We’ve all hit that point: the point where one feels burnt out, overloaded with work, and dragged under the tide of constant demands from upper leadership. Where one feels disconnected from themselves in their day-to-day life, caught in an endless cycle of wake, work, eat, sleep, and going from one objective to another. We’ve all experienced this phenomenon to varying degrees, as it’s an unintended consequence of our capital-driven, rat-race world — bouncing from one problem to another, never really getting an opportunity to connect with the self or the natural world.
When this condition begins to afflict you, the most successful remedy is to get away. To disconnect from the constant demands and well-tread pathways of your status quo and to open up space to connect with something else. Whether that “something else” is the natural world and its wonders or the self and its spiritual and mental needs is immaterial; it’s about removing yourself from mundanity and allowing yourself to experience the beauty and wholeness life has to offer.
In this article, we’ll take a comprehensive look at the many options there are to “get away,” allowing you to choose the venture that will be most beneficial to your health and wellness.
Yoga and Meditation Retreats
If you’ve been struggling to balance your personal and professional life, a yoga or meditation retreat is most likely your best choice. Yoga and meditation retreats are typically located in areas surrounded by and infused with natural beauty, offering an opportunity to rest and connect with your spiritual side. As most yoga retreats offer treatments and activities based on Eastern medicinal practices, attendees often:
- Attend communal yoga sessions: While you may be familiar with a typical yoga session, most are squeezed into busy schedules. In most yoga retreats, you will encounter a more relaxed pace. Many also incorporate other health techniques into your regimen, allowing you to attend mindfulness workshops and the like. These sessions also offer opportunities to connect with other yoga practitioners, enabling you to build community as you immerse yourself physically and spiritually.
- Are given opportunities to disconnect: Yoga retreats aren’t all activity, all the time. In fact, most instructors will frequently tell you to take time for yourself, with built-in me time a part of the retreat’s plan for self-fulfillment. Expect to spend that time wholly on yourself and your interests, whether that means unwinding with a book, getting crafty with crotchet, or venturing into the wilderness.
- Are presented with the option to unburden themselves: Whatever your reasons for seeking a getaway, there will be others at the retreat who share them. Sharing is by no means mandatory, but if you should so choose, you may take advantage of the opportunity to unburden yourself in a safe, therapeutic space.
Yoga and meditation retreats are centered around one ideal: harmony. If that’s something you’ve been lacking, this intersection of natural beauty, holistic health techniques, and a thriving community might be for you.
Luxury Spa Resorts with Holistic Health Treatments
Luxury spa resorts are for those who want their getaway to similarly focus on the self and health but without necessarily indulging in the spiritual side. These resorts concentrate on health and beauty treatments, allowing you to pamper and revitalize yourself with holistic practices often made possible by cutting-edge tech. Far from just a spa getaway, although many have the same accouterments if that’s what you’re looking for, luxury resorts like the Hacienda Del Mar are practiced in providing health-bolstering services that are difficult to attain at home.
Take, for example, hot tub hydrotherapy, a service many of these luxury spa resorts provide. This form of hydrotherapy requires you to sit in a hot tub for around 20 minutes a day, during which time you can engage in any of the relaxing activities you’d typically do in a hot tub. Reported results of this simple, therapeutic form of self-care include decreased tension, improved circulation, and positive effects on various other systems within the body.
That’s just one example of the therapies these resorts provide; often, stays in these hotels are supported by personalized health and wellness programs curated by staff. Your day will alternate between participating in healing therapies and enjoying top-notch luxuries, giving you ample opportunity to relax and rejuvenate at the same time.
Locations With Healing Atmospheres
Of course, you could always just go on a literal adventure. Adventure-based retreats vary widely by definition but can be summarized thusly: going where you want to go and doing what you want to do. Whether that consists of going on a months-long hike through the Appalachian mountains, going on a cruise to the Croatian islands, or flying overseas to experience a different culture is entirely up to you.
Adventure-based retreats can be as structured or wanderlust-driven as you wish, as you’re the one who sets your daily schedule, plans to visit cultural highlights, and determines when it’s time to return to the hotel. While the temptation to pack your schedule can be immense, especially if you’re scheduling a shorter adventure, we recommend slow travel — giving yourself space to rest, relax, and truly soak in the sights is the best way to ensure your getaway refreshes you instead of draining you further. Even on the most harrowing or exciting of adventures, leaving yourself time to truly immerse yourself in local culture and practice self-care is of paramount importance.
We hope this guide gave you the insight to choose the wellness-oriented vacation that will best suit your needs. Allow yourself time to disconnect — you need it. Why not take the time to enjoy the rewards you’ve reaped?