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5 Reasons You Should Choose a Yoga Retreat Over A Regular Holiday

4/3/2018

How many times a month do you think to yourself: I need a holiday!
I totally believe that you do. Juggling your work, social life, family, self care, etc. and doing all that in a city environment, which is already stressful without all of those extra factors... Woo, damn right, you need a holiday!

Actually, even more than a holiday, you might need a yoga retreat. Here are 5 reasons why I think you should consider going on a yoga retreat in stead of a regular holiday.

1. LONG LASTING BENEFITS
Taking time off in any format is in itself invigorating and refreshing. But once those 10 days of your holiday are over, you are back to your same old daily routine. And if you repeat the same steps in your life, you will always get the same results.

Going on a yoga retreat will definitely have a more long lasting benefits in your life. You will come back home with a new set of tools that will help you lead a more conscious, more productive and more fulfilling life.

You'll have a different lifestyle during the retreat, which might inspire you to make changes in your regular life. These changes can be very simple - spending more time in nature, having a social media detox, or sticking to your simple yoga or meditation routine. But these small day-to-day choices we make are actually the biggest factors in how much we can enjoy life.

2. REALLY TAKING TIME FOR YOURSELF
Did you ever have that feeling that you needed a holiday to recover from your holiday during which you spent most of your time planning, trying not to miss out on anything, researching where to go and what to do and then trying to balance all that with the preferences of your travel companion(s)?

Retreats offer you the opportunity to take a whole week and fully attend to your needs. There is enough time to reflect, journal, finish that book, or just spend time alone and enjoy the silence. Whatever it is that recharges your batteries the most, a retreat will offer you a supportive environment for that.

3. YOGA AND MEDIATION PRACTICE
No matter if you are a beginner or a seasoned yogi, your yoga and meditation practice will for sure benefit from the daily routine during the retreat. Dedicating yourself to it consistently is very helpful in creating or strengthening your own sustainable personal yoga practice.

Most retreats offer two yoga classes a day, which will do wanders for your strength, flexibility, body awareness, focus and your self-discipline.

Also, retreats offer the opportunity not only to do yoga and meditation with guidance, but to learn new principles, get a new point of view and maybe discover some completely new aspects to these disciplines.

As you dig deeper and start discovering how much there is to yoga that you actually never thought about, you will get inspired to learn and then apply that knowledge further, always keeping your attitude fresh and curious.

4. HOLISTIC (SELF-CARE) PACKAGE
Your well-being is directly related to what you consume - but not only through food. All the sounds, images, thoughts, movements that you "consume" during your day become the building blocks of your body-mind system.

In a yoga retreat, the activities are planned in a way to be varied and enjoyable. The natural setting of being far away from urban distraction, city lights and perpetual noise is conducive to your practice and your over-all well being. A retreat is nourishing both for your body and your soul.

5. FINDING YOUR TRIBE
I am often asked if retreats are suitable for solo travelers. While at the same time, the vast majority of guests are solo travelers. And those that you most probably share many of your interests with.

The atmosphere at a yoga retreat makes it easy to connect to each other in meaningful ways through sharing your love of yoga or nature, learning together, and also through creating a shared safe space in which everybody is free to express themselves and simply be who they are without being judged.

Retreats are places where you will for sure meet inspiring like-minded people and create some long lasting friendships.

I hope this inspires you to make that decision about booking your fist yoga retreat.
If you've already attended yoga retreats, please share your reasons for participating and also what you feel you have gained from your retreat.

My Yogic Adventure offers a variety of retreats in Europe and Asia to suit everybody's budget. You can see the complete list of our retreats here

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Heaven is Myth, Nepal is Real

3/27/2017

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I had a choice. Pay hundreds of pounds on a part for my car which it may or may not need, or go on an adventure.

I choose the latter. I choose well.

Autumn in the UK is both beautiful and dark, damp and miserable. It’s the perfect time to throw caution to the wind, fill up the rucksack and head for the hills.

I browsed the internet, with a half-baked intent: Somewhere far away and exotic, but affordable (please and thank you universe). My eyes kept being pulled to these words:
8 days Yoga, Meditation and Hiking in Nepal”.

Oh, that sounded just right – rest and relaxation with some hiking added to the adrenalin mix for good measure. Too good to miss.

So, go for it. Check out flights, book annual leave, figure out the finances – it’s do-able.

It’s done. It only took a few clicks.

By sheer coincidence I’d arrived at the beginning of Diwali. At the airports, complete strangers wished me a Happy Diwali. It felt like Christmas Eve, and that warm glow-worm of delight filled my belly. It was Diwali – imagine that. Festival of Light! Four flights removed and now I was on the edge of another world – it felt oddly ethereal, as I took in the panorama of the Annapurna range.

My destination was the Shivalaya Yoga and Meditation Centre at Lake Begnas. The little town of Begnas is about a half hour taxi ride from Pokhara – and oh my, what a ride! I was a complete novice to the Nepali road experience, ‘sans seat belts’ and so my heart leapt into my mouth – once, twice, thrice! ‘I’m a survivor right. What could possibly go wrong?’ and nothing did, that was the joy of it.

I’m dropped off at the edge of Lake Begnas. The taxi driver points – “up there” – to a stunning looking edge of forever place. I could have taken the steps, but that would have been too easy – I took the trek less travelled, which as it turned out, was much more interesting and yes, entertaining.

Each stranger I asked “Shivalaya Yoga?” and each friendly face – from small child to ancient octogenarian – points “Up there”.

A giant gold-gilted Shiva in meditative state welcomes me silently. Just one more push – almost there, like giving birth (keep breathing, focus on your breath) - put one foot in front of the other – a few more steps and alas! The warmest welcome from the coolest people, sitting chillin’ beneath the thatch.

Now, to reverse a bit, on the flight from Delhi to Kathmandu I got my first ever sight of the Himalayas. I was overwhelmed by the majesty of their crowns and thought I might cry it was so beautiful. On the little, low flight from Kathmandu to Pokhara I saw the Annapurna range for the first time, and was filled with that wonderful child-like sense of wonder – but the best was yet to come.

When I got my first view from Shivalaya across Lake Begnas, the pure-white peaks beyond the rice-terraced hills, I got chills. The purity of light, the way it seemed to stream and cascade from the heavens; the sunsets and sunrises casting cool, delicate shades – pink, orange, blue and purple hues draped across those snowy peaks – if this don’t make your soul soar, nothing will. Just go with it – move with it, breathe, fill the lungs, chill, laugh, cry if the mountains move you to do so. It’s ok. Everything is ok – it’s my first day, and I am filled with an overwhelming sense of peace and well-being – and we haven’t even started the retreat yet!

I meet Marija – the wonderful woman of myyogicadventure.com.

She is a force of nature, and a beautiful human being. She could not have been more helpful. I am a day early – but she arranged a room for the extra night, meals, and even a couple of extra classes to kick start the experience.

Her smile stretches from ear to ear, her lilting accent a delight to hear, and her light and love radiate magnetically. I feel in safe hands and wonderful company. Most of all, Marija does not take herself too seriously – she has an enigmatic sense of humour. She’s funny and she laughs a lot. She is a joy-maker. I could not have chosen better – all by chance, by sheer luck and good fortune, I am here at Shivalaya, Begnas, Nepal, far from Belfast and the hum-drum rain-sodden streets.

The retreat proper starts on 1st November 2015. We are a small group – but we bond as if by magic. Michelle from England, Steffi from Stuttgart, later Alice arrives from Pokhara. Other yogis and travellers come and go from the centre – it feels as if the whole globe is represented. We are a multi-cultural crew; chatting, storytelling, adventures and experiences – long leisurely breakfasts, delicious dinners with entertaining company, watching those sun sets seep into star-lit nights. Hawks swoop, eagles soar, fruit bats loop the loop.

My new room is perfect. Ganesh is on my door for good fortune and protection. My room steps out onto the view, with abundance of jungle foliage below and beyond – a Shiva tree, its fruit ripe for the picking, a reminder of this perfect earth, and its endless giving and forgiving.

I have a double bed, cosy cushions, a bedside table, a desk and chair, an en suite with toilet and shower. It’s simple but tastefully done. I could not want for more.

The days start early – but we retire early, relaxed and exonerated from each wonderful day – just the right mix of full on activity and time to relax and check in with the self.

Morning yoga – might start at 6am, or 7 or 8am depending on the day’s agenda – takes place in a beautiful covered but open air studio – overlooking the lakes and mountains. Marija teaches traditional Hatha, with an emphasis on alignment – and her classes are a perfect blend of gentle poses to the advanced – but each individual encouraged to go with their own pace and ability. As someone with a daily home practice, who makes a class whenever I can or when I can afford to do so, I’m by far the least advanced of the group – but I don’t feel disadvantaged or discouraged in any way (which has been the case occasionally at classes – one of the reasons I have preferred to practice at home in the past).

On day one we are in for a surprise. It is the special family day of Diwali, and all of us visitors are invited fully into the family gathering. Shivalaya is a family run yoga and meditation centre and the husband and wife team and their staff are so helpful and kind (fulfilling my endless demands for more Tulsi tea). There is a feast for all – and the food on this day and every day throughout the retreat is bountiful and beautiful. Spoilt rotten, as we’d say at home. All vegetarian and adjusted for vegans if and as required – the food is wholesome, nourishing and utterly delicious.

That night, people from the neighbouring area are celebrating Diwali. We end up ‘partying’ and dancing into the night. The partying continues for a few more evenings – the following night a large speaker is carried up the steps, and young women in traditional Nepali costume dance as if there’s no tomorrow. The grace, dignity and beauty of these people know no bounds. Being here during Diwali has enhanced the entire, excellent experience.

For November, the weather is wonderful - warm mornings, hot afternoons, cool evenings.

For hiking, we need to leave early to ensure we have plenty of time for our yoga and meditation classes each morning and evening. The longest hike I did was around seven to eight hours – it was steep, I persevered, but when we got to the top – the panoramic views were breath taking, the air was clean and clear. I felt my lungs fill with a joy I wished I could capture forever. It was noon – and this was for me, the high of the whole time in Nepal, I cannot find the words to describe the beauty and the exhilaration, sense of accomplishment and freedom. On the way down, Marija and Dom (a highly experienced yogi and traveller) had arranged for us all to stop for lunch with a Nepali family for Dal bhat – a traditional Nepali dish, most welcoming for a pack of hungry hikers.

Other highlights included a boat trip on the lake, day trip to explore Pokhara, short hikes, chillin’ and chatting in mountain cafes, or precious time rocking in a hammock.
Eight days of heaven, bliss, and an all-embracing wonderful experience.

I get the bus to Kathmandu. It’s also an experience – stunning views, a lovely lunch included and a few hairy moments (so I just looked up, didn’t look down). I booked myself into a hotel in Kathmandu – America had gone to the polls, and by breakfast time, I realised I was back in the real world, a real world that had changed overnight. I wished, wanted to go back up the mountain, but it was time to fly back west.

I’d only tasted Nepal, yet I wanted to drink it all in. I made wishes and tossed them out there in the hope that some fly-by fairy godmother might notice.

I fly back to London for a few days – then touch down in Belfast midnight, 12th November. Rain batters the apron, I get the chills. I look forward to the day when I go back up the Nepali hills, and stretch on through this life via a thousand more amazing yoga, meditation and hiking retreats. Bring it on!

Namaste!

Julie Williams-Nash
19th November 2016

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The Peace of Wild Things

4/18/2016

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Whenever I feel frustrated, agitated, purposeless, sad, angry, scared, worried, jealous, alone, abandoned, uncertain, hopeless... I go and find a big tree. The bigger the better. The older the better. The rougher the bark the better.
I let my bare feet feel the ground, I sit under the tree and lean against its roughness. I sit with the tree and try to just be.

More often than not, things fall back into place.

It the photo is one of those trees. I ''found'' this one in Sri Lanka and it taught me that when you choose to grow in unconventional ways, the results can be magical!

This Monday I wanted to share with you a poem by Wendell Berry, an inspiring contemporary American poet and environmentalist.

The Peace of Wild Things
by Wendell Berry

When despair for the world grows in me
and I wake in the night at the least sound
in fear of what my life and my children’s lives may be,
I go and lie down where the wood drake
rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds.
I come into the peace of wild things
who do not tax their lives with forethought
of grief. I come into the presence of still water.
And I feel above me the day-blind stars
waiting with their light. For a time
I rest in the grace of the world, and am free.

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5 Reasons You Should Choose a Yoga Retreat Over A Regular Holiday

Heaven is Myth, Nepal is Real

The Peace of Wild Things

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