Yoga Travel to Keep Your New Year’s Resolutions

You can find all sorts of statistics on New Year’s resolutions online. One tossed around a lot by self help gurus is, “Only 8 percent of people keep their New Year’s resolutions.” The figures on Statistic Brain seem a bit more optimistic, but face it: You’re probably not going to maintain your new lifestyle with the same vigor as you approached it on Jan. 2 (not Jan. 1, obviously, because most everyone is still hung over).

But if you combine a New Year’s Resolution like get in shape and be more mindful with a vacation, you won’t feel as bad about yourself when you inevitably fail to stick to your resolution. The trip’s conclusion is the reason you’ve returned to your slovenly ways — not your faulty willpower.

According to Statistic Brain, the top type of resolution in 2015 was self improvement or education-related resolutions and the No. 1 resolution was to lose weight. So what’s the perfect fit for both? A yoga retreat, of course. And if you want to add an educational component to your self-improvement, how about a yoga teacher training?

You have a number of options. Find a destination you want to visit and find yoga classes you can take every day. This option is less pricey and not as pressure-filled, but requires more discipline to attend classes daily. It also presents you with more opportunities to feel bad about yourself because you were too hung over or lazy to attend class.

You can also find a yoga retreat online. This will involve more of an investment, but it will ensure you stay committed your resolution. But note, the old adage that it takes 21 days for a behavior to become a habit has proven to be false. So don’t opt for the three-week retreat hoping something will stick — it probably won’t.

The final option is to find a yoga teacher training course like this month-long program at YiA Yoga in Boquete, Panama. The intensity and level of commitment may actually result in you being one of the 8 percent who achieves their New Year’s resolutions.