Neal's Yard Holidays Blog

In the BBC TV 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 fast-paced activity of Zumba?

He found the Zumba group were all fitter after 12 weeks as was expected, with improved elasticity of their blood vessels and lowered blood pressure. They were surprised, however, to discover that the results from the Tai Chi group also showed the same benefits. Source: BBC. View this three minute BCC video.

So if you don’t want to break into a sweat, or have limited physical flexibility, then Tai Chi brings you all the same health benefits as vigorous exercise and more as you will discover. But what is Tai Chi? And what can it offer you? Read more…

Posted in Tai Chi

Tagged Chi Kung, healthy exercise, online Qigong classes, online Tai Chi classes, qigong, tai chi chuan, Tai Chi health benefits, tai ji quan, taijiquan

Mother’s Day retreat ideas

Feb05

Mother's Day retreat, mother and daughter laugh together

How about treating yourself and your mum to a wellness retreat this spring? Here are our hand-picked Mother’s Day retreat ideas.

Wondering what to get for your mum for mother’s day this year? Forget about the usual flowers and chocolates. What better way to show your mum how much she means to you than taking her on a special spa break or wellbeing retreat. Treat her to a Mother’s day retreat (pardon the pun).

No need to go far, we have some excellent UK weekend breaks that don’t cost the earth but offer the pampering your mum deserves. You could always join her and spend some quality time together. And if you want to treat your mum to something really special, read on for Neal’s Yard Holidays’ picks of once-in-a-lifetime holidays, and Mother’s day retreat weekends.

This year Mother’s day is on the 22nd of March 2020. So what are you waiting for? Read more…

Posted in Mother's Day Retreats

Tagged Beach Holidays, Mother's day getaway, Mother's Day retreat, Mother's Day weekend break, UK holiday retreats, Weekend Retreats, Yoga Retreats

5 Top Wellness Travel Trends 2020

Dec19

Wellness travel trends for 2020 reflect an increasing awareness about health issues and offer a chance to take time out and rebalance in pretty spectacular locations where it would be hard not to heal. From helping women navigate through the menopause to changing our diet, wellness travel trends focus on improving key aspects of our health and wellbeing and that can only be a good thing.

Posted in Wellness retreats

Tagged colour therapy, Healthy living, menopause, mindfulness retreats, sound therapy, sugar free diet, Tai Chi, Yoga Holidays

Fermentation – What are the health benefits?

Oct25

Fermentation of food in glass jars with cabbage and carrots

Most of us will have heard of food fermentation but what is it and why is it so good for us? Like many ancient practices that are now in vogue – meditation and yoga, to name just two – fermentation has been around for thousands of years, used in food staples such as bread, yoghurt and also in alcoholic drinks like beer and wine. However, here we’re discussing purely the health benefits of fermentation on foods, not alcohol. This ancient way of preserving foods with a short shelf life and adding flavour was before the advent of refrigeration.

Essentially, fermentation is the process of using naturally occurring microorganisms, such as bacteria or yeast, to convert carbohydrates to alcohol or organic acids. Read more…

Posted in Healthy Living

Tagged fermentation, fermented foods, fermented probiotics, fermented sauerkraut recipe, fermented vegetables, good fermented foods, health benefits, health tips, Healthy eating, healthy probiotics, healthy recipes, kefir fermented vegetables, making fermented vegetables, natural probiotic foods, vegan fermented foods

Desk Yoga Poses: Time to Refresh

Sep25

Autumn means going back to work, school, university and for many of us, long hours back at a desk. Desk yoga poses may help you to keep up the good work after the relaxation achieved during the summer holidays. Here’s a way to press your own ‘refresh button’!

Posted in Healthy Living

Tagged desk yoga poses, seated yoga poses, yoga at work, yoga poses

Sound Therapy: What can it do for you?

Aug21

sound therapy for deep meditation and relaxation

I recently experienced something I had previously been cynical about – sound therapy. And for those who’ve never heard of it, this healing form of sound bath doesn’t involve being bathed in water but in sound or vibrational waves. As I lay on the mat, the therapist played different notes on a series of crystal bowls that are tuned to resonate when hit with certain instruments.
Twenty-five minutes later as the therapist gently ‘woke’ me I opened my eyes. The effect was like a cross between a nap and meditation. My friend claimed I slept as I was tired, however, I felt different, less foggy than usual and she noted my eyeballs were brighter. I felt that for the first time I’d reached a meditative state.

Sound therapy works on the basis that sound can have a profound effect on our neurological and other bodily functions as they have different pulses or rhythms and energy frequencies, e.g. our heart beats to the rhythms of three. Sound therapists use sound frequencies to interact with these in order to enhance and rebalance the body’s energy whether with gongs, drums, bells, bowls, tuning forks or the human voice. See video on sound bath therapy by CBS New York: Read more…

Posted in Healing retreats

Tagged nada brahma, sound bath therapy, sound healing, sound therapy

Where to go on holiday in September

Jul25

Let’s help you find where to go on holiday in September – we’ve rounded up some of the best places.

Summer isn’t over yet in September. In fact a holiday in September is best in the Mediterranean for example if you want to avoid the backing heat, yet temperatures are comfortable for the occasional excursions and also sunbathing on the beach and swimming in the sea. The water has gradually been warmed up throughout the summer, and still feels very pleasant even with a gentle breeze.

Besides, with kids back at school, the crowds have disappeared and prices have come down. You are lucky if you can go on holiday in September to benefit from more pleasant temperatures, lower prices, and less crowded places. It’s indeed a good choice to go on holiday in September and enjoy those benefits.

And if you don’t want to fly to the Med there are also home-grown destinations with so much to offer. Whether it’s Ayurveda massages in Wales or outdoor hot tub and spa in Yorkshire, there are plenty of retreats where you can immerse yourself in peaceful seclusion.

If you want to check local temperatures we recommend the BBC weather website for weather reports about two weeks in advance. Once you are away the Met office site provides also useful local details.

Here is our selection to help you find your holiday in September: Read more…

Posted in Hot destinations

Tagged Ayurveda Holidays, Holidays in the sun, UK holiday retreats, Weekend Retreats, wellbeing retreat, Yoga Holidays, Yoga Retreats

Lithium batteries on planes: 8 tips on how to travel safely with batteries

Jul19

Smart phone lithium battery being charged

With the summer holidays fast approaching, many of us will be flying out of UK airports for our annual holiday. As we know, airlines have detailed guidelines on what is allowed onboard and that includes taking lithium batteries on planes.

Lithium batteries are commonly used to power a wide variety of consumer goods ranging from mobile phones to laptops and children’s toys, however, they can pose a safety risk if not treated in accordance with transport regulations. While most lithium batteries are safe, some have overheated and caught fire, which could produce toxic and irritating fumes. Read more…

Posted in Travel safety tips

Tagged batteries airplane baggage, batteries flight luggage, flight safe batteries, lithium batteries safety

Summer Retreat Offers

Jun19

Summer is here and our thoughts turn to relaxing and rejuvenating retreats. A week or even a few days of yoga, meditation, massages, delicious vegetarian or vegan fare, all in a serene environment can do wonders for the mind, body and soul!

Neal’s Yard Holidays has a wide selection of summer retreat offers in rural settings such as quintessential English countryside and balmy island idylls – for more on this please see our recent blog on rural retreats. Walk in the woods and meadows, meditate under the stars or sun and just enjoy the summer.