Organic & Holistic Retreats

Living spiritually can be very simple. It is true, because when we direct all of our attention and energy towards something meaning our life will change in profound ways. We do not have to renounce the world and all of its tiresome requirements in order to be spiritual. Sometimes spirituality can be as simple as allowing yourself time to relax and let the body and mind release the weight of stress, anxiety, and over activity. In fact, learning to manage your life with spiritual consciousness is the greatest way to improve your experience of every facet of your life.

In yoga it is believed that it is next to impossible to grow spirituality without a positive mind and healthy body. Before we can begin any spiritual practice, we need to learn how to cultivate a healthy lifestyle in a way which is permanent. Although we could decide to pick up our bags and take a trip to the Caribbean for a week of relaxation on the beach, we are not actually helping ourselves. This is because the relaxation is superficial, and the moment we return to work and start dealing with the daily strains of life the anxiety and stress return.

A retreat at an ashram is designed to teach individuals about wellness and living life in a more healthy way that can encourage longevity and vitality into the later years of life. Retreats are not just for the old as they can also be beneficial for those who are just entering adulthood or the prime years of their life and need to rethink their approach and perspective on living.

There are several key characteristics that define a retreat at the ashram:

1. First of all, the ashram is situated in a very natural environment. This is beneficial considering there has been significant research that proves that human beings need nature for a healthy mind. It has been proven that people that live in large cities suffer from greater amounts of stress, anxiety, and depression then those who live in open mountain ranges, rolling farmland hills, and secluded jungles. Even if we aren’t part of the majority of the population live in a city or its suburbs we can appreciate the benefit of living in environment that is designed around nature and not vice versa. By returning to nature, we are allowing our senses to relax and our minds to open.
2. The ashram is also a spiritually vibrant environment, charged with the yoga sadhana of students and disciples who have studied at the ashram in the past. This energy helps to create a positive atmosphere for those who visit, and even people suffering from depression can quickly find happiness.
3. A yoga retreat is different from anything like a spa or getaway because individuals are offered relaxation techniques and practices that have been practiced for more than 7000 years. Also, spas and holiday getaways are superficially focused: please the body and forget about the troubles of life. But this type of over indulgence in body pleasures will cause more stress in the long term as the body becomes the center of attention while the more fundamental aspects of our being like our mind and spirit are neglected.
4. At ashrams we maintain the observation of a sattvic diet which is a complementary dietary practice that helps to support rapid health transformation. Most of the time we eat unconsciously, stuffing food in our mouths without consideration of the consequences the food or our eating habits have on our body. In addition to eating healthy food, eating consciously is vital to health and vigor of the body and the digestive system. By multitasking with our meals we are harming our bodies: we forget to chew, we do not breath properly, and we often forget that every morsel of food we put into our mouth is going to be our ‘future’ body as the food supplies nutrients to the cells of our body.
5. Finally, the ashram is surrounded with other individuals who have all come to find greater peace and better health. Humans are naturally social beings, and we tend to mimic, whether consciously or unconsciously, the actions of our peers. By living with others who share the same mindset, we are giving ourselves the opportunity to work together for greater and more sustainable lifestyle practices.

To learn more about our retreats available please visit one of the links provided in the retreats section.