NORTHSTAR MEETINGS GROUP - The question, then, isn’t whether you should incorporate yoga into your next meeting. If you want attendees to enjoy the aforementioned benefits, you should definitely consider it.
To the uninitiated, yoga can look extremely intimidating and, frankly, a little bit silly. Just think about it: a room full of people doing headstands, tying themselves in knots and performing poses named for dogs, dolphins and trees. As avid adherents know, however, there’s a lot more to yoga than meets the eye. Beneath the “oms” and contortions are serious health and wellness benefits, according to the American Osteopathic Association.
“The purpose of yoga is to build strength, awareness and harmony in both the mind and body,” says AOA’s Natalie Nevins, a board-certified osteopathic family physician and certified kundalini yoga instructor. “The relaxation techniques incorporated in yoga can lessen chronic pain, such as lower back pain, arthritis, headaches and carpal tunnel syndrome. Yoga can also lower blood pressure and reduce insomnia.”
Plus, yoga can give you increased flexibility, increased muscle strength and tone, improved respiration and energy, a balanced metabolism, reduced weight, enhanced circulation and improved athletic performance.
The question, then, isn’t whether you should incorporate yoga into your next meeting. If you want attendees to enjoy the aforementioned benefits, you should definitely consider it. Indeed, a better question is: Where should that meeting take place?
• The Meritage Resort and Spa (Napa, Calif.). Wine and wellness might sound contradictory, but at the Meritage Resort and Spa in Napa Valley, they’re complementary. Located on 9 acres of hillside vineyards that belong to family-run winery Trinitas Cellars, the resort offers 322 guest rooms and suites and 80,000 square feet of event space, not to mention walking trails through its on-site vineyards, a bowling alley with six lanes, a signature restaurant, a subterranean spa, two heated swimming pools and a fitness center with vineyard views. Plus, every week has a “Wellness Wednesday.” Taking place on an outdoor deck overlooking the vineyards, the event includes a 60-minute yoga class and spa bites by chef Vincent Lesage.
