YOGAJOURNAL.COM 63TOP: MAURO GRIGOLLO/STOCKSY; BOTTOM: MENTAL ART + DESIGN/STOCKSY
- CUBA
Cuba’s dynamism reminds us that yoga is really about community.
Eduardo de Jesus Pimentel Vázquez—the godfather of Cuban yoga—
has trained more than 12,000 yoga practitioners through the Cuban
Yoga Association, which he founded in 1990. His humble Havana
studio Vidya offers a glimpse of the city’s tight-knit yoga scene. For
the past three years, instructor April Puciata has hosted culturally
immersive retreats at the beachside center Mhai Yoga. Eduardo guest-
teaches up to five classes during the week, and Puciata arranges visits
with local artists and entrepreneurs, plus side trips to the town of
Trinidad. (For more on responsible travel in Cuba, see page 77.) - JUNGLE BAY RESORT &
SPA, DOMINICA
Since opening their rainforest retreat center
in 2005, yoga teacher Glenda Raphael and
her husband, Sam, have been pioneers of
sustainable tourism, stocking up on goods
from island farmers, local fishermen, and
artisans. Yoga teacher Chrissy Carter has
held nine retreats here. Don’t miss Victoria
Falls, Champagne Beach, and the Boiling
Lake, the name given to one of the world’s
few lakes that actually boils, says Carter.
The resort, along with many others
throughout the island, suffered damages
after last year’s hurricane, making now
a better time than ever to support the local
Dominican economy.
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CARIBBEAN
- NOSARA, COSTA RICA
Universally considered a yoga mecca,
Nosara is home to 32 retreats with serious
yoga cred. Both Don Stapleton, longtime
director of Kripalu (see page 56), and Stephan
Rechtschaffen, cofounder of the Omega
Institute (page 58), set up yoga and wellness
retreat centers here in the 1990s. More than
6,000 people visit Stapleton’s Nosara Yoga
Institute (now Kindness Yoga) annually,
known for its mile-long meditation trail
and intensive teacher trainings (more
than 3,500 graduates over 21 years). At
Rechtschaffen’s Blue Spirit, five studios host
learning vacations with the Omega Institute
that include workshops on unlocking your
purpose and Rechtschaffer-led lectures on
finding the path to longevity. Located in
a blue zone (where a large percentage of the
population lives longer than average), the
vivacity of Nosara is intimately intertwined
with its people and practices.
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