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Inside Look: Yoga On The Road

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Many high-end hotels now offer yoga and Pilates classes, but for advanced students, these can be tedious and dull. Here, a few tips for finding something that’s up to your speed—with a chance to meet locals who share your interest.

By Hannah Wallace

Ask Your Current Instructor for a Recommendation

Private teachers, especially, should go out of their way to do research for you, says Magen Banwart, a yoga teacher at Manhattan’s Exhale Mindbodyspa. "If one of my clients is going to Mumbai, I’ll do the legwork for them," Banwart says.

Stick with Your Style, If Not Your Studio

There’s an official Web site for almost every style of yoga, and many have international directories of qualified teachers. If you practice Ashtanga, check out www.ashtanga.com; if you’re a Bikram devotee, find an authorized studio at www.bikramyoga.com. The Pilates Method Alliance lists certified Pilates instructors on its site, www.pilatesmethodalliance.org. And some established studios—such as Jivamukti and Exhale—have become chains, with outposts in multiple cities in the United States and abroad.

Consult Experts

Yoga Journal’s list of yoga tours, on www.yogajournal.com, susses out the best classes in cities such as Bangkok, London, Paris, and Sydney. Skip the magazine’s worldwide directory, however. Though comprehensive, it’s not editorially vetted: any studio that pays $115 can sign on. You can also find good travel articles on the Web sites of Yoga + Joyful Living, formerly Yoga International at www.himalayaninstitute.org, and Pilates Style, at www.pilatesstyle.com.

If You Know Your Hotel Room Will Be Spacious, Pack a DVD

"Get the video by the most respected person in that field," Banwart advises. If you practice power yoga, buy Baron Baptiste’s DVD; if you love Vinyasa, buy Cyndi Lee’s. Not only can you then stick with your regular style and program, you won’t have to worry about squeezing a class into your busy schedule. You can always follow a routine from a book, too. Out this month: Bikini Boot Camp: Two Weeks to Your Ultimate Beach Body (Broadway Books; $17.95) by Melissa Perlman and Erica Gragg, founders of the yoga retreat Amansala, in Tulum, Mexico.

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