Please share your Yoga Retreat Experiences!

Travel & Events Yoga Retreats
#1

Hi everyone,

I am new to the forum and recently my friend and I went on a life-changing yoga retreat in Thailand. Being college football players, we had practised yoga in the past but only for the flexibility and balance benefits.

We were blessed to learn from an amazing teacher. Our teacher’s guru is Reinhard Gammenthaler. Here was the schedule for our retreat:

We arrived Sunday night and this was the schedule for each day (Monday thru Friday).

9 AM - 11:15 AM: Hatha Yoga

11:30 AM - 12:30 PM: Lecture and Q & A

12:30 - 1 PM: Lunch ~ was usually delicious and nutritious salad made with lettuce, brown rice, veggies, and hummus with a little olive oil and vinegar.

Free time to rest and read or go to the beach.

4 PM - 6:15 PM: Ashtanga Yoga Practise

6:30 Dinner, usually brown rice salad again because the stomach should only ever be half full according to the Hatha Yoga Pradipika. With proper Yoga, there?s no need to overfull a stomach.

Read and Sleep

No technology, no phones, no computers, etc.

Highlights: the incense coupled with the yoga music (Krishna Das and some others) and the setting itself and the amazing teaching of Rory made for an unforgettable experience. Not to mention we were on an outdoor wooden platform looking out at the Thai jungle.

It was completely different from any Western yoga classes that I have participated in. I learned more in this week about yoga and about life in general than I ever have. There were only four of us on the retreat so it was great to have one-on-one attention and ability to learn.

We learned that without engaging the bandhas, you are not really getting the full affects of the practise. However, since a lot of yoga in the West has become commercialized, some teachers don’t teach this way. It was also great to learn about the health benefits of each posture. Another highlight was that we would learn so many useful facts during the week. For example, we learned that some yogis stay in headstand for 2 hours at a time.

After this week, I learned about the vast world of yoga and meditation and how important this is in life. I cannot wait to continue to practise yoga and learn more about the practise in order to make myself a better person and in turn help those around me to become better!

Has anyone else had a similar experience that they would like to share???

My little blog: (Coming soon)
Twitter: iTweetYoga

#2

I agree that a traditional ashram like intensive is very beneficial. One caution, is that some ‘gurus’ in my opinion are too focused on ego - meaning they want you to worship them. I think a true guru doesn’t need to be worshiped or coerce obedience… in fact, a true guru is a servant not a self proclaimed ‘living god’, imho

For some reason folks from the states think they have to go over seas for an traditional yoga experience, however there are many traditional ashrams right here in the United States.

#3

Thank you for the response. It is important to note that our teacher was not a guru. He learned from a guru but he was not a guru himself. In fact, he was detached from his ego which was perhaps the most refreshing part of the experience.

Can anyone else share their experiences at yoga retreats?

My little blog: (Coming Soon)
Twitter: @iTweetYoga
"With Practise, All is coming." ~ Pattabhi Jois