By Tiffany Anderson
A yoga retreat is not your typical holiday…
Perhaps you’ve done the all-inclusive resort vacay and thought, “how different could a yoga retreat be?” You’ll have of your food/shelter/water needs taken care of — maybe less cocktails and more vinyasa, but close enough, right? Well, not really. We may be biased here at Trip Tribe, but here are five reasons that a Yoga Retreat surpasses other vacations.
Fewer Cocktails, More Vinyasa
We were not kidding above. On a yoga retreat you can expect less drinking, more drinking in of your surroundings. Choosing a yoga retreat over a piña colada means giving your liver and mind a chance to detox and absorb instead a deeper sense of self, of presence, of how you are living in harmony with the world around you. Plus, swimming in the ocean is a bit safer when you are sober.
Peace and Quiet
The hassle of some vacations that would have you buy into a time share, claim your lawn chair, and stand in buffet line chaos is the opposite of what yoga offers — an inherently Zen experience. We generally take vacations to get away from all of that added assault to the senses and the constant pressure of time. On a yoga retreat, any additional sensation is found in stillness. Sitting in meditation, or moving methodically with your breath allows you to take in only the subtleties of the world around you rather than that which demands your attention.
Jungle Magic
While there are all-inclusive resorts in the jungle, most yoga retreats take place right in the trees, under the stars, or in hammocks where the birds sing you to sleep. It’s pure therapy to spend more time intimately in nature. Think of classes taking place on a natural wooden platform where the trees create a canopy of shade and a waterfall provides meditative music… Magic.
Added Bonuses
Rather than a room upgrade or a complimentary bottle of wine, you’ll get to benefit from physical, emotional, and spiritual bonuses on a yoga retreat. While taking the necessary leave from the busy-ness of everyday life, this type of holiday allows you to recharge more holistically than simply lying on the beach. The sheer motivation to practice daily at a retreat will attend to your muscles, the function of your inner organs, your overall sense of gratitude, your connection to something greater, and to yourself with an uplifted attitude. A regular practice is not just something to pass the time, but to re-energize, broaden perspectives, and live more in flow with who you are.
Connection
What happens in Mexico, stays in Mexico… Unless your trip to Mexico was on a yoga retreat. Instead of hazy memories that you’d rather forget, you’ll take home the relationships that you formed there. Whether meeting new people or traveling with friends, the bonds formed on a yoga retreat are spiritual and will last well beyond the final savasana and plane rides home.
What are you waiting for?