Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula isn’t just for alcohol-fueled college kids. Less than 80 miles from Cancun, you can imbibe a fresh coconut and practice mermaid pose on a quiet beach.
“A lot of people associate the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico with the big, touristy resorts of Cancun,” explained Kindness Yoga instructor Ginny Biddle. “Maya Tulum is intimate and quiet. It’s located on a pristine stretch of Caribbean coast near the eco-friendly village of Tulum. It’s safe, has a great vibe and offers tons of yoga and healthy food. It’s also near 1000 year-old Mayan ruins and the 1.3 million-acre Sian-Ka’an Nature Reserve.”
Biddle is the director of teacher training for Denver’s Kindness Yoga. She is co-leading a destination yoga retreat at Mexico’s Maya Tulum Resort with another director of teacher training, Wanderlust Hollywood’s Joan Hyman. Ellen Kaye, another Kindness yogi, rounds out the threesome.
“Each day will start with an optional morning meditation practice. The morning yoga practice will be ‘solar’ and heating–backbends, arm balances and accessible inversions. The afternoon practice will be more ‘lunar’ and cooling. After dinner, potential evening sessions might cover mythology, chakras, Ayurveda and philosophy.”
The rejuvenation doesn’t have to end with meditation and yoga. Spa services offered by the resort include exotic choices like Yoot Kene and Mayan Mud massage. Indigenous-style purification is available as well. Participants will have the opportunity to take part in a Temazcal sweat lodge ceremony with a bona fide shaman.
“The Temezcal ceremony is two and a half hours of total release of toxins, physically, emotionally and spiritually,” according to Maya Tulum’s spa services menu. “Fresh herbal tea is splashed over heated volcanic rocks to produce a powerful fragrant steam. As your body begins to relax and detoxify, you’ll connect with Mother Earth through a series of guided meditations.”
Who’s Mexicoming?