We’re excited to share that Jill Lawson, our resident yoga expert, is leading a yoga and surfing retreat. Hosted by Via Yoga, the six-day retreat is over Thanksgiving weekend in Sayulita, Mexico, a picturesque beach town 35 miles north of Puerto Vallarta. Jill will be teaching two 90-minute yoga classes per day, and there will be four surf lessons throughout the week.
Jill explains that yoga and surfing go hand in hand, because they both have a meditative quality to them. “Surfing and yoga also share a lot of the same physical components,” she says. “Both surfing and yoga require balance, flexibility and upper body strength. Chaturanga and/or plank pose uses similar muscles as the surfing ‘pop up’ which is a move used to get from lying on the board up to standing. Once we’ve made it on the board, our sense of balance must take over.”
Besides offering guests a wonderful vacation and lots of time to relax and center your yoga practice. It’s an opportunity to really connect with other yoga enthusiasts. “When you leave your yoga class at home, you leave behind the group of people in it,” says Jill. In a retreat setting there’s more time to form bonds over shared meals and excursions. “Great friendships are indeed kindled.” You also have the opportunity to build a better bond with the instructor. “You’ll be taking classes twice a day with the same instructor, who is there just for you, and this allows you the chance to discuss what it is you need or want to work on, and have a full week to practice.”
Participants will stay at Villa Amor, an ocean-front villa with an open-air layout. Accommodations also include daily breakfast, a day trip to Punta Mita for more surfing or snorkeling, three group dinners and a one-hour massage.
Yoga or surfing experience is not required to participate as expert yoga and surfing instruction is provided, all levels are welcome. For more details and other retreat dates, visit ViaYoga.com.
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