Yoga Retreat Classes

Overview of classes offered by yoga retreats

Yoga retreats usually offer courses or packages that last for a number of days and sometimes as long as a month. They often integrate a number of different healthy living workshops such as yoga and meditation as well as detox and fasting. Longer retreats are ideal for those coming on holiday looking specifically to focus and develop their yoga skills or to get reenergised and rejuvenated before heading home. However, there are shorter options in the form of daily workshops and even hourly classes enabling you to integrate yoga, meditation or another area into your holiday to the extent that suits you. 

Health and wellness retreats such as The Yoga Retreat on Koh Phangan, tend to focus on yoga and meditation when it comes to hourly classes. This is because you can easily pick up where you left off when it comes to exercise such as yoga, whereas detox, fasts and cleanses require a number of days in order to be carried out properly. As well as paying for individual hourly classes, The Yoga Retreat also offers special passes whereby you pay for 10, 20 or 30 classes in one go in order to benefit from a significant discount. 

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The Eight Limbs Of Yoga

The eight limbs of yoga are the basics and core of yoga practice. The eight limbs was designed by the great sage Patanjali. He shared an eight-limbed path thousands of years ago that forms the basic framework of a yoga practice. The aim of the practice is that after a while, none of the elements will be worth more than another in terms of hierarchy.

The Eight Limbs are:

1. Yama – Universal Morality (there are 5 yamas; non-violence, truthfulness, non-stealing, continence and non-hoarding)
2. Asanas – Posture of the body (dissolves tension, builds strength, eliminates toxins and increases circulation)
3. Niyama – Personal observations (5 niyamas; cleanliness, contentment, purification, sacred texts study and devotion)
4. Pratyahara – Controlling of your senses (touch, taste, see, smell and hear)
5. Pranayama – Breathing exercises (stops your breathing from becoming restricted, erratic or choppy in mood swings)
6. Dhyana – Meditation and devotion (dissolves separateness and creates peace)
7. Dharana – Concentration levels and awareness (creates a calm and still mind)
8. Samadhi – Unity (the goal of all yoga, creates a complete state of consciousness)

Start by practicing the first limb, then extend to the second, the third and so on. Eventually, when you get used to practicing and get good at these practices, you will have achieved all that Patanjali aimed for each person to achieve by doing so. However, in order to perform them correctly, you need to be able to focus, relax and clear your mind so that each practice (limb) comes naturally to you. Prepare to reach the height of your human experience!

Introduction To Hatha Yoga

Hatha yoga is something that not many people may have heard of, not even the people who steep themselves into the systems of alternative medicine however it is a system that has been around for many a years.

Hath yoga otherwise called hatha vidya is a method of yoga that was taught in the 15^th century by Yogi Swatmarama in the spiritual home of yoga India. The system finds its roots based on differing breathing exercises and in particular that of asanas and pranayama techniques.

Swatmarama started that this system of yoga was a stepping stone in the preparation stage of body cleansing so that the human body could then reach higher stages of meditation and yoga. It is believed that Hatha yoga gives the chance to become much more aware in yourself and life and that it goes much further than traditional  breathing exercises which are normally only for a healthy body.

Swatmarama taught that by using this type of yoga that you would not just be strengthen and purifying the body but you would also be working towards a healthy mind while promoting a body and mind connection. Much of the traditional models of yoga that are practiced nowadays have some link to this method of yoga making it one of the fathering methods for that which people undertake now.

Island Yoga Retreats

When you think about practising your yoga or even learning for the first tine as a beginner, what kind of environment do you imagine? For most people the thought of yoga has connotations of relaxation and deep breathing with a backdrop of white sand beaches, blue skies and crashing waves. This dream of serenity can become a reality with the variety of yoga resorts in some of the most beautiful island locations. A resort with arguably one of the best yoga experiences in one of the most beautiful islands in Asia is that of The Yoga Retreat Koh Phangan.

At such a resort you will have the opportunity to learn or improve upon your existing yoga skills and techniques with professional, experienced and friendly yoga instructors. You can choose the length of your stay at the yoga resort according to your preference and the amount of time that you have available. Bare in mind that your accommodation is nestled amongst island scenery so your whole stay will include jungle and tropical beaches. Practise yoga with the fresh ocean breeze cleansing your entire body and allow your body and mind to relax to the sound of crashing waves