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Combination yoga holidays – part 4

Continuing our article on combination yoga holidays ...
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Creative and cultural activities with yoga
Holidays and courses are available that combine yoga with a wide range of creative and cultural interests in ready-made packages. The benifits of yoga to these activities are not as obvious as its benefits to the more active and sporty ones, but yoga practice does help to focus the mind, create mental clarity, sharpen concentration and set participants up, relaxed and ready to learn.

It will be of physical benefit in activities, such as painting, where participants can find themselves sitting for long periods in one position; and yoga will aid the digestion of those taking part in cooking and culinary activities. But benefits aside, these sorts of combination yoga holidays are just an enjoyable mix of activities, a chance to relax and/or stretch both the body and mind.

Painting/yoga or cooking/yoga combination holidays
Painting and cookery are the most popular combinations and ready-made holiday packages are offered by several of the companies listed in our directory section. On the cooking side look out for, French cooking, cooking in Umbria, Ayurvedic, Thai, Italian, vegetarian and vegan cooking as well as culinary and gastronomic holidays teamed with yoga.

Artists have the options of painting in Turkey and the Greek Islands, sketching in the English Cotswolds, discovering sculpture and mixed media in Ireland, and watercolour painting in France – all combined with yoga practice of course.

Other creative and cultural combinations
Other yoga combination holidays include, yoga and massage in Thailand and Turkey; yoga and dance (particularly belly dancing) in the UK, Greece and Tunisia; yoga and creative writing in Turkey; yoga and digital photography in Costa Rica and Ireland; and yoga and Thai Chi in Crete. Animal lovers could even try yoga safaris in Kenya or yoga and dolphin swims in Hawaii.

Many of the yoga holiday companies we list don’t offer ready-made combination holidays but do often offer a range of additional add-on activities, provided either in-house or by local specialists – theses will allow you to make your own combinations. Use the list at the foot of the reviews to find primary activities and remember that most travel businesses will be more than happy to arrange a particular activity for you if it’s available locally, so if you can’t see exactly what you want just ask.

Text and photos © Travel-quest 2008