Whether you have been fortunate enough to attend a yoga retreat or you are considering attending your first one, you are probably well aware of the many benefits that yoga can provide. But a yoga retreat can be profound, like changing event, one that leaves you forever altered. Although there are lives changing things you might encounter at a yoga retreat, but these are the five wonderful things that can happen in your life with a yoga retreat.

1. Making New Friends

Yoga has a way of bringing people together, of making us view people in a different light. You may come to a yoga retreat with some of your best friends, but you are likely to leave with some new ones, as well. Yoga retreats tend to result in the development of new friendships more often than not, introducing you to people that you have more in common with than you may have initially realized. So be prepared to leave the yoga retreat with new bonds and relationships and lots of smiles.

2. Epiphanies Are Abundant

Yoga retreats offer more time to practice than the typical daily schedule allows, which creates an opportunity for additional “aha!” moments. When you are surrounded by open minded individuals who are on a similar spiritual journey and given the opportunity to switch up your normal daily routine, you can learn things about yourself and the world around you that you never even thought possible. With so much time with yourself away from all distractions, you are bound to have a lot of insights showing you a clear path you must take to fulfill your role and desires.

3. Learn To Live Without A Smartphone

While most will be asking if the venue has a viable Wi-Fi connection the second the idea of a yoga retreat is brought up, many retreat locations do not offer an Internet connection to their patrons or they will have one that is spotty at best. This forces people to put down their smartphones, interact with one another and learn new things, without being able to turn to their phone for help. Instead of gluing your eyes to several different news feeds, filled with useless updates, you can listen to your inner monologue, as well as new thoughts and ideas provided by instructors and classmates. Taking a yoga retreat can be like a social media fast which can be incredibly healing.

4. Seeing New Places

Even if you have already spent a retreat at a certain location, each trip provides a new opportunity to see something new. The spaces you explore might be physical, but they can also be mental, as well. Yoga retreats help us to find the newest destinations in life, but they have the unique ability to provide us with a road map to the unseen destinations in our minds and souls. Sure you can do yoga almost anywhere, but why not take your life on an adventure for example with a yoga retreat in Goa.

5. Increased Joy and Laughter

Yoga retreats are not recommended to those who are overly self-serious people who cannot let their guard down and take a joke. Just about every yoga retreat is packed with moments that will have your sides aching. Yoga leads to acceptance of self and others. Yoga teaches us to let go of the things that we cannot control and with the realization comes increased joy and laughter. Yoga also encourages people to connect with each other and share into each other’s happiness and satisfaction.