SIX REASONS TO GO ON A YFBP RETREAT

A self-organized vacation can seem like an easy move to make when you need a break and some time out of your normal routine. Why deal with anyone else? Maybe you simply need to see some sunshine for three days and sleep in. 

For those of us who have busy, stressful lives, we often end up on a vacation without the proper tools to help us unwind. We are so used to our habitual patterns and constantly being “on” that when we end up on a trip to relax, we don’t know how. 

Here are a few considerations for those of you intrigued (or intimidated!) by a yoga retreat and wondering if it’s worth it to let us plan the travel for you, help you keep your body & mind on par with relaxation during the trip, and give you plenty of free time to vacation as you please. YFBP: The perfect balance of structure and spontaneity.    

1. POST VACATION PROBLEM: Broke. Fat. Hung-Over. Sunburned.

On a regular vacation, you can bet money that your physical routine goes out the window. I can’t tell you how many times I have packed my running shoes or yoga mat, only to later regret it cause frankly they take up too much room and don’t get used. Without some sort of organized workout, vacation time ends up draining the wallet, adding the pounds, and giving us one more reason to see the dermatologist when we return home. 

If you go on a retreat, your daily physical practice is roped into your vacation. You not only gain the immense benefits physical exercise has (like making it easier to relax AKA enjoy your time off) but you also improve your practice when you don’t need to rush off to work and other daily responsibilities.

2. BUT I’M NOT INTO GROUP TRAVEL…

We agree. We aren’t into most group things either. There is always that person you have to deal with when traveling in a group. But our retreats are designed differently. We seek out locations that allow you to have the freedom to do what you want without the group (aside of course from the yoga, but hey, you can skip out on a few sessions if you decide sleeping in is more important).

On a YFBP retreat, you are encouraged to vacation as you like; we like to say: rest or party. Go ahead and check out every cathedral and tourist attraction, partake in surfing, hand gliding, & waterfall hikes, or just chill, hide out, read a book, get really tan, & talk to no one. The idea is that most of us don’t get enough time to play by our own rules, but you get to with us!

3. I MEAN, I KNOW I SHOULD MEDITATE…BUT…IT’S JUST THAT…

What? It’s just that you never have been able to commit to it, or maybe even begin because when it comes down to it, it seems like a waste of time.

We can sense its benefits, but few of us can rev the discipline factor up enough to actually experience them and keep it consistent for a solid period of time. Meditation never makes it to the top of the list.

When you are on retreat, you have the time to meditate. Being in a place that you have never been, meditation is actually easier to gravitate towards. It’s that early morning feeling of “what should I do, since I am not getting up for work?” that coerces you to the cushion. We are there to lead you, day by day, without the struggle of feeling like meditation is something you should do and don’t know how.

By the time the retreat is over, you will know why it’s worth carving out the 15 minutes. And coming home, you will want to keep it up.

4. YOUR WELLBEING IS CURRENTLY IN A SERIOUS FUNK

Yup. This happens to the best of us. Days go by. There’s been too much coffee. Too much fried survival food. Too many hours in front of your screens, and your water intake matches that of someone stranded in the Sahara. Everything is just kind of blah. It’s not necessarily a major tragedy situation (although this is a good reason too), but life has flatlined recently and you could use a little Technicolor.

Retreat time! Get out of the subway and into the sun. Go on Expedia and click some buttons. Send us an email. Click another button. And we got it from there. Distance makes the heart grow fonder, and we don’t mean just in love, we mean in relation to our daily lives. In the deeper teachings, it’s an internal shift that makes the real waves, but to kickstart the currents, getting the F out of your tedious routine will boost your overall morale about everything. Expect unexpected enthusiasm upon your return.

5. EVERYTHING IS BETTER WHEN YOU HAVE A TICKET SOMEWHERE ELSE

It’s pretty simple. When you have a ticket booked, even if its 4 months away, the time in between doesn’t seem so drab and imprisoning. Appreciation for what is happening now is incrementally higher when adventure is around the corner. Projects get completed with a rare energized focus because you know that when they’re done, your vacation is that much closer. And God forbid that a drawn out project would bleed into your retreat time.

Motivation to drag your ass to class is higher because a little prep never hurt anyone. And in the moments when the world starts to cave in on you, and it’s hard to see past the 4 block radius of your life, you remember what is happening in x amount of weeks, and with something to look forward to, you make it through the sludge. 

6. WHERE’S MY PUBIC SYMPHYSIS?

How many times have yoga teachers said things that you don’t understand at all? MayurasanaSmishasana? Pubic symphysis? What?

Retreat is the time when you have the mental space to understand these foreign languages, to figure out anatomy, and ask the teacher the questions you never did. Everyone has time to ask, answer and absorb.  

Now, it’s just a matter of which trip fits into your schedule. Links below to our upcoming winter-spring schedule. Summer to be announced soon. 

MEXICO . URUGUAY . BRAZIL . BRAZIL . CUBA . IRELAND . 

One Love. 

xo