OFF THE BEATEN MAT

Chile

Malta

Cambodia

South Caralina

When it comes to planning a yoga vacation, most of us think retreats in the tropics or taking the ultimate pilgrimage to India. Yet there are so many other destinations that can inspire a deeper understanding of this ancient practice. Here, Yoga Journal contributors share their experiences in some far-off places— as well as a few surprising spots closer to home— that have transformed their practices and their lives.

ZAMBIA

Into the wild

By Meghan Rabbitt

OUR OPEN-SIDED LAND ROVER inched closer to a clearing in the thick bush, and our guide, Fannuel Banda, whispered urgently to us to stay seated—and quiet. A couple hours earlier, the enormous red sun had sunk into a vast horizon, which meant that in the pitch-black darkness, Banda had to point his large flashlight toward what he wanted us to see: a lion, devouring its fresh kill.

Despite the fact that we’d been hoping for a lion sighting all week, my initial instinct was to look away. I was mere feet from this brutal feast and could practically smell the blood. I caught a glimpse of the poor warthog’s face, an expression of fear still present in its eyes, and wondered if it was the same little guy I’d spotted earlier that day, innocently digging his big snout into the ground in search of his own dinner. But I didn’t look away. None of us on this game drive through South Luangwa National Park in Zambia, Africa, did. Instead, we stayed seated and quiet, observing this death in its perfect, if gruesome, unfolding.

It’s admittedly strange to go on safari, practice yoga and meditation in the blissfully quiet and Wi-Fi– free bush, and have this zen-like reaction to a scene so filled with harm. Yet what I learned almost immediately, here and on guided walks under that beautiful African sky, is that being