Where Jungle Meets the Sea…

Crystal clear turquoise water, white sand that resembles powered sugar, yoga on a daily basis, and afternoon SUP adventures; Tulum screams paradise. On a quest to fuel my constant need for wanderlust, I ventured to this little slice of paradise in the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico this Spring.

Last year, during our SUP yoga teacher training in Punta de Mita, I had the pleasure of meeting a life-long friend, who has, with her husband, turned their passion for SUP yoga into a thriving business in Tulum (www.awake.mx).

We spent a week doing some major swimming, snorkeling, paddling and exploring on the Caribbean as well as various cenotes and lagoons with our SUP boards, stopping to do some SUP yoga along the way, of course!

Venturing through a lush forest to a seemingly hidden clear blue lagoon, we practiced SUP yoga for hours under the buttery sun. Kaan Luum Lagoon was the perfect place to reconnect with nature.

We took our SUP boards through a narrow cenote, stopping for the occasional sun salutation while receiving puzzled glances from onlookers (they had no idea what they were missing). It was a great way to see this area from a unique point of view and a nice lesson on properly maneuvering our SUP boards through narrow spaces!

  For a more traditional yoga experience, we visited Yoga Shala, a nearby yoga studio that was perfectly suited to beach life with breezy white mosquito nets and polished hard-wood floors surrounded by many different types of bamboo and palms. The simple yet beautiful atmosphere of the studio was so inviting and had a strong spiritual feeling.

We spent an afternoon touring the Mayan Ruins, a five-minute drive from downtown. The carefully restored relics are perched on cliffs above the Caribbean Sea. We had paddled out to see them from the water a day prior, so this was a nice way to get the inside perspective as well.

Tulum, you were amazing, already looking forward to our next rendezvous…