If the athleisure movement tends to mean a sea of spandex-clad legs roaming the city streets, there’s another, arguably more glamorous manifestation of the trend: the array of wellness retreats, where the line between fitness and free time blurs—ideally against the backdrop of, say, the azure Mediterranean coast or the Himalayas. With the summer season upon us, there’s no better time to start mapping out the vacation days ahead, and these seven escapes offer an invigorating way to satisfy wanderlust cravings and workout goals in one go. Whether you’re a runner looking to boost your race pace in the wilds of Iceland or a yogi hoping to fine-tune your meditation practice in Majorca, here are seven reasons to get packing.
Moraima Gaetmank in Coastal Italy
The founder of Paris’s Studio Kinétique is something of a body whisperer among the city’s fashion editors, ballerinas, and actresses, thanks to her singular elongating, toning technique that draws on Pilates, yoga, the Garuda method, and Gyrotonics. This summer, Gaetmank heads south to two glittering Italian hotels—La Posta Vecchia and Hotel Il Pellicano—for intimately scaled retreats, where she will be teaching a fluid, freeing style of yoga in group and private sessions. The coastal setting (equal parts restorative and decadent) will be matched by Mediterranean-inflected menus designed with wellness in mind.
July 8–10 (La Posta Vecchia) and July 11–15 (Hotel Il Pellicano); email: reservations@pellicanohotels.com
Yoga for Bad People in Croatia
Brac Island’s pristine coastline and sublime aquamarine water are worthy-enough subjects for contemplation, even before factoring in morning meditations. This weeklong retreat, led by YFBP cofounder Heather Lilleston and guest teacher Jamie Lugo, balances two daily yoga sessions—vigorous in the morning, restorative at night—with a mix of local adventures, including kiteboarding and kayaking for water babies and guided hikes to nearby caves. As the group’s cheekily subversive name implies, asceticism isn’t the rule; after all, Croatia is in full swing in August. After a night out dancing, there might be no better place to recover than on the mat—followed by, just maybe, a long stretch in the sand.
August 20–27; yogaforbadpeople.com
Mile High Run Club in Iceland
After flying into Reykjavík, runners will have a serious opportunity to burn off jet lag on August 20, when the annual marathon takes over the city (a half marathon or 10K is also an option). The itinerary then winds through a series of geographic marvels, starting with a soak in the geothermal Blue Lagoon spa for post-race recovery. Next come guided runs through Thórsmörk National Park, hikes along black-sand beaches, and a majestic stay overlooking the glaciers at Skaftafell. If regulars at MHRC’s popular studios in New York have come to embrace the treadmill, it might be hard to go back after a trip like this.
August 18–28; milehighrunclub.com
Guru Jagat in Majorca, Spain
One of Kundalini’s rising gurus is taking her L.A.–based practice on the road this summer, with two back-to-back retreats in the remote town of Fornalutx, near the northern coast of Majorca. If the daily meditation and yoga aren’t enough to untether participants from their responsibilities back home, technological constraints will do it for them (there is no wireless Internet, be forewarned). In addition to exercises designed to tap into creative expression and intention, there are also side trips to prehistoric sites, little-seen coves, and the sorts of famed beaches that have lured thinkers and artists here for decades. Expect clean, organic food that mirrors the pristine white of Jagat’s omnipresent turban.
July 21–25 and 26–30; gurujagat.com
Yogascapes and Gloria Baraquio in Nicaragua
Those drained from the churn of modern living will find all the tools for a deep unwind at this surf-and-yoga retreat, held at the laid-back Maderas Village, complete with thatched cabanas and rope-slung hammocks. Baraquio, the yoga and wellness director at The Springs in Los Angeles, brings a dynamic, tuned-in teaching style (not to mention native Hawaiian cool) to her twice-daily classes. In between, surfers experienced and novice can paddle out at the home break, Playa Maderas, or at nearby beaches a short boat ride away. Healthy meals largely built around the bounty of the garden and the sea offer thoughtful refueling, and a deep-tissue rubdown with the resident masseuse can deliver the reboot you need to start all over again.
August 7–13; yogascapes.com
The Class in Martha’s Vineyard
Taryn Toomey, whose intense—and intensely
cathartic—workouts count high-profile fans from coast to coast, once again returns to this Massachusetts summer colony to deliver a whole-body reset. Each day kicks off with a two-hour session of her quad-shredding, mind-focusing workout, followed by a locally sourced family-style brunch by Marissa Lippert, the nutritionist behind New York café Nourish Kitchen + Table. Kevin Courtney winds down the day with gentle yin yoga, and Thomas Droge is on hand for acupuncture. While some pleasures (a workshop on crystal healing) are esoteric, others, like an afternoon clambake on the beach, could not be any simpler or any more satisfying.
July 10–16; taryntoomey.com
Exotic Yoga Retreats in Bhutan
The word retreat is rarely so apt as it is in the remote stretches of Bhutan, and this program enlists a local guide to venture into seldom-seen places, ranging from hilltop monasteries to pristine forests. Along the way, Amsterdam-based teacher Josie Sykes leads alignment-focused yoga classes—once or twice daily—that continue the spirit of the nation’s meditative traditions. Accommodations range from family-run inns to sumptuous properties, with spa services (like traditional Bhutanese hot-stone baths) to match. Lest it all seem more spiritual than spirited, there’s also a chance to duck into one of the capital’s bass-heavy dance clubs.
August 10–20; exoticyogaretreats.com
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