Why Yoga Retreats can benefit your health and enhance your practice by Rachael Storrie
Recently I was fortunate enough to attend my first yoga retreat with our studio and my first ever!  After practicing yoga for many years now,  I had never been on a retreat due to a variety of circumstances … but this time I was able to go without any expectation but to embrace whatever the experience was going to present to me.  Being able to meditate and practice yoga twice daily, I relished the opportunity to immerse deeper, without distraction.  The experience was transformative in ways that I know will enhance the everyday for me personally.  Having the time to focus on you and your own inner landscape and how that helps you relate to yourself is one of the key gifts of a retreat.

There are a few features of a retreat that I believe are the formula for this level of connection and it is best to begin with the most obvious, disconnecting from technology.   Although most retreats have some wi-fi the disconnection is not complete but for longer periods of time than our busy lives usually accommodate.  Unplugging without the constant demand of emails, administration and responsibilities gives you the time to immerse and develop fresh perspective.  Daily meditation, cleansing, subtle energy focus, asana and breath work promote a shift of whatever is no longer serving you well and embracing what is!  Being away from home and giving yourself permission to relax and to really receive the benefits of your morning and afternoon practice without having to do anything else for the rest of the day enables your body and mind to experience profound rest and healing.

People choose to go on retreat for different reasons, some have wonderful jobs they enjoy, family and home and are looking for a little rest and relaxation and some are searching to really create change in their lives.  The benefit of retreat is you have the time and space to do both.  Whether you are a beginner or an advanced yogi a retreat is a great opportunity for you to find or re-connect with your inner bliss.