What is a Yoga Holiday?

Okay, this may not exactly be the most interesting question ever, but it was one that had been on my mind for a while. We promote a lot of yoga vacations on Awaken Holidays and thought that it was about time I asked one of our holiday providers what a ‘yogi’ can expect from a yoga retreat.

Gary, who has been running Yoga Holidays in Spain for the last 11 years, was kind enough to look past my ignorance and answer my questions!

Q: What does a yoga retreat guest do on a yoga holiday?
A: Obviously we hold Yoga sessions, but we also go on guided walks as a group, and importantly we have meditation sessions where you learn to centre on yourself and find peace in a busy world.

Q: Do I do yoga all day long?
A: No, not at all! We have friendly and fun yoga sessions twice a day In the morning we have a refreshing session of yoga after lemon and ginger tea, and in the evenings we will have a more reflective and peaceful yoga session before dinner.


Q: Do I need to be an expert yogi to come on one of your Yoga Retreats?
A: Not in the slightest. All levels are accepted and your yoga teacher will carefully structure the sessions so that everyone is included and comfortable with the yoga. She will gently encourage you to try new asanas (postures) and she will help you with any areas of yoga that you wish to work on. She is very sympathetic to the entire group and all will be catered for.


Q: Are complete beginners catered for?
A: Complete beginners can enjoy the challenge and will be duly cared for on the breaks. You will never feel left out and you will learn so much on your yoga holiday with us.


Q: Can I bring a non-yogi friend?
A: Yes, you can bring a friend that does not do Yoga. There is plenty to do in the lovely area of Spain where we hold our Yoga Retreats. They are welcome to join in with all the non-yoga activities that we do, such as walking, cycling, and the like, or they can hire a car and spend their days exploring the region. We will help them as much as possible to ensure that they have a wonderful holiday too!

Q: Will I have fun?
A: I can answer this with a very definite ‘Yes’! Almost all the time the group dynamics are excellent and many people make friends for life on our Yoga holidays. In fact, we have a client that has come on our yoga retreats seven times! She is a yearly attendee and she has made countless friends on her yoga breaks with us.

Q: What other activities are there to do?
A: On our yoga holidays we offer beauty and health treatments, such as massages and facials. There are also nutrition experts to speak to. We also have more active sessions such as biking and hiking, and for many they love the cooking class that we arrange for our guests.


Q: What is the food like? I’m not a strict vegetarian.
A: The food is very healthy. There is a great variety of dishes – with fish on some nights – and some evenings are ‘free nights al fresco’ where you can eat what you wish!


Q: Can I go to the beach?
A: There are many lovely, clean beaches within minutes of the accommodation centres.


Q: Do I get a day off from yoga?!
A: Saturday evening is your own free time, but you can opt in or out of any of the sessions if you wish to do something else.

That was all that I could think of to ask Gary for the moment, and he pleasantly answered all my questions without laughing once! You can find his holidays here: http://www.awakenholidays.com/yoga-holidays/yoga-holidays-in-spain/

You never know, I may even head off on a Yoga Holiday in Spain myself one day; once I can actually reach down and touch my toes without fainting that is! Thanks for reading.