Holistic Holiday

Your body may be more overworked and fatigued than you realise. The next time you travel, make sure health is on the itinerary

            When was the last time you had a full body check-up? Scary thought, isn't it... which is why we keep putting it off. But what if health check-up was a part of your travel package on your next vacation ­ along with relaxation and or adventure? Imagine hotels with full-day medical programmes, home stays that offer vitamin C baths, electronic pillows to massage you as you sleep, airports with yoga rooms, etc. People, seeking holidays to beat the stress of modern life, are choosing destinations that offer an entire wellness experience; this rising demand for healthy-happy breaks has made wellness tourism a billion-dollar industry today.

SURF YOUR WAY INTO NIRVANA

            This year, activities like surfing and paddleboarding are travellers' favourite choices. Think of surfing classes in serene locations, blended with yoga, silent meditation, and organic food being served.For India's growing surfing industry, Odisha's still waters provide the perfect support for stand-up paddle surfing. Says Sanjay Samantaray of Surfing Yogis, “Surfing is a high-energy activity, but some yoga postures on the surfboard have a calming effect on people.“

WALK THE TIGHTROPE, LEARN TO LET GO

            From canoeing to cliff camping schools that teach circus skills, several programmes are helping peo ple reset their nerves, i.e., remove anxiety from the body and mind.

            You could spend a day learning flying trapeze, followed by a body massage. Combining an activity that gives you an adrenaline high, along with deep relaxation techniques, helps alleviate stress levels immediately. “It's like taking a huge psychological leap of faith to overcome fears and letting go of all the baggage,“ says adventure junkie Archana Sardana. You can try extreme challenges like Desert Tightrope (walking on a 35-ft pole, with harness) and Quantum Leap (jumping off a 35-ft pole). The purpose of both is to teach you to let go.As you physically release one rope to reach the next, and repeat the same movement 10 times, the idea of letting go is extrapolated into the larger life context. You leave the past behind, focus on the present, and remain aware of where you want to go.

WELLNESS FESTIVALS

            From bicycle riding to inner peace sessions, natural health classes to karma lessons ­ holistic festivals pack a healthy punch to your typical holiday relaxation plans. They also teach you to cook healthy meals. Says Rehaan Mehra, 25, who attended a wellness festival in Mumbai, recently, “I learnt new ways to eat and live healthy ­ not just for the physical body, for mental health too.“

CRUISE INTO GOOD HEALTH

            Holistic holidays on cruise ships are also in vogue. In 2016, cruises have become `floating retreats' with personalised spa and wellness programmes. You start with yoga at sunrise on the deck, move on to pilates, have vegan meals and end your day with zumba classes. You could swim with dolphins or try dolphin therapy too...Article by Nona W.

Slimming vacations

An expensive weight loss holiday may not be your cup of tea. But that doesn't mean you can't lose weight. Prepare an itinerary for your own workout vacation! India has a lot to offer.

NORDIC WALKING IN LANDOUR

The cobbled pathways of the quaint cantonment of Landour, flanked by giant deodars above Mussoorie make for beautiful long walks. A trek further up to Nag Tibba (a place often romanticised in Ruskin Bond books) simply magnifies the wandering experience. Turn your hillside holiday into sporty fun with pole walking! While trekkers, backpackers and skiers have been using the concept of Nordic walking for decades, it has only recently become popular as a full body health workout around the world. Nordic walking is fitness walking with specially designed poles. Compared to regular walking, it involves applying force to the poles with each stride. Nordic walkers use more of their entire body (with greater intensity) and receive fitness building stimulation for the chest, triceps, biceps, shoulder, abdominals, spinal and other core muscles. You could take up Nordic walking classes at a good gym in town prior to the vacation ­ these range from gentle walks for people with health concerns or the elderly and workout walks to improve fitness, lose weight and tone the whole body.

SURFING IN PUDUCHERRY

Always fancied getting in surfing shape?

Ditch those videos and go for the real thing. Auroville Beach is one of the best beaches in India for surfing with many hardcore European surfers living there permanently. A surfing school managed by two Spanish brothers, who have been riding these waves since the mid 90s, is the right place to learn the nuances of this sport. Apart from being a great adrenaline boost, surfing is one of the most physically intense and demanding sports involving a variety of squats, pushups and planks. It requires physical and mental focus at all times.

BEACH BOOT CAMP IN GOKARNA

Most people's idea of a perfect fitness break would be to sweat it out on a beach. But beaches can get overbearing with their pack of vendors and oglers interfering with your yoga routine. That's why a sunset yoga session at Gokarna would be ideal. Tucked between the Western Ghats and the Arabian Sea, Gokarna is a bewitching blend of sun, sand and sea. Its beaches are charming and not even half as crowd ed as its famous neighbourhood. The famed Om Beach, the lesser-known Ku dle Beach, the quiet Half Moon Beach and the pristine Paradise Beach are four scenic, popular strips of sand wedged be tween the hills. There is also the Gokar na Yoga School for travellers passing through Gokarna for a specific period.The idea of the school is to create a meeting place for teachers and practitioners of Iyengar Yoga. For other forms of yoga, like Hatha, Sivananda, Kriya, Kundalini, check out other retreats in Gokarna...the list is quite exhausting!

`FATPACKING' IN DAYARA BUGYAL

Those who trek frequently in India, wouldn't contest the fact that Uttarak d hand has some of the most beautiful high-altitude meadows in the country. And amongst them is the famed Dayara Bugyal (Hindi for meadow).

Now imagine backpacking your way through the vast stretches and rugged trails of this meadow for days, with all necessary food and gear strapped on your backs, till you make it to the top! It is guar anteed you'll come back having shed quite a few inches. In other words, you would have `fatpacked'.

MOUNTAIN BIKING TO SPITI

Not sharing your ride with CO2-emitting vehicles is a lot better for your lungs. Plus, riding on the road improves your cardiovascular fitness since you are spinning at high tempo for a long time. Mountain biking is a great outdoor workout, the real version of the monotonous cross-training indoors. Cycling increases your daily calorie burn. It burns calories -hundreds of them -while you're out there turning the pedals. One of the best routes to mountain bike in India is, without much delibera tion, Kulu-Spiti-Kinnaur. From the green valleys, deep forests and fertile meadows of Kinnaur, to the arid and desert plateaus of Spiti Valley, this route has it all. Get your biking shoes, helmet, knee guard, insulated gloves and sunglasses in order and you are ready for an exclu sive rendezvous with nature.

WHAT'S FATPACKING?

Fatpacking, a programme founded by US-based MIT grad Steve Silberberg, is for moderately overweight people who don't mind some outdoor adventure. Today, Fatpacking leads groups of 12 or fewer people on one or two-week backpacking trips to fun places like Yosemite and Yellowstone National Parks, the Great Smoky Mountains, and even Patagonia in Chile. Most Fatpackers lose about five pounds per week while increasing muscle mass.

BENEFITS

You can only eat what you carry in backpacking. Plus, since you're away from civilisation, the chances of emotional or binge eating are less. Then there is physical exertion that spikes your metabolism. All this combined is sure to trim your waistline.....Article by Supriya.S

Yoga on the go

Travelling for long hours means stiff joints and poor blood circulation. Prepare your body, mind and spirit for travel fatigue

You could be on a long road journey, a train ride or a two-hour flight... the seats are small and constricted and your legs are cramped in a tight space. Travelling for long hours also means loss of blood circulation to the lower body. One must straighten the legs and move the feet forward and backward periodically. Feel the tension in your calves. Rotate ankles, clockwise and anticlockwise. Flex and stretch your toes too.Yoga, while

travel, improves blood circulation in legs, relieves stiffness in calves and ankles and prevents muscle fatigue.

STRENGTHEN NECK MUSCLES

While a neck pillow works well in cushioning your spine during travel, some basic yoga steps only make your travel more comfortable. Look up and bend your head back.Then bend your head down and look down wards. Move only your neck, breathing nor mally. Repeat this three to five times.

Now turn your face as far right as possible. Then turn to the left. Repeat three times.

Benefits: Removes stiffness of the neck mus cles and counters spasms; corrects the neck posture and aligns the joints.

LOOSEN UP

Take your hands behind your head. Place your right hand on your left shoulder and your left hand on your right shoulder. Your elbows should point upwards. Keep your head straight and take deep breaths.

Interlock your fingers. Cover your forehead with your palms. Exert force with your hands and neck in opposite directions. The palms should force the neck back while the neck forces the palms forward.

Benefits: Removes all traces of stiffness in the shoulders and neck muscles.

ARM STRENGTH

Outstretch your arms, at shoulder level.With all your strength, clench your hands into fists and then unclench them.

Rotate your fists in both directions.

Keep your hands on your shoulders and rotate elbows clockwise and anticlockwise.

Benefits: Removes weakness in the arms; cures stiff shoulders and neck; alleviates joint pain.

GYAN MUDRA

Sit in a comfortable position in your chair folding your legs, keeping your back and neck straight.

Form the gyan mudra by touching the tip of the thumb with the tip of the index finger; the other three fingers straight and joined together. Place your hands on the knees, palms facing upwards. Close your eyes gently and focus on your breathing. Hold this position for 10 minutes.

Benefits: It improves concentration and re duces negative thoughts. Regular practice eliminates insomnia, migraine, usually asso ciated with long travel.

POST-TRAVEL ASANA

Stand erect, heels together and place both hands on your chest, fingers interlocked.

Stretch your arms ahead and slowly raise them up while breathing in. Raise your heels, stand on tiptoe and stretch your entire body upwards.

Repeat two to three times.

Benefits: Strengthens spine, ankles, knees, thi ghs, abdomen. Relieves physical exhaustion.

Inputs by Yogacharya Dr Surakshit Goswami

Source :  Media