View from CESiaK's beachfront cabanas...
Jess Root
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Editor's Note: Though still in support of its mission, due to a very unprofessional act on the part of CESiak's reservation office, my deep enthusiasm has been tremendously hampered. I will never go there again as a guest, nor recommend it.
A Yoga Retreat in a Slice of Sustainable Paradise...
In my other life I'm a yoga instructor. When I traveled to Centro Ecologico Sian Ka'an (CESiaK), an eco-friendly beach resort in Mexico's Mayan Riviera, on vacation in August (of which all of the juicy details can be found here), it wasn't intended as business. That vacation, I left my yoga mat practice back in Brooklyn and set out for sun, sand and ceviche (responsibly caught, of course.)
As a self-proclaimed yoga nut I sure enough still managed to fit in a few poses--a headstand on the beach here, a handstand in the ocean there. After soaking in the insane awesome-ness of CESiaK for a week, neither I, nor my yogi boyfriend could leave without booking some of their beach palapas for a week to hold a yoga retreat come this February 10-16, 2010.
Ecotourism Done Right
To us, the solar and wind-powered eco-resort has everything a nature-lovin', relaxation-seeking yogin could ask for:
- A pristine location within an environmentally protected biosphere
- A white sand beach
- A sparking azure sea for swimming and snorkeling
- Private beachfront cabanas
- An open-air yoga palapa overlooking the Caribbean Sea
- A restaurant offering acclaimed local, traditional Caribbean dishes from local chefs
- Low-impact guided wildlife excursions
- Eco-expert staff that are enthusiastic to talk green and offer informative talks on the local flora and fauna
The list is far too long to go on--and you can check out my review of CESiaK on TreeHugger to get the full scoop on all of its green-ness. I couldn't wish for anything else but to share this experience with other eco-minded yoga practitioners wishing to submerge themselves in their practice. Who also want to submerge themselves responsibly, at one of the few resorts that are actually doing ecotourism right. I also wished make the retreat reasonably priced for those practicing eco-nomical living.
Book Your Yoga Eco-Escape
The all-inclusive price includes six nights of beachfront accommodations (February 10-16, 2010), three Caribbean meals daily and two yoga classes daily. Prices are as follows:
Double cabana -- $740/per person
Single cabana -- $965
To get more details about the retreat (including photos), and to find out how to secure your spot, click here.
As I'm reminding my yoga students, you'll only live in regret by not booking. Only book if you seek yoga, fun, sun and sand in a slice of sustainable paradise--and who could regret that?!
More on Green Yoga:
The Yogini's 10-Step Plan to Reversing Climate Change
Green Your Yoga Retreat
Buy Green: Yoga Mat
