I vividly remember the day I decided to attend my first yoga retreat.

I knew my marriage was failing. I didn't know why. And so my first thought was to escape, get away as far as I could.

Google search came in handy, and here I was, on my way to Thailand to spend 7 days of yoga retreat to detox away from the collapse of my 10-year relationship. I miraculously hoped struggles would go away, choosing to ignore the inevitable.

You can imagine the guilt I felt. Inner voice pointing all the blame onto myself.

And so I would offer gratitude to others and their support every morning. I was hoping my ex-husband (you can fill in the rest of what happened on my return) would forgive me, and I had no idea where to seek guidance.

Fast forward through 7 days of daily meditation practices, led yoga classes and afternoon workshops of inward reflection, I left with these words;

I am grateful for myself. I will forgive myself. I shall seek guidance within me.

Looking back at the yoga retreats I've attended in the past, they often leave you feeling lighter, transformed, and aligned with yourself and the space around you.

You get to create many uplifting and transformative experiences.

I can’t tell you what your experience will be like as everyone's different. However, I do know that it's a safe space for you to show up as you are, with no expectations, and embrace the process entirely.

So if you do decide to enrol in one, you are choosing to immerse yourself fully, connect with others, and get inspired.

You get to live in the moment, nourishing the needs of your body, soul, and mind.

You get to remove yourself from daily activities and responsibilities, with ample time to practice and enhance your yoga skills.

You may ask yourself, “do I need or have time for a yoga retreat?”

If you have an established yoga practice, you already know the benefits of yoga in your daily life. But yoga retreat can further consolidate, enhance and build your practice.

And for those starting to play with the idea of exploring yoga practice, going on a yoga retreat can be a great introduction to practice, a help in improving your overall well-being, or an accessible way for a much-needed gateway.

4 Benefits of a Yoga Retreat:

A Yoga Retreat Can Be the Beginning of Your New Routine.

A yoga retreat can be one way to dedicate time to self-care and reconnect with yourself away from daily routine and at times mundane life.

You get to surrender to tranquillity, create a sense of well-being and deepen your yoga practice with abundance of time to practice and enhance your skills.

It can be a starting point to motivate you to implement different practices in your life.

Surrounded by the nature, you will have a better chance to relax & concentrate on your wellness.

You get the space to immerse yourself in being. You get to slow down and see yourselves & everything around you more clearly.

It' is your time to reset and drop into practice. De-conditioning the rush so that you can un-hurry through the process of discovering your self.

2. A Yoga Retreat Can Consolidate, Enhance & Build Your Practice.

We all know that yoga isn't just a physical discipline. However, you need to start somewhere. And the most obvious and accessible place to start is through your physical body.

Physical yoga practice helps you build the skill sets to work on your mental and reflect on emotional qualities.

You get to build your muscle strength, increase flexibility, improve the quality of your respiration, and aid in metabolism.

Going on a yoga retreat improves your practice, as it offers you;

a unique opportunity to bring your practice to an entirely new level.

it comes with the dedicated support of expert instructors that guide you to mastering skills.

in addition, you get to implement what you learned once you’re back to your routine.

3. Yoga Retreat Can Be Means of Self-Care.

Previously seen as a selfish or self-indulgent act, there has been a noticeable mindset shift and a more welcoming trend towards one's well-being.
So, what does self-care mean?
Self-care is about prioritizing one's needs to live a healthy and balanced lifestyle.
However, to do so, you must fill your own cup first, before you can pour into others.
Because just this once, everyone else needs to get in line and can wait.

The benefits of self-care are profound when you take the time to tune into your body and nourish it. Your well-being affects how you think, feel, act, make choices, and relate to others.

The more you practice self-care activities, the more confident, creative, and productive you are. You experience more joy, make better decisions and build stronger relationships.

Everyone's body has a bank that comes with its measuring gauge for how much stress it can handle before experiencing overwhelmed.

Making a mindful deposit into the bank's reservoir — through mindfulness, healthy eating, and exercise can boost your mood and improve your energy, & help focus throughout the day.

Slowing down through yoga as a form of self-care and loving kindness may be the way to start looking after your health.

Sometimes, all it takes is to step back to move forward.

Taking some time off from life to refocus on creating a foundation for best self-practices can help ensure solid & healthy days, weeks & years ahead.

4. Yoga Retreat Can Be Your Way to Slow Down.

Vanda Scaravelli said: "To relax is not to collapse. It is simply to undo tension."
We tend to be onto the next thing. Rushed, hurried, and absently moving through the motion.

Learning to slow down and decompress, quieting the inner narrator that causes you to tense as if the thief robbing you of your energy may not be the priority.

When you remove yourself from mundane activities, you learn to interrupt the habits of our conditioned thinking patterns.

The mind's chatter gradually starts to subside.

One way to hone the focus of your mind is through breathing methods.

When you learn how to lengthen your breath, the body finds slower & more profound pace. This allows you to find a place where you can discover the state of presence.

Right breathing techniques can enhance your pranic balance. This will help you to experience the natural quietening and calming effects that the pranayama practice can have on the mind-body.