A Traditional Approach To Yoga
My group varied greatly in skill level, but we all had one thing in common. We knew almost nothing about the philosophical background and traditional practice of "yog," as it is called in India. Rishi set out to correct this with lectures on the history of yoga, detailed explanations of postures and breathing practices during class, and instruction in health-maintaining practices like using a neti pot. He explained that yoga is not just exercise, but a disciplined lifestyle that involves training the mind and body.
Classes take place in a beautiful yoga studio with sliding doors that open onto a stone Buddha. We started the day by eating four soaked almonds that were left in a bowl in our rooms. The 7 AM class begins and ends with "om" and includes classic postures like sun salutations, fish, spinal twist and corpse. Don't expect pounding music or a sweaty workout.
No Hot Yoga Here!
After class we had breakfast at Cafe Mayana, the spa cafe that specializes in juice drinks and smoothies (including the yummy but non-yogic Chocolate Coffee Smoothie.) At 11 AM there's a daily 90-minute lecture, and the afternoon is open for spa treatments or one-on-one sessions with Rishi. At six PM, it is back for a class on pranayama, or breathing, and meditation.
Every night we found a turn-down gift in our room that related to the class -- a pretty journal, a neti pot, and incense, which is used to balance the mind and purify the air.
Personally, I ate all this up. I was impressed by the level of authenticity. I learned more about yoga in one weekend than I had during years of practice and reading books. I loved being able to ask questions of a true yoga master. Rishi is teaching yoga as it was originally meant to be, without the marketing gimmicks like "power yoga" or "hot yoga."
Program Works For Beginners To Advanced
One experienced student didn't feel it was enough of a workout for her. You might get frustrated if you like to keep moving all the time and don't like lectures.
The breakfast buffet that in included in the program is FABULOUS, with buttery banana muffins, but there was so much good food it was easy to overeat. I wish the food was more integrated into the program. Most of the time you're eating on your own. Ceviche Cha Cha has terrific ceviche and sushi, but vegetarian food is not the forte here.
Still, this is a great program for beginners who want a really solid foundation so they understand where yoga comes from and what it does for the mind and body. It's good for people who have done yoga before and want to begin again. And it's good for intermediate or advanced students who may have missed out on that or want to refine certain postures.
Wellness Yoga Retreat At A Glance:
As is common in the travel industry, the writer was provided with complimentary airfare, accommodations, meals and treatments for the purpose of reviewing those services. While it has not influenced this review, About.com believes in full disclosure of all potential conflicts of interest. For more information, see our ethics policy.
