Yoga Holiday
 

It's summer time! You've been looking forward to this season all year long! Plans have been made. Bahamas, here we come! Flight tickets, check! Hotel reservation, check! Will have awesome time at the beach, check check! Stress checker? 

Do you know that your stress level increases during this so-called-stress-free-holiday-vacation? Imagine reaching the airport just to find out that the seats were overbooked, and you will have to wait for the next flight out, which is in 5 hours time! To add to the pain, your luggage has been transported without you! When you reach the hotel, the bellboy entertains you more than the hotel manager or the receptionist! And the pool-view from room you reserved a month ago is being replaced with a view of buildings under construction instead!  

Holiday stress does exist and it can ruin your vacation if you do not know how to overcome it. Instead of feeling relaxed and happy, your might find yourself feeling angry and annoyed most of the time instead. After nearly a year of hectic living, all you have been looking forward to is a summer vacation in which you can relax and enjoy yourself. But you can’t because of the bad service in the hotel, or the supposedly warm food which was served chilled and many more! Don't lose your head just yet! Having a yoga holiday can help overcome holiday stress as it offers a variety of methods to reduce the negative experiences that may unavoidably arise during your vacation. Through meditation, asana (yoga posture) practice and pranayama (yoga breathing techniques), you will find your mind and soul are open and relaxed. 

Avoid holiday stresses by opting for a yoga holiday. Having a yoga holiday will help to make your mind calm and peaceful, allowing yourself to truly free yourself from the worries and mental discomfort that often plague us in every day life. And, the effects of a yoga holiday will last long after your return home. You will find you are able to accept situations which once were stressful, in a positive and relaxed manner. 

Put excuses such as no time aside. Try these few quick simple exercises. See how quickly you start to feel calmed and relaxed and imagine how a few weeks in the sun on a yoga holiday, doing these practices, might improve your physical, mental and emotional well-being. 

First method is 'tense and relax'. Get yourself comfortable lying on your back with your feet, legs, abdomen, buttocks, hands, arms, shoulders, neck and face relaxed. Tense up each part of the body from the feet up, squeezing each area then release slowly and notice your body start to completely relax. 

Another method to try out is deep abdominal breathing. Firstly, lie on your back, get comfortable and relax your belly and breathe deeply through your nose, so your belly expands during inhaling and relax during exhaling. Let your thoughts pass by as you focus on your breathing. Concentrate on the present moment. You will then realise that the present is fine, and we are usually simply worrying about the future or the past too much. 

On a yoga holiday you will enjoy going more deeply into these practices, and after your yoga holiday.