Discover the Blue Zones Lifestyle: Elevate Your Health & Happiness with Evolation Yoga Retreats
Have you seen the recent ‘happymentary’ Live to 100: Secrets of the Blue Zones?
In the Netflix docuseries, Dan Buettner, author and National Geographic fellow, takes a look at five areas in the world – the Blue Zones – where people have the highest life expectancy. We learn about the secret to a healthy and long life from the people in these areas. Joining a retreat with Evolation Yoga might be your ticket to uncovering these secrets too!
The concept of Blue Zones has been around for a while, but this series zooms in on the key components that Buettner has identified that can lead to becoming a happy, healthy centenarian.
The five Blue Zones are located in:
Okinawa, Japan – home to the world's longest-lived women;
Sardinia, Italy – home to the world's longest-lived men;
Loma Linda, California – Seventh-day Adventist community that outlives the average American by a decade;
Ikaria, Greece – tiny island community with significantly reduced rates of common chronic illnesses;
Nicoya, Costa Rica – area where people are more than twice as likely as Americans to reach 90 years of age.
When you watch the series, you’ll learn about the nine healthy principles — called the Power 9 — believed to be at the core of Blue Zone living. The average person’s life expectancy could increase by 10-12 years by adopting a Blue Zones lifestyle!
The 9 Lifestyle Habits of the World’s Healthiest, Longest-Lived People are:
1. Move Naturally (live in an environment that constantly nudges you into moving without thinking about it).
2. Purpose (the reason why you wake up in the morning. Knowing your sense of purpose is worth up to seven years of extra life expectancy).
3. Downshift (stress leads to chronic inflammation, associated with every major age-related disease. Develop routines to shed that stress, like praying, napping, playing).
4. 80% Rule (eat until your stomach is 80 percent full. Have your smallest meal in the late afternoon or early evening and then don’t eat any more the rest of the day).
5. Plant Slant (eat a largely plant-based diet full of beans, legumes, vegetables and soy).
6. Wine at 5 (drink alcohol moderately and regularly, 1-2 glasses per day).
7. Belong (research shows that attending faith-based services four times per month will add 4-14 years of life expectancy. Denomination doesn’t seem to matter).
8. Loved Ones First (keep aging parents and grandparents nearby. It lowers disease and mortality rates of children in the home too. Commit to a life partner - which can add up to 3 years of life expectancy - and invest in your children with time and love).
9. Right Tribe (both healthy and unhealthy behavior is contagious. Choose to be part of a social circle that supports healthy behaviors and habits).
Surveys show the majority of adults want to improve their health habits, more than 90% typically give up on a diet after the first seven months, 70% cancel gym memberships after just two years and more than 30% report experiencing symptoms of anxiety and depression.
When it comes to successfully making lifestyle changes that last, it's important to start small. If you are reading this, you probably are already - a bit or a lot - on the right track. You have already made changes by practicing yoga and eating healthier. But many of us fall off the wagon. And that's where Evolation Yoga comes in.
Did you read that part about belonging and finding the right tribe? Evolation is a collective of yoga studios, trainers, teachers and students. We are constantly learning from and supporting each other. Big transformations happen during a training course. But not everyone can curve out that substantial amount of time and funds to embark on the training journey.
That's why we are so excited about Zefea’s retreats! We will have an opportunity to check off most of the 9 pillars in the accessible timespan of a week.
✅ Move Naturally: Of course we will practice yoga every day, with different styles to explore. But we will also go on hikes and beach walks, swim in the ocean, and maybe surf or kayak.
✅ Downshift: Time for relaxation, just chilling on the beach, group wellness and healing sessions, massages. Do we need to say more?
✅ Plant Slant: Yes! All included meals will be healthy, nourishing, yummy and plant based. Smoothies and juices aplenty as well.
✓ 80% Rule: That might be hard with such delicious meals…
✓ Wine @ 5: we’ll have to see about that!
✅ Loved Ones First: You might have to leave your family and loved ones for a week, but it will be worth it. You will come back refreshed and energized, ready to pour all your love out.
✅ Belong: We are not a religious community. Our daily meditations and group will give life a meaning and routine that you can take with you wherever you go.
✅ Purpose: Retreats and trainings are the ultimate places to find your purpose. Plus, you will have an opportunity for a personal mentoring session with Zefea to help you connect with yourself.
✅ Right Tribe: We are your tribe! Everyone attending will have similar interests and goals. The beauty of a retreat is that you can share your passion wholeheartedly and feel fully supported every step of the way.