Learn to embrace the downward dog while on holiday I occasionally do a fairly basic Hatha yoga class for beginners in the party room of my condo building. It's a drop-in, come-as-you-are arrangement. For 55 glorious minutes, I am coached to focus on my breathing, stretching, and 'treating myself well,' as my friend Sylvia, the resident yoga instructor, guides us. We end each class with the lights turned low, each of us stretched out on our backs on our mats in savasna pose (sometimes called 'corpse' pose but that term gives me the creeps), and we listen to ambient mediation music. Sometimes the music is of birds chirping, or raindrops in a forest. My favourite is a recording of waves gently slapping the shores of a beach. In those moments I allow myself to be transported to a far-away tropical beach, leaving work and worries far behind me. I sometimes wonder what it would be like to finish a yoga class and then get up from my yoga map and actually walk right out onto a sandy beach, my now-comfy toes dipping into salt water, a warm breeze on my skin. I've just discovered that is indeed possible. Holidays for Humanity, a Canadian company that describes its mandate as "A travel agency designed for the conscious traveler," has vetted various yoga opportunities around the world that are geared to beginners. Three words: Sign me up. 5 cool travel options for yoga beginners: 1. Yoga Vacations for Sailors in Turkey: A great way to explore this fascinating country that's part European, part Asian. 2. Yoga Vacations for Surfers in Costa Rica: Costa Rica is a small country but has plenty of wonderful beaches, some of them isolated, perfect for yoga. 3. Yoga Vacations for Purists in India: Yoga enthusiasts have insisted that India is the true birthplace of yoga. 4. Yoga Vacations for Beginners in Mexico : Close enough to home. Direct flights to Mexico are plentiful. 5. Yoga Vacations for Nature Lovers in Nicaragua: How about doing your yoga moves off the beaten path? Which of these five would be your top pick?