When our lives get out of balance we experience stress. The stress may come from work, relationships, health challenges, legal challenges, the environment or any combination of factors. Stress in of itself is not so bad but when experienced regularly over time disease states arise: irritability, anxiety, insomnia, headaches, feelings of helplessness, and indigestion. Left unchecked chronic stress leads to depression, high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease, chronic anxiety, a compromised immunes system, etc.

A time honored way of bringing balance into your life is with a retreat. A retreat can help you regain balance and live healthier in a number of important ways. First, when you participate in a retreat you remove yourself from the regular of stressors of daily life and by doing so create an opportunity for your system to naturally come back into balance. Sometimes we have lived so long with stress that we have forgotten what it feels like to feel really good!

A retreat offers the possibility to feel good again. And having this time away you can gain a fresh perspective of what is causing the stress and consider what you might do to bring about a healthier lifestyle.

When you combine retreat time with a natural healing modality such as yoga you create an opportunity to renew and revitalize your entire system ¨C body, mind and spirit, at very deep levels. You also have the opportunity to learn something new or deepen into the practice of yoga. And through this experience you may become inspired to practice regularly at home which will further bring balance and health into your life.

Of course the ideal retreat includes delicious and nurturing meals of whole foods, like minded people, time to play, and a sacred environment where the healing power of nature can support you: magnificent views, beautiful weather, the energy of the land etc. It is for this reason that retreats are often taken in the mountains, forests, by the ocean, or on tropical islands.

Being in a beautiful natural environment also has another powerful effect

About The Author

Howard VanEs, M.A. has been studying and practicing yoga for over thirteen years and is a certified yoga teacher teaching in the East Bay area of San Francisco. He is author of ¡°Beginning Yoga: A Practice Manual¡±, co-creator of the audio CD ¡°Shavasana / Deep Relaxation¡±. http://www.letsdoyoga.com info@letsdoyoga.com 510-587-3399

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