Use these yoga travel tips to keep up your yoga practice while on vacation. Having a perfect view of the beach is inspiring and relaxing to your spirit and body.

During the first week in February, I vacationed in a mostmagical place in the Caribbean, Antigua and Barbuda with two of my closest friends. Both women, like myself, are active and fit. We rented, through Airbnb, a Villa overlooking one of the 365 beautiful beaches that are in Antigua.

Yoga Travel Tips When Planning Your Vacation

As we  planned for our vacation, we wondered how we could integrate exercise into our vacation regimen. I suggested we bring our yoga mats, so that I could direct a yoga and/or a Pilates practice at our Villa. With the only exception of our full day excursion, each morning we leisurely gathered on our balcony, yoga mats in hand, to practice yoga with the sounds and view of the Caribbean Sea.

I led the practice keeping in mind that I wanted to maintain a relaxed atmosphere. I made sure that it was a full length practice filled with special moments: moments acknowledging how special it was to be in Antigua, and with each other, coupled with yoga postures that I felt melded with the day’s vibe. I felt so grateful to celebrate my 40th birthday in paradise.

Tips To Have A Successful Paradise Yoga Practice

• Travel with your yoga mat. My cousin and dear friend brought their light weight, foldable, travel mats. I brought my Manduka mat, which provides extra cushion, on the plane as a carry-on.
• Choose a space that allows you to move freely. In our case, we cleared the balcony, easily removing the outdoor furniture. When choosing the space, make sure you are not confined, and not worried about hitting anyone or anything, while practicing.
• Take in consideration that if you are practicing outdoors, in a tropical location, that you may want to be protected with an awning or shaded area.
• One of our concerns was to also protect ourselves from bug/mosquito bites. The Zika Virus is a current threat in the Caribbean. To avoid this situation, we lit citronella candles, along with spraying ourselves with a family friendly formula of mosquito repellent.
• Wear comfortable clothing to practice in, such as a bathing suit, shorts, or yoga pants.
• Listening to music and making a playlist can also help to create a specific mood. On a computer, we had a library of music, and Wi-Fi to make our daily playlist.

Most importantly, listen to your body. Your body likely needs specific stretches or strengthening poses; feeling emotionally energized or depleted on vacation requires that you pay extra attention to these needs.  Set your intentions before practicing. Your yoga practice should enhance positive emotional and physical somatic responses.

All the above yoga travel tips created an amazing, well rounded, healthy vacation for my 40th birthday girls get-away.