A yoga course can provide you with the mental clarity and physical improvements needed to return home fully refreshed.
Yoga retreats are a great way to reset and recharge the mind, here’s our round up of our top five places to experience yoga, relax and reclaim yourself.
Rebalance the mind and body in Tuscany
Nestled in Tuscany is Grotta Giusti, one of the world’s most unusual wellness offerings; yoga in a millennial thermal cave with natural therapeutic steam baths. The historic Tuscan spa retreat is home to an ancient Grotto – a millennial thermal cave and a thermal underground hot spring lake – which famed composer, Giuseppe Verdi, regarded as “the eighth wonder of the world”.
In this ancient wonder, the hotel now offers thermal yoga classes with a qualified instructor. Yoga practiced in the natural warmth of this underground labyrinth amplifies sensations, aids concentration and raises body temperature whilst guests benefit from the therapeutic effects of the cave’s thermal vapours.
The water running through the Grotto is rich in salt, sulphate, and alkaline earth and comes out of the ground at around 34°C. Its vapours generate a steam bath that provides effective treatment for respiratory, circulatory, osteo-muscular, nervous, and skin complaints.
Classes can be booked individually, or guests can book the hotel’s two night thermal yoga experience. This special package includes a choice of scuba diving or floating therapy in the underground hot spring lake; floating therapy is a deeply relaxing and highly effective treatment for relieving pain and combating stress. Grotta Giusti is the only hotel in Europe to have an underground thermal cave and hot spring lake within its grounds and there is no experience quite like diving into its warm, thermal waters. The thermal yoga follows the floating therapy or scuba diving, with the once-in-a-lifetime experience topped off with an Ayurvedic Massage.
Guests booking the package will also enjoy full access to the hotel’s thermal hot spring swimming pools and bioaquam circuit, fitness centre and guided morning hike. Finally, dinner is included both nights, one a la carte dinner and one special and very indulgent tasting dinner.
Rates for the two-night thermal spa package start from €664 (£576*) per person based on double-occupancy. Rates include two nights B&B, one a la carte dinner at the newly refurbished La Veranda restaurant, one tasting dinner, thermal swimming pool and bioaquam circuit, a 50-minute thermal yoga class, 90-minute scuba diving or spa floating and a 50-minute Ayurveda massage. For further information or to book please email booking@grottagiustiapa.com or call +39 0572 90771. *Price in pound sterling accurate according to today’s exchange rate.
Unplug in India
Ananda in the Himalayas is a world-renowned wellness retreat, located at the foot of the Himalayas in India. Their group yoga retreats are the ideal place relax and find balance. Set among 100 acres of virgin forest, Ananda enjoys views of the mountains, the valley of the holy town of Rishikesh and the river Ganges.
Each morning opens with a two-hour yoga practice, including Asana, Pranayama and Mantra chanting. Daily theory sessions will address Yogic philosophy and concepts, while meditation sessions will assist in the relaxation of body and mind. Yogi enthusiasts can enhance their practice with personalised yoga sessions, yoga nidra and Pranayama. The delicious Ayurvedic cuisine (with menus personalised according to your dosha or body type) ensures successful weight loss or healing and rejuvenation. Beyond the destination spa itself, explore the Himalayan foothills with mountains treks, guided nature walks and white water rafting.
Group Yoga Retreats cost from $2,700pp (*£2,154.60), based on two sharing. For enquiries and bookings, visit www.anandaspa.com *Price in pound sterling accurate according to today’s exchange rate.
Declutter your mind in the Maldives
The Spa & Ayurvedic Retreat at Four Seasons Resort Maldives at Landaa Giraavaru – the first to introduce AntiGravity yoga, a Yoga Energy Trail, and Panchakarma to the Maldives – is the world’s first Resort to offer Yoga Therapy Courses: personalised condition-targeting programmes devised in conjunction with S-VYASA, the world’s first “university for yoga” and pioneer of yoga therapy through scientific research.
Each three or five day programme begins and ends with consultations – including comprehensive questionnaires – to help align each course to individual needs and lifestyle. Daily 60-minute sessions then teach bespoke breathing techniques and postures designed for each ailment, aim, injury or intention.
Starting modules target specific common ailments and lifestyle diseases – Stress Management, Diabetes Care, Spinal Care, Thyroid Health, Men’s Health, Women’s Health and Addiction Management – across Foundation, Intermediate and Advanced levels.
Guests are invited to consult with the Resort’s Yogis to tailor a programme to suit other symptoms too, as well as any combination of the above. Follow-up care and support come in the form of personal video conference sessions, as well as on-site access to complementary Spa & Ayurvedic Retreat treatments, classes and cuisines.
The course starts at $650 (£518) + 23.2% taxes for a 3-day programme per person. For more information visit www.fourseasons.com
Get Mindful in Morocco
Escape the daily grind and restore and replenish your mind, body and spirit. Set in a charming riad on the beach in Essaouira, this three-night stay combines yoga, meditation and wellbeing workshops guaranteed to leave you coming away feeling refreshed and reset. This really is a mini mind break, the programme is run by a yoga teacher and wellbeing coach who have designed a retreat to disconnect, change habits and redesign your mindset. Start your day with meditation on the roof terrace followed by breakfast. Following breakfast your days are filled with a range of wellbeing activities from yoga, wellness workshops to surfing and mindful walks on the beach then wind down at the end of the day with the option of a relaxing massage and dinner.
Feast on all the flavours of Morocco during your stay and experience fresh, locally sourced traditional food in this chilled out setting right on the beach.
Bookings now open for 2020. Rates for three-nights package start at £565 pp including breakfast, lunch and dinner. Spa and surf experiences are an extra cost and booked on arrival. For more information visit www.frenchyogagarden.com
Combine yoga and forest bathing in Japan
Head to Japan for a retreat with top London yoga teacher Adam Husler. Your break begins in the beautiful forested Chūbu region, staying at a tranquil health farm surrounded by the highest mountains in Japan, including the glorious Mount Fuji. Here immerse yourself in a powerful combination of dynamic yoga, meditation, forest bathing and hiking. Then travel to a charming mountain village in Nagano region to explore temples and lakes, eat traditional Japanese food and soak in the local onsen.
For a four night stay prices start at £1,995 pp for more information visit www.reclaimyourself.co.uk
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