Why is it called yoga retreat?
Yoga retreats typically offer a means to completely unwind, relax, meet like-minded people, build a community, and escape your normal surroundings.
Yoga retreats don’t have to take place in exotic countries or demand exorbitant prices. In its essence, yoga retreats need to provide a safe space to dedicate time to yourself.
So, why is it called a yoga retreat?
My friend asked me, why are they called yoga ‘retreats’? To retreat as per Cambridge Dictionary means '‘to go to a quiet safe place in order to avoid a difficult situation“. In some ways, the idea of withdrawing and hiding away isn’t entirely wrong. In relation to yoga, we can see a retreat as a way to escape the everyday ‘normality’ or even stress of life and dedicate some time to yourself and build upon the practices of yoga.
However, not all yoga retreats are the same of course. Many will vary in location and what type of yoga is offered. Typically (but not exclusively) yoga retreats are set in nature or in at least an environment where you can relax and unwind. They can range from one day to sometimes two weeks (or even more), but many are around 3 - 7 days offering at least one yoga class a day, free time to yourself and typically with meals included in the price.
Yoga retreats are wonderful experiences to have if you go by yourself (and meet people!) and with friends/partners/family members.
How do I pick the right yoga retreat for me?
Choosing the right yoga retreat is really important, some pointers:
What is the teacher(s) like? It’s easier when you know the teacher but find out what kind of style and they have from reading up about them, taking their class, taking recommendations from friends.
What kind of style would you prefer? There are tons of focuses and styles ranging such as Ashtanga, Pranayama/Breathwork, Yin, and Meditation to name some. There will be some which offer a range of styles throughout the duration of the yoga retreat. For those who want to completely unwind and fancy yoga retreats focused on more relaxing, you may want to consider retreats that offer Yin, gentle yoga and meditation. For those that want to learn more about philosophy - find out if the teacher teaches with this as a focus or has set time to explore this
What’s the schedule like? Often retreats will share the rough agenda so you can have an idea of how much free time you have to yourself or with others.
Do you want it to feel like a holiday as well? The point above will help with this – is there room and opportunity to explore the surrounding areas?
What kind of location do you want? This question will lead to things such as preferred time of the year, ideal temperature, whether you want something completely remote or not.
Think about what’s important to you. Whether you want something focused, flexible, or free-going. I would personally advise going for something that is inclusive, accessible and welcoming to all types of practitioners whether you are ‘new’ or a seasoned practitioner.
If you’re new to yoga, or have never practised with me before, you can sign up for an online yoga class with me from the comfort of your own home, or catch me in a London studio.
What are the benefits of a yoga retreat?
The main benefit of a yoga retreat is to dedicate time to immersive into your yoga practice and build on what you already have (if any experience), whilst you relax and unwind. There are also numerous physical and mental benefits of doing a yoga retreat, listed below:
Mental benefits
Ultimately benefits are personal, however, it’s highly likely that yoga will help the following, backed up by much research:
Reduce stress
Improve concentration
Practice meditation skills
Tackle anxiety
Improve well-being
Social benefits
Of course, I believe retreats should encourage people to relax and spend time on their own as well - a healthy mix of both is good:
Opportunity to meet like-minded people
Feel part of a community
Indulge in spiritual discussion (not necessarily religious)
Often, make friends for life!
Physical benefits
Last but not least, the physical ones are the ones we tend to know more about but indeed yoga can support the following:
Flexibility
Reduce aches and pains
Strengthen
If you’re interested in booking a retreat, I run retreats every year, both in the UK and abroad, for more information please check out what’s on offer at the moment.