Squeezing in a yoga class on your lunch break or after work is rewarding, but spending a few days or even a week at a yoga retreat is guaranteed to wipe away your worries and leave you feeling blissfully calm and centred.
New age hocus-pocus or mainstream stress buster -- call it what you will. Whatever your stand on yoga, critics worldwide are espousing its therapeutic benefits, from improved fertility to decreased stress and relief for allergy and asthma sufferers. For many, practising yoga is more than a trend; it's a lifestyle. Amanda Prasow is a yoga instructor at Toronto's Soul Fit and hosts yoga retreats at Tanglefoot Lodge, near Peterborough, Ont. She says that attending a yoga retreat can only enhance your yoga experience. "Yoga is much more than a series of physical postures, though the asanas play an important role," explains Prasow. "A retreat gives you the opportunity to immerse yourself in all aspects of yogic life: asanas (postures) and pranayama (breathing exercises), chanting and meditation, a pure
vegetarian diet and spending time in
nature. It will provide the best possible environment for you to deepen your practice, no matter what stage you're at." (
New to yoga? Learn to find the best yoga style for you.)Dr. Richard Earle, managing director at the Canadian Institute of Stress, says that the fundamentals of yoga, such as the breathing and stretching exercises, do wonders for alleviating muscle tension, which is at the root of stress. He adds that another key benefit of a yoga retreat is the spiritual deepening and self-discovery component. "They often teach you how to reintegrate the renewed self that you've connected with and expanded, and teach you how to bring that back into daily business life or life at home," says Earle.
Ready to get away? Take a look at the yoga retreats listed below, then grab your yoga mat and prepare to strike a pose.
Tanglefoot Lodge
Kick off spring with a
detox cleanse and silent meditation and yoga weekend at Tanglefoot Lodge, in the Kawartha Lakes region of Ontario. Hosts Nicky and Russ Hazard prepare delicious vegetarian meals at their private home -- the menus include such items as vegetable curry with rice and a breakfast of fresh fruits and pancakes. The food is so good at Tanglefoot that Nicky and Russ are writing a cookbook in response to the many requests they receive for recipes. Other retreats include a mountain rhythm drum-making weekend, a holistic prenatal weekend and an ashtanga intensive weekend. On-site ayurvedic massage, reiki and
personal training are available as well. In between sessions, go for a stroll outside to the pick-your-own berry farm down the road, or gaze across Stoney and White Lakes as you breathe in the fresh country air.
Visit www.tanglefootlodge.com.
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