Healthy holidays: courses to help you free your mind
Get rid of that spider phobia, go on a silence retreat or indulge in some couples therapy – plus other trips to inspire you
10 of the world’s best yoga retreats 2012
From a beautiful Georgian house in Sussex to a Goan beach hideaway, we select 10 inspirational, and affordable, yoga retreats, all of which feature leading instructors
Readers’ tips: fitness and activity breaks
Want to stick to your resolution to get fit? Then plan a healthy holiday. Been there readers recommend their favourites, including a mulit-activity break in Denmark, swimming between Greek islands and running on a Kenyan beach
Escape the winter in a Helsinki sauna
Carole Cadwalladr heads for colder climes, to Helsinki, where warming up is done in style at the public saunas currently enjoying a revival
Meet Santa – in deepest Kent
Lapland UK, Christmas without the trimmings and affordable new London hotels
Top five skiing holiday preparation tips
If you normally get to the ski slopes feeling totally under-prepared, book one of these courses or days out in the UK before you go, says Chris Moran
Lucky dip: warming spa breaks for winter
Chill out in a Croatian hotel where Elizabeth Taylor stayed or rest your weary bones in Hungary (but only after you've explored the countryside by bike)
Karmic resolution: UK retreats
Karmic chakras in need of a spot of rebalancing? Or just fancy an extreme five-day detox? Here are some of the courses on offer
A shamanic detox in Sussex
OK, she saw visions of Peter Andre in Tesco. But an ayahuasca detox in the Sussex countryside left Stephanie Theobald feeling mentally and physically rebooted
The networker who made Champneys’ name
Spa owner Stephen Purdew likes to be generous to newspaper editors, sports stars ... and sometimes policemen. They give the place a buzz, he tells Simon Bowers