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The Link Between Vacations And Your Health

Everyone knows taking vacations is fun right? But can they also be beneficial to your health? The answer is actually, yes. It is kind of intuitive on some level. The basic math is vacations help you relax, and relaxation is good for you. Surveys show that Americans are among the most stressed and overworked populous in the world. They also take fewer vacations. Is there a correlation between taking less vacation time and having the most stress and stress-related problems? Doctors say that taking vacations help to reduce stress and  Lower Blood Pressure.

Yoga Relaxation And Healthy Vacations

One key thing about yoga is that the real magic is in getting people to relax and calm down. That is the drug that gets you hooked and keeps you coming back. The most restful and restorative pose in yoga is called Shavasana or Corpse pose. Basically, you just lay there on your back and breathe, palms facing up, eyes closed. This always comes at the end of the session. Some people fall asleep and start snoring (I have done that) some people just focus on their breath or let their thoughts just drift and do whatever they want to do. Everyone, however, comes out of that feeling fresh and rejuvenated. It is the secret ingredient that is slipped in at the end and people barely notice. They think that all the Warrior Pose and holding Crow pose for ten minutes is what is making them healthier and feeling great. That all plays a role no doubt. And the sweet ain’t so sweet without the bitter, meaning, the feeling of relaxation you get from laying down and just breathing is amplified by the fact that you just suffered through the hardest most uncomfortable forty-five minutes of your day, maybe week, possibly life. Yoga is hard and it will expose your weaknesses. Thank God they put the Shavasana at the end.

Action Sports And Health

Everyone is different. Some of my friends and family just like to go to Nice Hotels and lay around at the pool order drinks and go to nice dinners. That is their idea of a vacation and I agree to a certain degree. However, that gets old pretty quick for me. I need to be immersed in nature. Not only that, but I need adventure. I need a workout. Not just a workout either, something with adrenaline and a bit of danger and risk. I need something that requires the focusing of the mind, the exertion of the body, and a dance between skill and art. I know I am a bit needy. I’m spoiled because I surf to be quite honest. Surfing has brought me a lot of joy, friends, experiences, and even lessons. It has also pigeonholed me in a way because I have to live near surf in order to be happy now. I guess that is a good problem to have.

A Proper Vacation for me involves some sort of movement in nature. My most memorable vacations have been surf trips obviously, but also mountain bike trips, dirt biking trips, skiing, hiking, backpacking, canoes, kayaks, snowmobiles. You name it, if it will take me through a tour of nature, is just a little bit difficult, takes some skill, and offers varying degrees of danger, I’m totally in. I wonder if it comes from our species’ nomadic past.  I find that those sports, though maybe a bit on the risky side, offer me the biggest bang for the buck as far as satisfaction from the activity itself. I’m not one of these strict regimen workout routine kind of guys. I have to disguise my exercise with fun games and activities. That is the only sustainable way for me. The action sports that really focus the mind and force you into the present moment are what help me to relax my mind later.

Sleep And Our Ancestor’s Health

I have always had problems sleeping. Ever since I can remember I have stayed up at night trying to get to sleep and not being able to shut off my mind. The mind can be such a powerful tool but also a hindrance to peace and tranquility. I believe we as a society undervalue rest and relaxation. We undervalue having  A Healthy Lifestyle in general and perhaps in undervaluing health, as a side effect, we push rest, recovery, relaxation, sleep, joy, adventure, and leisure to the bottom. We are driven. Driven to produce, to buy, spend, consume, keep up, innovate, compete. When do we leave space for beauty? When do we recognize the magic surrounding us? When do we ever allow ourselves to stop and listen to our breath? In, out, in, out, in, out. It’s so simple it never even occurs to us. Why is that? It’s kind of sad. It’s kind of like a mental sickness and we all have it. perhaps it is in our innate drive to keep moving, to store up more resources for the coming winter, to provide for, not only ourselves but for the tribe, for our loved ones. Maybe it is our genetic memory reminding us that famine is just around the corner.

Our ancestors surely had a lot of leisure time. They would have either hunted or gathered for a few hours in the day, maybe did little repairs on tools and dwellings, cooked and ate some food, and then relaxed and rested. They looked up at the clouds and the stars. They slept plenty. They told stories and were connected to nature wholly. That is a healthy lifestyle. It is hard for us now to even pull away from work and TV and all the daily obligations. It is actually against our nature. Our natural state of being is relaxed, happy, free, engaged. The modern world has turned us against our own better instinct to rest and have fun, enjoy life and food, sunlight and trees, water and doing nothing, just breathing, being aware of nothing but breath.

About Our Guest Writer

Nick Nester, Content Writer. Nick studied Creative Writing and Philosophy at various schools in California as well as Yoga and Herbal medicine. He is an avid waterman, surfer, hiker and musician. He has worked as an Ocean Lifeguard for over 10 years on the California coast while exploring writing, music and developing a health-centered lifestyle.

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