om Crew, fills a very specific niche, they find seaworthy yoga teachers and massage therapists. The new company was founded by Denise Dobbs who served for ten years as a stewardess/massage therapist on yachts. The yoga crew agency is building a database of qualified massage therapists and yoga instructors from around the world who are available to serve on charters or private yacht vacations. Each candidate undergoes a three-step interviewing process including giving a massage or yoga class to asses their talents. The company also offers advice on organic/ayurvedic food provisioning for health-minded cruisers.

I love getaway packages that balance out fun and fitness. This winter at The Inn at Beaver Creek you can indulge in a package called "Cooking with Yoga and Snow." The weekend package, which is being held January 10-13, 2008 features Yahoo's Mind-Body Expert "Yoga Dave" David Romanelli and cooking classes with Pollyanna Forster, sommelier and owner of dish restaurant. The package includes a three night stay at The Inn at Beaver Creek, a two day ski pass at Vail and Beaver Creek Mountains, two cooking classes taught by Pollyanna Forster including a mountain grilling class at Red Tail Camp, daily yoga classes and one four-course gourmet lunch at Trapper's Cabin, a luxury cabin located on top of Beaver Creek Mountain. Package rates start at $1,350 per person, based on double occupancy.

Wine and yoga are both commonly sought out for relaxation, but it is not until very recently that the two have been paired up in some unique retreats. At the Deloach Vineyard in Sonoma there are retreats held over the summer for $1,000-$1,100 per person. ''Yoga + Wine'' workshops can be found throughout the country this summer.

Though the idea is described as "healthy indulgence" due to the health benefits attributed to wine and the calming effect of both the drink and the yoga, not everyone agrees with the combination. Many traditionalists believe that not only does alcohol not really have a place in the yoga lifestyle, but that it will simply be unproductive to combine the two in such a short period (as evidenced by the yoga/tequila disaster on the Bad Girl's Club). But with the every-growing popularity of the two things, as well as the relaxing lifestyle that they are both associated with, this seems like a trend that will stick around.

Since we were just thinking about yoga retreats, it seems appropriate that we mention a mat that yoga fans who want more than just the basics. Of course, you can't have a cashmere yoga mat, but you can make a statement with Text Yoga Mats. These mats come in three colors with three different messages printed in metallic/pearlized colors. The styles include the "bling" mat, in gold; the "chocolate" mat, in chocolate; and "me," in silver. Just try not to smile while looking at your mat and doing the downward dog. Price: $65.

[via Cool Hunting]

While massages and attentive butlers are all well and good when it comes to getting pampered on a vacation, few things are as relaxing as yoga - and even fewer when that yoga is taking place at a gorgeous spa. Concierge.com has a list of their top ten yoga retreats, chosen from resorts all across the world. Some of their top picks include:

Wildflower Hall in India - Yoga was invented in the Himalayas, so this mountain-top retreat can really get you inspired

Chiva-Som in Thailand - One of Thailand's top spas, with all-private instruction, customized to your preferences.

Maya Tulum in Mexico - Set between the ocean and the Mayan ruins on the Yucatan Peninsula, you'll relax, workout and get to hobnob with the glitterati who frequent the retreat.