What a yoga retreat is really like – and how to get the most out of it
Holidays where you return with a new outlook on life – and a desire to enhance your all-round well-being – are increasingly popular, writes Shannon Valdes
With New Year’s resolutions still at the top of many people’s minds, a yoga retreat may seem like the perfect way to work towards a healthier, happier you.
Yet what is a yoga retreat really like?
That’s the question I got asked repeatedly when I returned from my first retreat in Bali a few months ago.
Do you do yoga all day? Are you restricted to a vegan diet? Are you shamed if you can’t do a headstand?
This made me realise that while yoga retreats are growing in popularity, they remain as mystical as the practice of yoga itself.
After a week-long getaway led by Susan White, I discovered that yoga retreats are much more laid-back than you would think, while still enhancing your health and happiness in ways you could have never imagined.
Instead of coming home from a holiday with souvenirs and a sunburn, you come home with a fresh outlook on life and motivation to live in a way that honours your physical, mental and emotional well-being.
Downward dog all over the world
In its most basic definition, yoga means achieving oneness with the universe, which is much easier to do when you’re soaking up the natural beauty of the Himalayas in the holy city of Rishikesh.