Three Things That You'll Find At An Intensive Yoga Retreat

If you're thinking about attending a yoga retreat by yourself or with a family member or friend, you'll likely see that several different types of retreats are available. As you browse your options, there's a good chance that you'll come across what is known as an intensive yoga retreat. This type of event is targeted toward people with a lot of experience in yoga. It's possible that you might be working toward achieving your yoga teacher training, or maybe you've just been doing yoga at an advanced level for years. Here are some things that you'll commonly find at an intensive yoga retreat.

Long Classes

One thing that makes intensive yoga retreats different from many other types of retreats is that you'll often experience long classes. While the exact duration of these classes can vary, you may find that they're lengthier than what you've previously experienced. For someone who loves yoga and perhaps finds that classes at their local studio are a little too short, an intensive retreat can be a good option. Not only will these classes allow you to explore a long list of poses, but you'll also spend more time than usual holding each pose.

Advanced-Level Poses

While there are lots of yoga retreats that are suitable for novices to attend, intensive retreats often feature challenging classes that would be too difficult for a beginner. Taking classes at an intensive retreat often requires you to have a good understanding of yoga so that you can perform a variety of advanced-level poses. The instructors will assume that you understand and can perform a number of moderate-level poses that will serve as the foundation to poses that are more advanced. If you're keen on pushing yourself physically, these classes can be rewarding to attend.

Fewer Other Activities

It's easy to find all sorts of yoga retreats that offer a wide variety of other activities throughout the day. For example, while you might take a yoga class or even two classes during a given day at some retreats, you'll also enjoy outdoor activities such as hiking and swimming, and you may get a chance to enjoy pampering treatments such as massage therapy. In general, you can expect that an intensive yoga retreat will have fewer of these complementary activities. Instead, you'll attend several yoga classes each day and also spend time on other yoga-related activities. This can make this type of getaway appealing for those who mainly want to focus on yoga.