MINIMALIST ATTEMPT: How to pack for a YOGA RETREAT

Transcript

so you've decided you're going on that yoga 
retreat how exciting if you've never been on   one before and have no idea what to pack you're in 
the right place i'll show you the ultra minimalist   way to begin but i'll also show you some of the 
extra things you may want to consider for the   not so minimal or maybe minimal enough way the 
things that could make you just that little bit   more comfy and stick around to the end because i'm 
headed to a five-day silent retreat so i'll also   show you what i'm bringing with me and take you 
through the things that you may want to consider   bringing on yours so even if you're an old pro at 
yoga retreats keep watching because there could   be something in here for you hi i'm jaime tan at 
enlightened spoon feeding your mind body soul on   this channel we help you design a life with less 
stress and more intention we're all about mindful   living lifestyle design and finding the personal 
rituals that work for you before we begin packing   let's consider where you're going and what the 
focus of your retreat is that means things like   the climate is it by the beach in summer or in 
the mountains in winter the number of days you're   gone for which will determine how many outfits 
you'll need but that's also tied into the laundry   situation i've been in places in india where 
they have no washing machines and everything is   hand washed or rather scrubbed and beaten against 
those old school scrubbing boards it's a bit rough   on the clothes so in that case you don't want 
to bring your expensive new lululemons with you   where is the retreat happening for example in 
a studio setting that has its own yoga gear   or a hyatt space like in a hotel ballroom so maybe 
you'll need to bring all your own stuff what kind   of retreat is this a relaxing sun and served one 
with other outdoor activities or a more austere   ashram with no comforts nor luxuries so you see 
how i could probably make a ton of videos on   this topic alone depending on where you're going 
and what the focus of your retreat is in fact if   you've got a request let me know in the comments 
below i've done them all from the super deluxe   ayurveda resort to the simple ashram experience 
and no matter what kind of retreat you're going on   for me these are the must-haves to pack clothes 
of course which is going to consist mainly of   your yoga gear shoes pjs not needed if you're in 
a single room but especially if you're sharing a   room consider your roommates the notebook pen 
and journal the whole point of any retreat is   to have an element of turning inwards and even if 
you're doing a more active retreat some form of   reflection writing down your thoughts or 
processing your retreat experience can be helpful   a yoga mat most retreat centers will have mats 
available so you could probably just borrow one   without lugging your own but to be honest you 
have no idea the state of the mats and in these   times it's probably better for your health to 
bring your own if lack of space in your luggage   is a consideration i have another option i'll show 
you later so stick around for that a swimsuit and   flip-flops now this might be particular only to me 
but no matter where i go in the world whether it's   for work play and even in the winter i bring 
a swimsuit and flip-flops because most health   resorts or hotels have saunas or steam rooms 
and i am a sucker for a good steam room every   day if i could have it my way especially if you're 
sharing bathrooms you'll want to bring flip-flops   and anyway a swimsuit and flip-flops are small and 
they don't take up much space so why not a water   bottle gotta stay hydrated it's handy to have your 
own water bottle when you're traveling in general   it cuts down on plastic used too for bottled 
water most retreats these days offer some kind   of filtered water option where you can fill 
your own bottle for me i like to also bring   my own thermos because i drink slowly and i hate 
it when my coffee or tea is cold by my third sip i   mean a thermos is optional but a water bottle is 
a must next on my list of things you maybe want   to bring because we're all different and prefer 
things different ways so some things to consider   toiletries if you're going somewhere higher end 
they may provide nice toiletries so you'll be okay   but if you're packing really light you could 
technically skip these or just bring one   moisturizer to use on your face and body like this 
one from waletta and one soap to use on face and   body i like shampoo and conditioner bars is you 
can cut them down to the size you need they don't   leak and you can reduce plastic use i talk about 
these more in my pack like a minimalist pro video   here which i'll also link to in the description 
below i'll also link to all my favorite products   that i mentioned in this video below makeup now 
for the most part you probably don't need any   makeup no matter which retreat you're going on 
or you could go really light on makeup but hey   you do you a matte towel and or a hand towel now 
like i mentioned earlier if you don't want to lug   a heavy yoga mat halfway across the world but 
still want some kind of barrier between you   and a borrowed studio mat because they can 
get gross a matte towel could be handy here's   a pro tip if you're traveling for a longer time 
matte towels also make great bath towels because   they're light they don't take up space and they 
dry really fast any kind of product you can use   for multiple things is a win in my book other 
props now these could be anything from blocks   straps or your yoga mat strap can also double up 
as a yoga strap a blanket or a shawl now these   are all the nice to haves because to be honest 
most yoga studios and retreat centers will have   these but if you're really particular like me and 
i'll show you in a bit which ones i like you might   want to bring your favorite prop or props with you 
also props are usually more of a thing for more   meditative styles of yoga like yin restorative 
yoga nidra where your body can really open up with   more support so if you're doing a more active 
dynamic vinyasa flow or handstand retreat you   won't need a lot of these accoutrements but if 
you're doing a more active dynamic retreat you   may want to consider recovery tools like a foam 
roller a massage gun or a rolling ball a tennis   ball works too to give your muscles a good self 
massage you could probably get a massage where   you're going but if you're on a budget a tennis 
ball in your shoulders does wonders too books   since you're on retreat books might be a good idea 
a kindle stores thousands of books and they're   great for traveling if you're doing some kind 
of workshop or training you might want to bring   some of the reference books or training manuals 
recommended by your teacher trainer in a nutshell   these are the main things you really want to 
consider so let's put this all into practice and   show you what this looks like for me as i pack for 
my five day silent retreat now let's set the scene   this is a yin yoga and meditation retreat 
with the formidable sarah and thai powers   i'm so excited as sarah powers is one of my yin 
yoga heroes it'll be five days in the mountains   of italy at the beautiful mandalay center in 
pimanti it'll be quite lush but it's also gonna be   cold it's already a low of three and a high 
of eight degrees celsius so it's dead winter   and we'll be doing some vinyasa but a lot of yin 
and meditation in silence of course i'm going to   show you what an ultra minimalist might bring but 
then i'll also include some additional extras that   i want to bring so the stock standard either way 
will have a yoga mat with strap i love the support   of my manduka mats and will always bring one with 
me when i travel retreat or not i have a whole   playlist of the various manduka mats i've reviewed 
with a discount code if you're ordering from the   uk or eu i'll put the link below yoga clothes i 
could probably do with just two sets each of a   pair of leggings sports bra and a top but because 
i know we'll also have a vinyasa flow session   every morning and i get really sweaty i'm gonna 
bring three sets the mountains can get damp and   i don't want to risk my clothes not drying in time 
if i'm only alternating between two sets every day   warm layers a jumper and a giant shawl blanket 
thing this one is great because it can double up   as a scarf a meditation blanket or an additional 
warm layer so that's the main stuff i'll have   on the mat every day and off the mat i'll have 
two regular outfits consisting of two pairs of   sweatpants and two long sleeve t-shirts we'll have 
daily walking meditations and hiking is an option   so all of these can be layered on top of my yolk 
clothes with my winter jacket and beanie of course   then of course five pairs of thick socks and 
underwear the other must-haves in this ultra   minimal setup my notebook pen and journal my 
swimsuit and flip-flops because sauna and steam   room is a must a water bottle thermos toiletries 
makeup bag and the two recommended books for this   retreat also this might not be necessary for 
you but it is for me and my shoulder knots my   massage ball this one doesn't take up much space 
anyway and is like a shrunken down foam roller   i'll link to it below i'm also bringing one pair 
of boots i'll just use these on the plane and i'll   use these for hiking as well probably not the best 
but hey i don't plan on being super mega active on   this particular retreat so at the minimum this 
is all i really need but because i'm a little   bit extra and also a bit of a germaphobe i don't 
like using the props and blankets at yoga studios   in retreats so i bring my own two foam blocks and 
one curved foam block and this one is especially   helpful in back bins these three blocks are the 
minimum i need for yin yoga since these blocks and   my mat take up most of the space in my carry-on 
this time i'm trying out compression cubes to help   me squash down all the rest of my other clothes 
i am not such a fan of packing cubes cause while   they're great for organizing your bag they're not 
the best in terms of maximizing the space you have   in the bag but i'm trying out these compression 
packing cubes from peak design and travel dude   i'll link to both of these below these are great 
because they also have a section behind to store   your dirty clothes separating them from the clean 
ones so you can also use it as a laundry bag and   there's an extra zip to compress everything inside 
to save space same product multiple users you're   getting the hang of this one now i'm planning 
a longer trip back to asia at the end of this   year so i'm curious if i like these compression 
cubes enough to take them with me then do you   use these what are your favorites and let me know 
in the comments below what packing cube tips you   have for me if this was helpful i'd appreciate 
a and for more minimalist pro   packing tips you might want to check out this 
video here and i'll see you in the next one