Top Wellness Retreats for Body & Mind

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There are many ways to do something good for your body & soul during your holidays: Yoga, Detox, Ayurveda or a classic spa treatment are only a few possibilities that allow us to escape stressful everyday life. We have put together some tips about these topics and thought about how to make them part of our travel plans!

Throughout the last years, traveling has become more than just spending days off from work or simply escaping the rainy season in our country. It has become a deep passion for many people around the world - a part of everyone’s daily life. We think and dream about our next trip – whether it is the new trendy city to explore before everyone else has been there or the next exotic destination that is not on everyone’s bucket list yet.

This is a fantastic development as traveling opens up our minds - we learn from new cultures, different ways of thinking and living and get inspired in each in our own unique way. But at the same time, it also puts some pressure on us and influences the way we travel.

Don’t we all know those ‘picture-perfects’ posted on social media showing white sandy beaches & crystal clear waters in incredibly beautiful locations that make us think “wow - that looks too perfect to be true” and “why is the person in the image not me?” Don’t we all have those friends who seem to tell us every week about a new exciting destination they have recently traveled to, while we feel stuck in our monotonous nine-to-five job rhythm with simply not enough days off to go everywhere we would like to go? (….not even considering the missing travel budget...)

The social media posts we all know….

...too beautiful to be true!

Shouldn’t we just set an end to this?

Shouldn’t we just start traveling more by listening to what is good for our body & soul instead of what is good for our social media feeds?

Yes - we definitely should! Living in this fast-moving society is exciting – new possibilities come up almost every day. But it is also exhausting for our body & soul – and that is why they deserve some attention, especially in that very special time of the year – our holidays!

Yoga, Detox, Ayurveda or a classic Spa treatment are only a few ways that enable us to fully listen to our body & soul and thereby escape from our stressful daily routines.

Some tips and thoughts for the next body & soul holiday:

Luxury or austerity yoga retreats?

Thinking about the roots of Yoga, the yogic lifestyle tends to be more connected to a rather simple way of life with very little pampering. But when it comes to our holidays, it is totally up to us to decide what is best! If it is easier to relax in a woodland cabin with no electricity – we should go for it! If we feel like we deserve a 5* modern yoga retreat offering any amenity we can imagine – we should go for it! It is not about how a yoga holiday should be – it is about us finding our perfect holiday!

The good thing about this: yoga retreats can be found for any budget. Closer locations minimize our travel costs, escaping to exotic places still works out with staying in a rather simple setting or we chose the most amazing property we can imagine - just because we deserve it!

Luxury yoga retreat on a Pacific Islands

vs. simple place to find inner balance

Just yoga – the whole day?

I`m sure some of us will read this question and shout out loud “Yes, for sure!” – but for some, especially for those with less or without any prior yoga experience, this might sound strange and boring. Yoga combines many aspects, such as meditation, mindful nutrition, etc. But for those who need more, there is good news: Yoga is easily-combined with other activities, such as hiking, sailing, cycling or surfing. Yoga will help to gain awareness for body & soul – applying the learned yoga principles to any other activity will definitely make any future trip an unforgettable experience!

Yoga & surfing are a great combination

Silent retreats – can I get to know myself by not talking at all?

Traveling across the most obscure borders, visiting the trendiest cities, hiking the most dangerous hiking trails, sky-diving in the most spectacular sceneries – these are well-known challenges and bucket-listed by many explorers all over the world.

But how about seeking peace and balance by turning inwards? Sounds strange? Maybe… A silent retreat is indeed a very special experience. Thinking that it is impossible to spend the whole day without saying a word – we will only know once we try! The good news for all those who are skeptical: There are many places that offer a 1-day experience! Joining a silent retreat is for sure something we will only be doing for ourselves – but it can still turn out to be the most exciting experience when sharing it with our family & friends during the next dinner date!

Detox & Fasting

Summer barbeques, picnics with friends, evenings in the beer-garden, festive season and summer-drinks on awesome rooftop bars – summer is great, but at the same time somewhat exhausting for our body. Detox and fasting has become a large lifestyle trend and therefore has slowly but steadily been making its way into many people’s travel plans. The benefits of detox holidays are very obvious: health benefits, body detoxification, and stress reduction.

Packages in dedicated detox & fasting resorts usually start with a specialized consultation, the establishment of individual goals and the arrangement of a tailor-made program including many other activities such as hiking, yoga, special treatments based on medical knowledge, etc. And the great news: You won’t stop applying what you learn and experience during your stay at a detox & fasting retreat at the time of check-out. For the majority of people, these special holidays build the foundation for a more healthy and active way of life. Improved body awareness and healthier eating habits will make sure that you will benefit from detox & fasting stay long after your holiday has ended...

Kick-start for a healthier way of living