Yoga tourism

Some yoga tourists travel to India to become certified yoga teachers, like these participants in a 200-hour Ashtanga yoga teacher training in Rishikesh.

Yoga tourism is travel with the specific purpose of experiencing some form of yoga, whether spiritual or postural. The former is a type of spiritual tourism; the latter is related both to spiritual and to wellness tourism.[1][2] Yoga tourists often visit ashrams in India to study yoga or to be trained and certified as yoga teachers. Major centres for yoga tourism include Rishikesh and Mysore.

While the Himalayas is the birthplace of yoga and a major yoga tourism destination, yoga retreats and holidays are provided in many countries, varying from simple stays in guesthouses and ashrams to 5-star comfort in luxury resorts.

  1. ^ Lehto, Xinran Y.; Brown, Sally; Chen, Yi; Morrison, Alastair M. (2015). "Yoga Tourism as a Niche Within the Wellness Tourism Market". Tourism Recreation Research. 31 (1): 25–35. doi:10.1080/02508281.2006.11081244. ISSN 0250-8281. S2CID 167910243.
  2. ^ Bowers, Hana; Cheer, Joseph M. (2017). "Yoga tourism: Commodification and western embracement of eastern spiritual practice". Tourism Management Perspectives. 24: 208–216. doi:10.1016/j.tmp.2017.07.013. ISSN 2211-9736.