Yoga & walking holidays

Yoga & walking holidays

If you’re already a yoga practitioner you’ll be well aware of the positive effects a regular 90 min class can have on your mind and your body. And in the same sense, if you enjoy regular walks in the countryside or down along the coast you, too, will also be very happy to extol the mental and physical virtues that come from a daily dose of outdoor exercise.

Now, imagine combining both of these activities as part of the same holiday. Not only that, imagine becoming enveloped in an environment that sings to the senses and soothes the soul as well as effortlessly introducing you to areas of Austria or Spain that no one else knows about.

There’s also a practical reason why this carefree combo also works, extremely well. As Nicole Stone, founder of specialist tour providers Yoga Breaks in Spain, explains: “Yoga and hiking is the perfect combination because, whilst hiking is great for the heart and lungs, on its own, it can create tight muscles in the legs and an achy back. But with the help of daily yoga, tight muscles are gently stretched thus increasing their flexibility and reducing the risk of injury. Joint mobility improves and your breathing becomes deeper with the yoga breathing practices too. Hence the gaps left by hiking are perfectly balanced with yoga.”

Keep reading to find out more about the benefits of yoga and walking holidays in Austria and Spain.

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Yoga & walking in Spain

The yoga and walking holidays in Spain that we recommend take place outside of summer in March, April and October. This is to ensure you aren’t walking in the burning sun but also because the retreat where you’ll be staying functions purely for yoga from May to September.

Alongside three guided mountain and coastal hikes you’ll also have full access to the seaside resort town of Altea, an hour north of Alicante. There’s nothing better after an early morning yoga session than freshly baked empanadas overlooking Altea’s fine shingle beach. Of course, you’ve got to find the bakery first amidst Altea’s warren of white washed buildings and narrow cobbled streets.

Even if you’ve never undertaken a yoga class before, you will be in safe hands. Instructors here are well versed in creating flexible classes to suit beginners right the way through to accomplished yogis. This gives you the confidence to make the most of daily hatha, vinyasa flow and yin yoga sessions in the morning and late afternoon. It’s a friendly and fun atmosphere – Lycra’s optional not essential.

The hiking trips, too, allow you to enjoy Spain without worrying that the exercise angle will be too much or too little. It’s your holiday, after all. Average daily distances are around 12km. Some of the tracks can involve loose scree and a few heady heights. Worth putting in some practise walks before you depart, perhaps, and certainly worth packing a sensible pair of walking shoes or trainers.

Accommodation is a 4-star converted olive farm that has stood for over three centuries. These days the emphasis is on rest and relaxation rather than picking and pressing. Guests will find 22 spacious en-suite double rooms as well as an outdoor swimming pool in the garden, and a small fitness suite and a sauna. Inside there’s also an excellent airy yoga studio complete with plenty of natural light and great views over the pool and onto the mountains beyond.

This sort of holiday also works well for those with partners that perhaps prefer one activity to the other. Both of you can enjoy time together, on your own, or with other members of the group. It’s up to you.

Nicole Stone, from our yoga specialists, Yoga Breaks in Spain, shares her thoughts on yoga and walking holidays: “Yoga and hiking are the perfect combination as, whilst hiking is great for the heart & lungs, on its own, hiking can create tight muscles in the legs and an achy back. But, with the help of daily yoga, tight muscles are gently stretched thus increasing their flexibility and reducing the risk of injury, your joint mobility improves and your breathing becomes deeper with the yoga breathing practices too. Hence the gaps left by hiking are perfectly balanced with yoga!”

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Yoga & walking in Austria

Enter the East Tyrolean Mountains and you’ll find your head instantly placed in the clouds and not just because of the 1,800m altitude at the family-run Austrian chalet you'll get to call home.

Yoga and walking holidays in Austria work really well. You’ll be invited on daily guided hikes as part of a small group. You can also undertake five yoga classes in a scenic studio with a big glass window or on an outdoor platform overlooking the Grossglockner, Austria’s tallest mountain.

Plant based, organic evening meals give you ample soul soothing sustenance alongside freshly baked cakes and hot drinks to help you start and complete each day like a warm hug.

All ages (over 18) and fitness levels are welcome to come and enjoy the benefits of yoga and walking holidays in the Austrian Alps. The dedicated yoga instructors are happy to adapt classes according to individual and group needs. Hikes are also open to everyone with shorter or longer distances and gradients providing relaxation or more of a challenge.

Other activities, too, such as rafting, canyoning, paragliding and rock climbing, can also be arranged with local partners. Working with people who’ve lived in or around the area all their lives is a great way to try something from a local perspective. You can also relax a little bit more as these guys know the safest way up and down a mountain as well as what’s coming around the next bend in the river.

Summer activities also spread the tourist season out across the whole year rather than focusing on the already overcrowded winter months when snow and skis appear.

Xania Wear, co-owner of our yoga and walking holidays in Austria specialists Wearactive, shares a few of her top tips from the Tyrolean Alps: “The summer season definitely offers the most flexibility in terms of the variety of hiking routes available without any limitation of snow. My personal favourite times to be here are either when all the wildflowers are erupting in late June and July, or else when the autumn colours start to transform the mountainsides in September; the trees turn different shades of orange and the wildflowers are replaced by carpets of wild mushrooms."