Natural and holistic means of therapy are very much in vogue right now. In this era of freely available knowledge, people are gradually becoming aware about the long-term harms of western medicine. This makes them more inclined towards ancient ways of healing. As a result, natural methods of healing have undergone a revival and have become fairly popular amongst laymen. And with these wholesome preferences, people are choosing to spend their holidays not partying away, but at wellness retreats. 

These getaways provide people not only with special holistic programs, but with a change of scenery as well. Two of the most common types of retreats people prefer to go to are yoga retreats and meditation retreats. To understand these retreats in depth, let us help you understand the difference between yoga and meditation first. 

Yoga

Yoga is not just a form of exercise, but a lifestyle. You might think that yoga is a complicated set of exercises that require a lot of flexibility but that’s a misconception. While consistently performing yoga improves posture, metabolism and strengthens  internal organs, it is much more than that. Yoga is not all about stretching and performing intense physical exercises.The purest purpose of yoga is to rid oneself of all obstacles and sufferings and achieve the highest form of self-realization. Yoga teaches you a holistic way of living. 

Yoga can be done even with physical restrictions, you just need a good instructor to guide you on what is to be done and how. Hence it is very important for beginners to learn yoga to perform it the right way. For this purpose, people attend yoga retreats, where experts educate and instruct you on your yoga journey. These yoga camps give you the perfect environment to learn yoga as they are usually located in places surrounded by nature. These retreats try to cultivate healthy habits in you so that you can lead a wholesome life and carry on yogic practices on a daily basis. 

Meditation

Where yoga is all about balancing the body and practicing healthful postures, meditation on the other hand is about stillness, be it physical or mental. Practicing meditation consists of no exercises or bodily movements. In meditation, a person tries to focus their mind on emptiness to achieve the ultimate state of mental peace. In todays’ fast-paced world where we are multitasking at all times, it is rare that our minds and bodies are in harmony. This is where meditation helps center the mind and body by healing emotional and psychological stress, while teaching patience like no other. If you are in the habit of meditating every single day, there is a good chance that you won’t need to take any medication for mental health. But emptying your mind while keeping still is surprisingly hard if you have no training. Hence meditation retreats exist where you can learn how to expel the clutter from your mind and achieve the state of perfect harmony. Fresh air, a quiet environment and the sounds of nature aid you in the process. Some retreats offer a very minimalistic approach, keeping living arrangements as simple as possible so you don’t get distracted. Others provide their visitors with all the luxuries they could imagine. It’s completely up to you which setting you choose to go to. 

Now that we have told you a few things about yoga and meditation retreats, you can tell there are some differences involved. A major one being that yoga has some limitations due to the physical aspect of the discipline whereas meditation has no such requirement. While yoga teaches you about being physically fit and leading a disciplined lifestyle, meditation shows you the inner way to reach mental peace. At a yoga retreat, being surrounded by like minded people matters a lot, as they motivate you to follow a yogic lifestyle. But a meditation retreat takes a more isolative approach. Often, retreats follow a protocol dictating that complete silence will be observed during meditation sessions. Thus, yoga and meditation both teach the art of mental focus but adopt different approaches to reach that goal. Yoga does it with the help of bodily exertion, whereby yogic poses compel you to focus on the task at hand but meditation teaches to focus with breathing techniques and mental exercises. 

Although yoga and meditation might be different, they often go hand in hand. If you visit a yoga retreat, you will likely be suggested to meditate, as relaxation of the mind is a vital part of holistic healing.  At Nimba Nature Cure, we focus on healing the self, inside and out. We put a great deal of emphasis on inner growth and wellness in all our offerings. To ensure that our guests have the perfect environment to embark on the journey within, we have designed a separate meditation cave and yoga room. To experience our traditional Yoga and Meditation therapies, visit us or call on 8347313333. Invoke the power of healing present within you in the green environs of Nimba Nature Cure.