Here in Vancouver, we're in the middle of the annual long-weekend drought. We decided to see it as an opportunity to create our own mini-vacations, whether close to home or abroad. The same spirit that brought you "Happy Place Friday" is bringing you "(Re)treat Yourself," a bevy of yoga retreats. Consider booking some vacation time soon.

The long road from New Year's to Easter is relatively holiday-free. Of course, depending on where you're reading this from, you may be blessed with a long weekend or two, but overall it's pretty sparse. The weeks run long. The weather is less appealing (unless you're south of the equator) and you are probably dreaming of that elusive getaway. We are.

Getting away doesn't necessarily mean searching for your passport and hoping your carry-on shampoo bottle will make it through customs. You can escape from the day-to-day with an amazing yoga class, a trip to a new studio, a night with friends and new recipes - heck, even an inverted pose will clear your head. No, you don't have to travel to get away from it all...but who doesn't want to travel? Certainly not us.

the retreat appeal

Our Community Relations Manager Tracy is gearing up for her first yoga getaway: Baron Baptiste, Hawaii, sunshine, surf and healthy food. (Can you say jealous?) Remembering that jealousy works the opposite way one wants it to, we decided to look on the bright side and discover some other great retreats on the horizon.

There is a yoga retreat for everyone. Hit your mat then hit the surf, hit the slopes or hit the bottle - pinot grigio, that is.  Prices and accommodations will vary and you'll want to check whether airfare is included. (Most of the time it is not.) Many trips offer detailed itineraries so do some research before you commit. Here we go. Let's hit the yoga retreat buffet.

yoga in general

Gwinganna Lifestyle Retreat
Head to this Conde Nast award-winning centre in Australia and you'll likely meet Gold Coast Showroom ambassador Emma Burridge.
Retreats dates vary

Yoga Holidays in Greece
Vancouver alumni ambassador Gloria Latham plays host to regular getaways in Greece. The sun-soaked pictures are intoxicating, especially with the rainy weather outside.
Kythira, Greece - June 26-July 2, 2011 or July 24-30, 2011

Yoga in Paradise
If you're looking for an exclusive retreat, leave the traffic behind and join alumni ambassador Krista Cahill in Bora Bora.
Bora Bora, French Polynesia - June 11-18, 2011

Fiji Yoga Retreat with Mark O'Brien
Mark is one of Sydney's hottest yoga teachers and he's taking his expertise to the South Pacific for a week of relaxation and restoration.
Savusavu, Fiji - May 14-21, 2011

Forecast in Tuscany: bliss
Image courtesy of Casanuova

Ashtanga Yoga in Tuscany with Tim Miller
Visit Casanuova, a 350-year-old estate in the Tuscan countryside, and unroll your mat beside Carlsbad ambassador Tim Miller.
Tuscany, Italy - Oct 1-8, 2011

yoga + food

Yoga for Foodies Retreat with David Romanelli & Angela Gargano
Featured in this month's Food & Wine magazine, this retreat is seriously making us drool.
Napa Valley, CA - May 26-29, 2011

Eat.Pray.Move
This cozy retreat had us at Tuscany (and pumpkin risotto, pasta al forno, slow roasted fennel with red onions, salads with wild rocket, pecorino and fresh figs).
On the border of Tuscany & Umbria, Italy - July 3 - 9, 2011

Can't get to Eat.Pray.Move.? Feast your eyes on this visual retreat.
Image courtesy of Eat.Pray.Move.

yoga + wine + cycling

Yoga, Bike & Wine Retreat
Experience Loire's historic countryside with Plaza El Segundo ambassador Julie Rader.
Loire Valley, France - September 11 - 16

yoga + service

Yoga Ventures Yoga & Service Retreats
Lisa Reuff, an ambassador out of Marin, CA, is hosting four trips for yogis looking to challenge their practice and serve their hosting communities. Head to Peru, Haiti, India or Bali.
Retreat dates vary

Ted McDonald likes the snow and the surf

yoga + snow

Tony, Dean & Ted's Yoga Ski/Ride Excellent Adventure
Santa Monica ambassador Ted McDonald teams up with Dean Decas and Tony Horton (P90X!) to host a one-of-a-kind retreat on the slopes of Chamonix.
Chamonix, France - March 20 - 26, 2011

yoga + surf

Tidal Dreamings Yoga & Surf Retreats
Hey ladies - Tidal Dreamings offers regular ladies-only yoga/surf retreats on Australia's east coast. Get packing.
Various dates and locations

image courtesy of Tidal Dreamings

while you're away

If you're vacationing anywhere near one of our locations, you can make your own mini yoga retreat by taking part in our complimentary in-store classes. Get class schedules on each store's site.

Help! We can't decide where to go. Where are you planning on retreating?

A passion for dancing up a storm.

What came next was meeting some of the most inspiring and outstanding people I’ll probably ever come across in this lifetime. Oh, we hired hundreds of new, fabulous lululemon faces, and we launched exciting attraction programs too... the work was about as challenging, fast paced, and action packed as anyone could hope for! But an itching desire to strike out, take risks and have a grand adventure always slumbered within me, and I knew deep in my heart of hearts that there was something more, waiting for me, somewhere across the Atlantic.

The people resource team.

As a hopeless romantic I had spent my entire life wishing, dreaming and hoping that someday I’d live in Europe. However, I never really took any steps to make these visions a reality. It wasn’t until I learned and understood the skills of goal setting, received some incredible coaching and encouragement from Susanne Conrad, and created a vision board with my People Resources team, that it finally sunk in that I needed to DO IT NOW.

So I did.

Ashley achieving her goal to live in Europe 2 years earlier!

Fast forward to present day, March 2010, and I have leapt over the pond and landed myself smack dab in the centre of Edinburgh, Scotland. By some force of fate, luck or magic, I have managed to stay a part of the lululemon recruitment team and continue to work remotely; providing creative project management for our key 2010 initiatives. Technology really is an incredible thing, when someone can log in to say hello to their favourite coworkers each morning via Skype, and at the same time, live out their wildest traveling dreams.

Ashley living in Scotland.

So far, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Chamonix (France) have been the hosts of my traveling office. In early March, I’ll be working from Spain, and I have an ambitious list of places that I plan to spread some lululemon love in the months to come!

A new life with a new view.

If you have big, wild, crazy dreams I recommend that you don’t delay.

Make a decision. Take a leap. Do it now.

A vision board makes your goals and dreams reality.

You only have one life to live, and trust me, it can be pretty darn spectacular.