From The Inside Out Mag.
For Personal Healing, Spiritual Growth & Development

by B Harvey

Yoga is enjoyed by millions of people all over the world. From its origins in India to high tech yoga endorsed by celebrities such as Madonna and Sting, Yoga is more popular in today’s hectic world than ever before.

The huge amount of people taking part in yoga must show that the benefits of yoga that are so talked about are real. A positive outlook on life, a healthy and stronger body, an inner calmness and the ability to overcome adversity have all been attributed to regular yoga practice. From young babies to the elderly, yoga has been shown to have great benefits.  retirement  homes low employ yoga teachers to come in and teach classes to their residents, while mothers are encouraged to take their babies along to baby yoga classes. Almost all the health gyms you can go to will include a yoga classes at some point during the week if not everyday.

As well as attending your regular classes, there is another way that people can enjoy yoga. Yoga holidays are becoming more popular as people realise that the benefits of yoga coupled with a relaxing break are an ideal match. With destinations available all over the world in places such as France, Italy and of course India, there is no better time to take a holiday.

There are a number of different ways to take part in a yoga holiday. You can travel with a teacher who arranges the week themselves so that the whole class travels on the holiday. This is popular with groups such as the elderly and retire. You can also book to stay in a yoga retreat which has a resident yoga teacher and daily classes. This is like staying in a hotel where they offer yoga as a free part of your stay. Many of these type of retreats also offer great food and additional services such as massage, reiki and meditation.

Touring yoga holidays are a new style of holiday where a small group of travellers join together and explore a country while practising yoga. A guide and teacher accompany the group, usually visiting destinations of relevance such as India, Nepal or Sri Lanka. This can be a very spiritual journey as well as one of self discovery.  Yoga holidays in India are very popular due to the excellent facilities and the long history of yoga in this country. Also gaining a great deal of popularity in this type of travel is Thailand, with its wonderful islands and friendly people. Who knows where the next big destination is going to be or what type of holiday people will be taking? Whatever happens, people will still be practising yoga wherever they go.