Christmas/New Year yoga retreats, 2009/2010

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For many, the festive season is the perfect time to escape on a rejuvenating yoga retreat - either at home, or somewhere a little more exotic, where the sun still shines. Here, we round up some of the yoga retreats taking place across the world over Christmas and the New Year period 2009/2010.  For Christmas & New Year yoga retreats 2010/11, please click here.

Kamalya, Thailand's award-winning Wellness Sanctuary and holistic Spa, is hosting a Touch of Love retreat early in January 2010. The energy work retreat will be led by Karina Wagner, spiritual healer and teacher of Qi Gong, Tai Chi and yoga and will  focus on breath and bodywork to facilitate healing and happiness. Click here to read more.

Katy Appleton is running an incredible appleyoga adventure in the heart of Thailand. This retreat, which takes place over January 10-20, is set within a stunning national park nestled in giant limestone mountains. The bamboo bungalow accommodation and yoga shala float serenely on a lake, surrounded by the sights and sounds of the jungle. Click here to read more.

Join Simon Low on Patnem Beach, Goa for a relaxing, rejuvenating yin yang yoga holiday at the uniquely lovely Lotus Yoga Retreat. There is a beachfront yoga sala, plenty of South Indian, Tibetan & macrobiotic cuisine, bamboo huts, friendly staff, beach walking - a perfect location. All this sits alongside Simon's experienced, relaxed teaching style, spread over ten glorious days. Click here to read more.

Goahead, India: Where better to practice yoga than where this sacred art originated? Enjoy India at its most accommodating in this setting of lush nature and beaches. Celebrate Christmas and New Year's Eve with joy and  vitality! This holistic holiday in Goa from December 19-January 2  is led by Lara Baumann in Bhakti Kutir and includes daily meditation and pranayama, group and individual yoga classes, massages, Ayurveda and nutritional consultation.  Click here to read more.

Scuola Yoga Camerino offers its traditional Year End Yoga retreat from December 27 until December 31, 2009, in Camerino, Le Marche, Italy. The cost of this retreat will only be €410 for a single room and €385 for a double,  and includes food, yoga tuition and accommodation. Suitable for all levels of yoga experience this retreat is also a great introduction if you have not done any yoga before.  Click here to read more.

The Parnasala is a traditional yoga and Ayurveda retreat centre set on a beautiful hillside location just back from the beach in Asvem, North Goa., India. The Parnasala is organising four retreats this Winter, offering the chance to relax, practice yoga and detox with our trained Ayurveda staff from Kerala. Click here to read more.

Surya Turkey is running a Christmas Ayurveda, yoga and cooking retreat between December 21 and 27.  Seda, founder of Surya Yoga, located on the Southwest corner of Turkey, will be hosting the retreat. There will be introduction lessons on yoga and Ayurveda, followed by morning yoga sessions, full body Ayurveda massage and lifestyle consultations on diet and exercise.  Click here to read more.

Join Bea Fritzsching-Jerschke from February 5-7 for a winter warming yoga and wholefood retreat in rural Suffolk.  The weekend combines yoga, meditation and whole food, nourishing us in the time of quiet transformation before the Spring. Accommodation is at Potash Barnes, a four-star rated farm; each cottage has space to enjoy relaxing between classes in front of log fires, taking winter walks or visiting the coast. Click here to read more.

Triyoga once again celebrates the holiday season with its annual Urban Retreat at Primrose Hill, bringing the benefits of a retreat without the stress of leaving London. This year's retreat, held from December 28 - 31, is led by two of Triyoga's most well-respected teachers, Anna Ashby and Joey Miles, and explores what is meant by 'grace' and the Sanskrit term 'prasada', referring to a divine gift or offering. Click here to read more.

Held at Holland House in the glorious English countryside, only two hours from London, Tabitha Dean's three-night New Year Yoga retreat combines an opportunity to enjoy inspiring yoga classes (kundalini, hatha and meridian-focused yoga), with pranayama, meditation, chanting, dancing, creative workshops, massage and great company. There will also be walks and New Year celebrations. Click here to read more.

Tara Fraser is taking a three-day Winter Retreat at London's Yoga Junction. Stay at home between Christmas and New Year and treat yourself to three connected yoga classes on December 27, 28 and 29. Use the gap between Christmas and the New Year to explore a yoga approach to assimilating and digesting the experiences of the past year, preparing for the year ahead. Click here to read more.

Yoga Thailand's two annual Christmas and New Year yoga retreats will take place from December 19-26 and December 26-January 2. Giving yourself a yoga holiday in a peaceful calm environment is a wonderful way to spend the holiday season, giving time to unwind. Pamper yourself among the  beaches of Southern Samui island. Click here to read more.

Burren Yoga and Meditation centre in Ireland is offering a Kundalini Yoga and Gong baths retreat with Sotantar from December 27 - January 2.  It will be a lovely way to spend the week after Christmas, with energising yoga classes, relaxing gong baths and outdoor walks in the beautiful Burren. Plus, of course, delicious vegetarian food. Sotantar is a  gifted Kundalini yoga teacher and gong master.  Click here to read more.

Shreyas Yoga Retreat, Bangalore, January 2010: Emma Hicks is teaching ashtanga yoga alongside pranayama, meditation and general discourses on yoga at Shreyas Retreat Centre in Bangalore India. This is a five-star boutique retreat centre in a leafy pretty part of India, set in 25 acres of private land with a spa, gym, pool and fantastic vegetarian food. Click here to read more.