According to Ayurveda there’s actually an art to drinking water to make sure your body gets the most out of it.

Drinking water in big gulps and chugging it down will mean that most of it does not get absorbed or it may drain important salts from your body. Drinking too much water is actually not good for you. Instead, it’s important to sip water throughout the day at a steady rate. Here are some Ayurveda tips to get you started and find the right balance.

 Ayurveda tips for drinking water

•  Sit down to drink
•  Take small sips
•  Sip throughout the day
•  Do not drink too much during meals
•  Avoid drinking water straight after a meal
•  Drink warm water
•  Drink a glass of warm water upon waking
•  Sip hot water for a hot water detox
•  Ensure you do not get dehydrated
•  Drink when you’re thirsty

Drinking warm and hot water has long been a practice in Ayurveda. Sipping it between meals can help flush out toxins and prevent digestive problems. It is also known to enhance the radiance of the skin and calm skin conditions.

Warm or hot water helps to combat fatigue and balance the energy in your body. Cold water can slow digestion but warm or hot water can do the opposite and help nutrients be absorbed more easily.

Adding herbs and spices to water can help rejuvenate and help digestion. Both Fennel and ginger have been used to calm and settle the stomach. Basil leaves, mint leaves, cumin, lemon and rose buds can also be added to help balance your body with the three doshas.

We’re advised to drink 1.5 litres or eight glass of water a day. According to Ayurveda, the amount of water we should drink depends on many factors. There is no one-size-fits-all.
Depending on age, weather, workload and diet, the amount of water we should consume varies. But a good rule of thumb is to drink every time you’re thirsty, and continue to sip water throughout the day.

If you are interested in taking an Ayurveda holiday and practice Ayurveda techniques, visit this page to see what Neal’s Yard Holidays have available. Yoga goes had in hand with Ayurveda, see here also for yoga holidays.

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In the recent BBC programme ‘Trust Me I’m a Doctor’, Michael Moseley tested Tai Chi and Zumba as forms of exercise to compare their effectiveness on our health. He asked can the slow movements of Tai Chi be as good for our health as the high energy activity of Zumba? – The result was astounding, read more in our blog on ‘What is Tai Chi?’.  Here we round up some of the best Tai Chi retreats for you.

For a sample of Tai Chi practice for health, see ‘Tai Chi 5 Minutes a Day for beginners’:

Note:
The old Western spelling is Tai Chi Chuan and Chi Kung. – In the early 1990 Chinese authorities decreed that the spelling in Latin characters should be Tai Ji Quan (or in one word Taijiquan) and Qigong. This more closely matches the Mandarin pronunciation and differentiates the two different ‘chi’ ­ – in Qi gong it means ’energy’, whereas Tai Ji Quan means the ‘Supreme Ultimate’ (‘Ji’ does not mean energy). So the modern spellings for short are Qigong and Taiji (but Tai Chi is still widely used).

Updated 7 November 2019.

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When you’re planning your next spring or summer holidays, you’ll want to make sure you get the best deal on flights. But how far in advance should you book your plane ticket?

Skyscanner and CheapAir analysed over 200 million flights over three years and came up with a formula that lets you know the answer to the question we all like to know:
When is the optimum time to book my flights?

The formula for cheap air tickets

According to the research, the optimum ‘window’ for bagging cheap air tickets is from 29 days – 104 days before date of departure.

The research shows that the cheapest time to book flights in advance from the UK is as follows:

Spain – 5 weeks
USA – 21 weeks
Italy – 6 weeks
France – 6 weeks
Greece – 3 weeks
Turkey – 13 weeks
Portugal – 5 weeks
Germany – 9 weeks
Cyprus – 4 weeks
Croatia – 6 weeks

However, air fares can fluctuate and so it’s advisable to sign up for price alerts so you know when the lower prices become available. Nonetheless the research is interesting and we decided to try it ourselves.

We searched for a flight from London to Athens (Greece) departing less than a week from the time of writing, returning in 7 days, and the cheapest direct flight returned was £95. We did the same search but for the optimum 3 weeks in advance of departure, again returning in one week, and the cheapest direct flight, albeit with a different airline, was £68. We decided to increase the time from 3 weeks to 5 weeks and found that the cheapest direct flight was cheaper still at £61.

But then we searched for a direct flight from London to Malaga (Spain), again, less than a week before departure, and the cheapest flight was £59. We searched again for a flight 5 weeks in advance and the cheapest flight returned was £45. Searching 8 weeks in advance however, returned a cheapest flight of £64, so the price had gone up again after the recommended 5 weeks in advance.

We think this formula works although you could probably push the number of weeks in advance like we did with our Athens trip. Yet be aware of holidays such as Christmas or Easter, because flights will always be more expensive around those times. So it’s worth double checking latest prices around the optimum time and earlier.

Here’s another crucial tip. After searching for flights online do clear your ‘cookies’. – According to the Telegraph newspaper, there is anecdotal evidence to suggest companies keep a record of your flight searches and push up prices the more you search to pressure you into buying before prices “rise” further. So if you search for a flight more than a couple of times in a week you could be targeted. To avoid this, clear your browser cookies after each search – or turn on anonymous browsing.

Now you’ll have the best chance to find cheap air tickets with this knowledge.

With this in mind you may like to plan your next yoga retreat and spring or summer holiday in good time.

To find out how to get cheap train tickets, see our previous blog here.

Happy holidays!

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Winter is the best time to start planning your next wellbeing holiday for spring and summer, there’s time to contemplate and then enjoy looking forward to the holiday.

We have lots of retreats on offer that provide activities from yoga and Pilates to windsurfing and mountain biking. Take your pick!

Perhaps a wellbeing holiday nestled in the French Alps is more your thing?  This holiday offers lots of activities for thrill-seekers including hiking, climbing and paragliding, see above photo. There’s also three hours a day of yoga and meditation, and spa treatment available to help you calm down again. The chalet is south-facing so you can soak up all the summer sun in this tranquil alpine retreat.

This wellbeing retreat in southern Spain is available year round and is nestled in the mountains. Under the glorious Spanish sun you can practice yoga, tai chi, painting, and writing or even try your feet at Flamenco dancing! To cool off you can have a refreshing dip in the pool, or a shiatsu massage. Excursions include walks around the stunning mountains and trips to the local street market.

If you’re in need of a detox or want to feel rejuvenated, this wellbeing holiday in Sussex could be just that. It offers everything you need to leave feeling like a new you, including juices and raw food, meditation, life coaching and other therapies, weight management and personal fitness. There are lots of activities available too and what’s more, accommodation is in a 5-star 19^th century converted barn, making this a truly unique experience.

Neal’s Yard Holidays has plenty more wellbeing holidays available next spring and summer, just visit this page to find the wellbeing holiday for you.

For the best time to book your holiday and the cheapest time to book flights in advance see our blog on Cheap Air Tickets for Spring and Summer.

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Christmas is fast approaching and that means you might be experiencing quite a few emotions from excitement to anxiety, stress or depression.

Christmas has always been portrayed as a happy, joyful time, where we spend the day with family and loved ones, but it’s not always easy. If your budget is tight, then the weeks leading up to Christmas Day can be very worrying too.

Thinking negative thoughts only leads to more negative thinking, as we struggle to disconnect and move on. But there is something you can do to rid yourself of negative thoughts.

About mindfulness

Mindfulness can help you handle your negative emotions and stop them in their tracks. It’s a Buddhist practice but is used all over the world. The NHS often refers patients for mindfulness training to help with depression and anxiety.

It’s a meditation technique that involves sitting quietly and focussing on the present. It’s about being aware of your breathing, sensations, and your current emotional state without letting your mind wander. Mindfulness can help you see that thoughts are just thoughts and you can choose how to respond to them.

It can take time to learn to meditate, that is, being in the moment without thinking about anything, so start with just 10 minutes a day. But with time, you will be able to practice mindfulness as you go about your day, helping you to take control of negative thoughts whenever you experience them.  If you feel stressed, closing your eyes and focussing on your breathing can have a significant positive impact. Mindfulness is about focussing on the present, not ruminating on the past or mulling over the future.

Mindfulness can also free us of negative emotions towards mundane tasks, for example, doing the dishes. Instead of being angry that you have to do the dishes because nobody else will, focus on the warmth of the water, the bubbles and the task itself. It makes it what it is, and this simple technique can free you of the negative emotions associated with it.

You can try this Mindfulness Meditation Taster with Jon Kabat-Zinn, a 10 min video; or this Guided Meditation Nowscape (Choiceless Awareness) by Jon Kabat Zinn (30 min video):

Mindfulness can help you deal with the possible stresses of Christmas and beyond. Another way to manage a different outlook on life is to practice gratefulness, which we will discuss in the new year.

More mindfulness

For more information on mindfulness, see BBC Radio 4 Woman’s hour on Mindfulness: “A way of connecting with and seeing clearly what’s happening in our life.”  – www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p021xg6w (11 min)

Neal’s Yard Holidays has retreats specifically for mindfulness.

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Are you eating on the go? Or are you tired after a meal?
Try these simple Ayurveda tips for good digestion.

Ayurveda relies on balance of the three doshas – vata, pitta and kapha – for good health.  A healthy digestive system therefore relies on balance of the doshas and in particular – pitta, which governs the metabolism and digestive system.

Digestive problems are common and usually caused by a combination of poor diet and eating ‘on the go’. Many people rarely take the time to eat a good breakfast, usually eating a slice of toast in the car on the way to work, or not eating anything at all. Lunch time is much of the same with people eating at their desks or wolfing something down quickly before their next meeting.

Ayurveda can help improve our digestive health by not only focussing on what we eat but how we eat it. Ideally we should eat in a comfortable, relaxing environment or at least sitting down without distractions. This helps us to focus on the food, the taste and smell, and when we focus, we eat slowly, which helps digestion.

Another way to aid digestion is to stimulate the digestive fire or ‘agni’

Another way to aid digestion is to stimulate the digestive fire or ‘agni’, which is controlled by the pitta dosha. If the agni is weak, then this can make us tired after eating. If it is too strong, then it can ‘burn’ the food. Ayurveda recommends finding a balance so we can digest efficiently. To boost your digestive fire, try eating a 1-inch pinch of fresh ginger with a drop of lemon before meals.

Mixing cold drinks with hot food can cause stomach cramps or bloating so one way to help balance the agni is to avoid food or drinks that are too cold. This means drinking water or juices at room temperature and avoiding ice. Think of it like a burning fire – you don’t want to extinguish the flame!

Agni is strongest between 12-2pm, so Ayurveda recommends that lunch is the largest meal of the day. Eating too late at night can also mean the agni struggles to digest food, leaving you feeling tired in the mornings, so try to eat dinner before 8pm.

Another tip for good digestion is to have a yoghurt drink called lassi during or after meals. Lassi contains lactobacilli or ‘good bacteria’ and helps to lubricate the intestines for smooth digestion. It is made with fresh yoghurt, water and sugar to taste.

If you find that your agni goes too much the other way and you have excess acid, try eating a spoonful of pomegranate chutney before meals as this is known to control stomach acid and decrease digestive gases.

Remember, Ayurveda tips for digestion:

1. Eat in a calm environment, without distractions
2. Sit down and focus on the taste, smell and texture of the food
3. Avoid food and drinks that are too cold
4. Have a yoghurt drink that contains lactobacilli during or after meals
5. Eat a piece of fresh ginger with lemon before meals to increase digestive fire
6. Eat a spoonful of pomegranate chutney to decrease digestive fire and control acid
7. Make lunch the biggest meal of the day
8. Avoid eating dinner after 8pm

For more Ayurveda tips, see our previous blogs on Ayurveda tips for drinking water and Ayurveda tips for better health.

For our holidays where you can practise this ancient tradition of Ayurveda, see this page

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It’s normal to eat and drink to our heart’s content over Christmas and New Year. But come January, most of us want to cleanse our bodies of the damage and be healthier again. One way to do this is to go on a detox retreat.

Chef Heston Blumenthal recently went to Bali where he spent four days on a detox retreat to recover from …‘exhaustion’…

He lost 8lbs and said it was ‘amazing.’ He also enjoyed yoga and meditation. You can read about his adventure here.

Some detox retreats will offer only juices and vegetable broth whereas others will allow raw food or a specially prepared cuisine. Detoxing has a number of benefits. Many people who have been on a detox retreat have reported that they lost weight, their skin improved, niggling infections or ailments disappeared and their sleep improved.

A detox can also remove harmful toxins from the bloodstream, boost energy levels and give your body the nutrients it needs to function properly. When your body takes a break from digesting solid food, the unused energy can be spent repairing cells and creating new ones – vital for a healthy body.

Many detox retreats offer yoga, meditation, massage and other relaxing activities to complement the detox, so your body can focus on healing itself rather than fighting the effects of stress.

Detox retreat availability

Neal’s Yard Holidays offers a number of detox retreats to help you cleanse your body and be healthier, happier and more energised.

There is this detox retreat in Sussex where you can make the most of a detox programme to cleanse your body. They also serve cleansing food and activities include yoga, meditation, and swimming. Stay in a beautiful 19^th century converted barn with an indoor swimming pool.

For something far away, we have this beautiful detox retreat in Sri Lanka. Here you can detox with a specially prepared local and organic cuisine including juices, teas, yoghurt, breads, yams, congee and special ‘green soup’ prefect for digestion, vegetarian or fish meals and fruit and vegetables. The detox retreat also offers Ayurveda treatments such as face and body massages, herbal and steam baths and body wraps. Participate in yoga, meditation and Tai Chi to help you relax and clear your mind.

We have many more detox retreats available, just visit this page.

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Will you be travelling around Christmas or New Year? – Do you want to find the best cheap train fares?

Travelling around Christmas and New Year can be expensive but instead of forking out huge amounts, you can save money – we’ve done the research for you. Cheap train fares are available, you just have to know where to look.

Did you know you can actually split your journey in half and buy two tickets instead of just one for the whole trip? It’s called split-ticketing and it’s completely within the terms and conditions of train operating companies. Sometimes with split ticketing you will need to change trains, but usually you can stay on the same train and often in the same seat.
For example if you need to travel from London to Manchester, instead of having just one ticket for the whole journey, you have two. You could have one from London to Stoke-On-Trent and one from Stoke-On-Trent to Manchester. As these stops are all on the same line, there’s no need to change trains.

To find split tickets go to www.moneysavingexpert.com/split-cheap-train-tickets or www.splitticketing.com

For longer or overnight journeys within the UK, you can also use an overnight sleeper bus. www.megabusgold.com offers comfortable and inexpensive beds. Wifi, power sockets and refreshments are included and although it’s small and compact, having a comfortable place to sleep for the duration of an overnight journey is all you need.

If you’re looking for train journeys from the UK to Europe or within Europe itself, www.bahn.co.uk is a very clear booking website where you can often find cheap train fares. Prices are fixed in Euros and with the current exchange rate this makes it even cheaper. For example a ticket from London to Cologne starts from EUR 59 and takes just a little over four hours.

Another website for travel by boat or train is www.seat61.com. It has various routes available around the world and although it doesn’t necessarily offer cheap train fares, it has a vast selection of routes – especially for those feeling adventurous – including, for example, London to India by train or Southampton to New York onboard the Queen Mary 2.

The above websites are well worth checking out to find cheap train fares. Once you find the website you like to use it’ll be your go-to place for future travel whether it’s to a yoga retreat or other.

If you are looking for a wellbeing or yoga retreat, Neal’s Yard Holidays has plenty in the UK and Europe.

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Do you sometimes long for silence amidst the hubbub of our busy lives?

Previously we wrote about the rise of digital detox retreats. What’s also becoming popular is Vipassana meditation retreats also known as silent retreats, where, essentially, you don’t utter a single word for as long as you’re there. The days are filled with meditation, short breaks for meals and rest, a brisk walk – all in complete silence. Interaction with anybody else is prohibited.

Vipassana means ‘seeing things as they really are’ and is one of India’s most ancient techniques. These silent retreats are designed to help you focus on the connection between mind and body through self-observation, resulting in a balanced mind.

Overall the effect of being surrounded by silence can initially stir thoughts and over-thinking, but soon comes inner peace. We have an overload of information and too many distractions in our lives that we easily feel out of touch with ourselves. Silence can bring you back ‘home’.

Are silent retreats right for you?

While silent retreats are successful experiences for some, they are not necessarily the right thing for everyone. Sitting still in the lotus position may not be the best option for some to start with, and not for several days without speaking a word.

There are different ways to find silence that gradually help you find it easier to sit or move in silence for longer, e.g. from the meditation part of yoga classes like hatha yoga and Kundalini yoga, pranayama breathing practices, or tai chi and qi gong that is practiced in silence, or taking part in silent walks. Ironically, chanting meditations (making your own sound) can assist with finding inner silence.

If you’re looking for silence, you can simply go to a place that is off the beaten track or somewhere that is a technology-free zone. You might be surprised how much peace you find without a phone in your hand.

What retreat may be right for you?

Neal’s Yard Holidays offers a range of off-the-beaten track holidays and retreats with partial silent activities.

This hidden gem in south Wales is surrounded by natural beauty. Beaches, cliffs and historical sites are all around which provides ample opportunity to ditch your phone and get some much need peace and quiet. Yoga, Ayurveda and juice-dieting are available to help you unwind.

For more ways to clear your mind and enjoy some peace and quiet, take a look at our other retreats here.

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This half-term why not treat yourself to a getaway where you get to do nothing but relax, walk or practice yoga?

Neal’s Yard Holidays has a number of half term retreats available during this October and we’re featuring a selection of them below. If you’d like to see the full range of retreats available this October, visit this page.

At this luxury retreat in Marrakesh, practice yoga and Pilates and stay in the middle of the old town. What’s great about this retreat is, you won’t miss any of the sites – you can have guided tours of the souks and Imperial City. Surrounded by the snow-capped mountains, escape with yoga, Pilates and a Hammam.

Neal’s Yard Holidays also has this peaceful retreat in Spain available. Enjoy yoga, Tai Chi, Flamenco and swimming all nestled within the mountains. Optional extras include aromatherapy and Thai massage.

If dates aren’t an issue this October, visit this yoga retreat in West Sussex. Enjoy luxury accommodation with breath taking surroundings. Yoga, Pilates, meditation, and holistic therapies, detox cuisine, fresh juices and smoothies. Swim in heated indoor pool.

For more autumn retreats, also outside half term, check out this page.

Next time, we’ll be looking at silent retreats and other alternatives to help you clear your mind.

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