A yoga retreat is a place to get away, relax and practice yoga. It is a relaxing and rejuvenating experience. If you are picturing sitting on a mountaintop and meditating, think again. While there are many great retreats that focus on yoga and meditation, there are many other options too.
There are many yoga health retreats that include yoga with other activities or topics. Some health retreats include a special focus, such as Ayurveda, body detoxification, stress relief, weight loss, and others. These are great if you are looking for a specific focus.
The yoga practices, activities and even the menu will vary, depending on the focus of the health retreat. For example, a detox yoga retreat usually offers fasting programs with fruit and vegetable juices and broths. A weight loss retreat will have calorie restricted foods and many yoga retreats serve organic and locally grown foods.
Other health retreats are overall fitness retreats that include yoga practices throughout your stay. You often have the choice from among several activities, such as hiking and other outdoor activities and fitness classes.
The atmosphere at fitness focused health retreats varies and may not be as relaxing as a traditional yoga retreat. Some that are focused on weight loss have a regimented schedule and a few even use words like “boot camp” in their advertisements. Pay attention to the descriptions or you could plan a relaxing few days of yoga and end up with a very different experience.
The first step in planning a yoga retreat is to determine your goals for the time. Do you want to focus on meditation and the spiritual side of yoga, or would you rather work up a sweat in a health and fitness retreat? Once you decide what you want to get out of the experience, you can start searching and comparing retreats.
Search online to find yoga health retreats that fit your criteria. Read the descriptions of the activities carefully, read reviews and contact the company to ask questions to make sure it is a good fit for you.