Top 10 Yoga retreats in Turkey

The holiday season in any country can be a time of reflection and solitude for expats, who have made their homes away from home. However, a series of appealing yoga retreats being offered in some of Turkey's most gorgeous destinations could prove the perfect opportunity to while away the holiday while gaining theory and practical knowledge of the physical, mental and spiritual benefits of yoga with like-minded souls.

1. The Agama Yoga Basic and Mid-Level Camp will be held from Oct. 2-8 at Endes Camp in Zeytinli, Edremit, in the heart of Mount Ida (Kazdağları). The cost for this one-week camp is 1,150 TL ($508) and includes all yoga training, accommodation in a wooden bungalow or stone house and breakfast and dinner buffets.

2. Enjoy four days of theoretical and practical yoga practice on an eco-village in Yeniköy, Bayramiç, situated in the oxygen-laden Mount Ida region in Çanakkale province. The Harion and Om yoga centers will set up in Bayramiç Yeniköy from Oct. 16-20 for this unique yoga workshop led by yoga trainer Kerem Hamsa. The cost of 500 TL includes morning and evening yoga and meditation sessions, nature walks and herb-gathering expeditions, accommodation and two meals a day, with ingredients all locally sourced.

3. Join yoga teacher Faruk Kurtuluş for a yoga camp held from Oct. 3-7, in Hayıtbükü, Datça. The cost of 740 TL includes all yoga sessions, accommodation in stone and wooden en suite bungalows, and breakfast and lunch. A yoga session will be held in the ancient city of Knidos and adventures will be had in the nearby Ovabükü and Palamutbükü coves. The Datça peninsula, which is a popular summer-time destination and expat haven is most easily accessible by ferry boat from Bodrum making it the ideal opportunity to combine a visit to both popular Aegean spots.

4. From Oct. 7-13, Yoga Turkey will be offering a seven-day/six-night yoga retreat with Fionuala Power at their yoga center in Gölköy, Bodrum. The cost of 2,040 TL includes six days of yoga training and seven nights' accommodation in a village hotel with breakfast and lunches from Tuesday to Sunday and four evening meals at the yoga center.

5. Discover Saklıkent, one of the deepest canyons in the world while embarking on a four-day yoga retreat with Hamsa Saraswati held from Oct. 4-7 in a home just 4 kilometers away. In addition to morning and evening yoga sessions and meals, during the days excursions will be made to the ancient city of Xanthos, Patara beach and of course the 300-meter deep and 18-kilometer long Saklıkent Canyon. The price of 750 TL includes four days and three nights' accommodation, all yoga sessions and morning and evening meals.

6. From Sept. 29 to Oct. 6., Huzur Vadisi in Göçek, will be hosting an eight-day yoga and writing retreat with Hilary Brown and Geertje Couwenbergh and from Oct. 6-13, Yoga and the Art of Life with Tuesday McNeill and Tanfer Taka. The cost of 2,222 TL, includes Vinyasa yoga sessions, writing and art sessions and accommodation in spacious and comfortable yurts (a traditional nomadic tent), situated around a natural stone swimming pool and three meals a day. Huzur Vadisi, Turkey's oldest yoga recluse, is situated up in the hills overlooking Göçek, a small seaside town between Fethiye and Dalyan.

7. Free Spirit Travel is offering two eight-day yoga retreats held at the Grenadine Lodge, in Dalyan, which is situated between Marmaris and Fethiye on the southwest coast of Turkey. The Hatha Yoga Retreat runs from Sept. 29 to Oct. 6 and the Yin and Vinyasa Yoga Retreat runs from Oct. 13-20. The cost of 1,631 TL includes eight days/seven nights' accommodation at this 16-room hotel with a swimming pool, two yoga sessions a day, vegetarian meals, a boat trip visiting 12 islands as well as the chance to experience many captivating natural sights such as hot springs, mud baths and ancient ruins. Yoga sessions will be held in English for both retreats, with Jane Pollard leading the Hatha course sessions and Jane Medhurst at the helm for the Vinyasa retreat.

8. Heliotrope will be offering a Yoga and Walking course led by Barbara Hicks & Dave Dayes from October 5-12 in Adrasan, Antalya. This retreat, which combines Iyengar yoga with hikes along the Lycian Way, will be held at Onuncu Koy, a hotel with a pool, wooden-floored yoga studio, peaceful gardens and spectacular views of the surrounding mountains and sea, situated just a 20-minute walk from the sandy shores of Adrasan Beach. Each day will start with a 2.5 hour yoga class then, after a large brunch, different walks will take place varying in length from day-to-day, followed by a restorative yoga class to relieve tired legs before supper. The course cost for approximately four hours of yoga a day, hikes, shared accommodation, vegetarian breakfasts and dinners is 1,650 TL.

9. Yoga Holidays Turkey will be offering a week-long Hatha and Vinyasa yoga camp with Jo Ozden in Side, Antalya from Oct. 5-12. Accommodation is at the family-run Ozden Pansiyon in the heart of the old town of Side, a popular summer resort town on the southern Mediterranean coast and one of the best-known classical sites in the country.

10. What about combining a unique "Blue Cruise" experience with a yoga retreat? Yogacruising, which specializes in wellness yacht cruises, is offering an eight-day/seven-night yoga excursion on a Gulet sailing Turkey's stunning Mediterranean and Aegean coastline. This cruise sets sail from Oct. 11-18 and costs 3,871 TL including transfers to and from Dalaman Airport, two daily Vinyasa and Ashtanga yoga sessions, three meals a day on board and a variety of stops in bays and excursions, including hiking and a visit to Cleopatra Island. You can snorkel, paddle board and canoe off the boat, enjoy Thai massages on board and take part in two yoga sessions a day held in English and led by Annick Cuvelier.