This blog is going to tell you all about what you can expect from a yoga holiday to help you decide whether its for you!
Nearly all yoga holidays and retreats will take place amongst beautiful surroundings so you will want to decide whether the setting that appeals to you most is the sun kissed tropical beach or perhaps a quite peaceful rural corner of the UK or maybe the lakes and mountains of an Alpine area in Europe. Your budget is also important since some holidays maybe quiet and rustic with the other end of the spectrum being high end luxury. Whatever you decide upon, don't feel nervous about going on your own as most yoga holidays and retreats will have many solo travellers. This doesn't mean of course that you can't travel with friends or your partner, its just that you will be with like minded people and you choose the amount of time you spend on your own and the amount that you might spend doing joint activities such as yoga of course.
All holidays and retreats will be structured slightly differently and it will depend on who is teaching. However, what will be common to all is that there is time to develop in-depth practises and themes and therefore truly be immersed in yoga. You will most likely already attend a regular weekly class and maybe you have your own home practise but on retreat or yoga holiday, your main focus is the yoga practise and as a consequence you will find that you really develop technique, mobility and strength.
Generally there will be a morning session perhaps quite early in the morning before breakfast if you are in a hot climate such as India when early practise is the most comfortable time of the day to be on the mat. The practise maybe around two hours long giving plenty of time for a physical asana practise, a breathing practise and perhaps a meditation and relaxation. You are pretty likely, after your first practise of the day, to have plenty of free time to explore the local area, relax on the beach or just sit somewhere quiet and shady with a good book. Most holidays and retreats will offer a second yoga session later on in the afternoon when perhaps the sun has lost a bit of strength if you are in a hotter climate. Most teachers are likely to structure a quieter slower paced session perhaps introducing much slower asana practises such as restorative or yin yoga. This is also an ideal time of day to offer a nice long relaxation such as yoga nidra. Yoga nidra translates as yoga sleep but this is a little but of a misnomer since your body should relax totally but the mind stays awake. Some retreats and holidays may offer a third practise in the evening and this could focus on winding down towards bedtime, meditative practises or perhaps even some chanting. If you are staying in a retreat centre when pretty much you remain on the site, you may be offered a Q&A session or discussion.
Most holidays will have a break from yoga half way through, not just to give the teacher a break but also to allow you to take local excursions or have time to explore further afield.
There really are no hard and fast rules so its important to find our before you sign up and pay your deposit that the programme offered is exactly what you are comfortable with and wish to explore. Do make contact with the teacher and ensure that the style, pace and level are right for you.
If you are in a retreat centre, there may well be a variety of different body workers available who can offer different types of therapy such as massage. In India, you will likely be able to book, at a very affordable cost, a course of ayurvcdic treatments which will help give you that all important sense of physical wellness.
Another common feature of most yoga holidays and retreats is the wholesome and delicious food on offer. Should you have any dietary requirements or food intolerances do check first that your needs can be catered for. Often too, the food will be plant based but not invariable and of course if you are close to a resort or town, you can always eat out.
Provided you have a love of yoga its pretty much a racing certainty that you will have a fantastic time and return home feeling very rested, fit and feeling very well.