How to Choose a Yoga Retreat?
With the number of yoga retreats available and all the different styles, places, and types of yoga retreats out there, it can be challenging to figure out how to choose the one that’s best for you.
In order to choose a yoga retreat, it helps to first determine what you are looking to get out of it. Once you are clear about your reasons and intention, you have to figure out the practical aspects like budget, travel, and time availability.
It is always a good idea to do some fact-checking about the ones you have shortlisted and interact with the organizers to see if your needs can be met.
This article singlehandedly will help you figure out all of these things one by one and give you insider tips on what to do when choosing a yoga retreat.
If you read until the end you will find 8 very important questions to ask your yoga retreat organizer to make sure the retreat is ideal for you.
Let’s go!
1. Determine what are you looking for in a yoga retreat
Finding the answer to this question will keep you from choosing something you never wanted in the first place.
Your reasons could be more than one, and they may change over time.
Common expectations from a yoga retreat include:
- Taking a break from your daily routine
- Taking some time for yourself
- Improving your yoga practice
- Giving yourself some loving care to your body and spirit
- Rejuvenating and detoxing your body
- Visiting an amazing destination while attending yoga classes
- Meeting new people
- Creating new healthy habits
- Trying a new yoga style
Establishing your reasons will keep your search aligned and help you stay focused.
A yoga retreat at a SUNNY destination
You could be feeling frozen and wishing for some sun.
Fear not, switching from dark and gloomy indoors to warm and sunny beaches its definitely doable when attending a yoga retreat.
Making sure that the sun is what your heart and body desires…
What should you expect out of attending a yoga retreat in a sunny destination?
Expect sun salutations that are for real.
Most likely, your yoga sessions will be held early morning and evening so you can enjoy the sun while it’s still kind.
Yoga retreats held in sunny destinations give you a chance to really soak in nature.
The activities are usually held in the outdoors, expect: Nature walks, surfing, or diving, horse riding or kayaking, just to name a few.
Attending a retreat in a specific country/city
If you’ve always wanted to visit a city or a country then you can make that the objective of your yoga retreat.
What should you expect out of retreats that are held at specific destinations?
Attending a yoga retreat at a destination you’ve always looked forward to visiting will give you a chance to experience the essence of the place.
You will be able to include yoga and healthy routines to your dream destination visit.
You’ll typically have morning yoga sessions with delicious and healthy breakfasts (expect to have local food) and then you’ll be able to explore the place during breaks. (usually on your own or with friends you made at a yoga retreat)
Yoga retreats that are held in tourist destinations and where they expect foreigners as participants usually include excursions in their itinerary so participants can have a complete experience.
This enables you to have a richer and fuller experience of the destination.
Go deeper into your yoga PRACTICE
One of the primary reasons for going on a yoga retreat is to deepen one’s yoga practice.
You could be wanting to go deeper into your asana practice or gain more understanding of the philosophical aspect of yoga.
Your motivation is to improve your practice and invest more time in it.
What should you expect out of retreats that help deepen your yoga practice?
These are usually more intensive yoga retreats and offer an immersive experience.
You can expect to be practicing yoga asanas twice or thrice a day.
Besides, there could also be sessions on breathing exercises, meditations, anatomy, and yoga philosophy.
Wanna know more? 👉 Check this article where we talk about 7 Important questions to introduce yourself to Yoga’s history and concepts.
Looking for yoga + HEALTH and WELLNESS
These are for times when you need some support for your physical and mental health.
You could be feeling tired or stressed, in need of recovery and restoration, wanting to detox, or going through a challenging phase in life; basically, for self-care and healing.
What should you expect out of retreats that offer health and wellness?
Yoga retreats can help you restore depleted energies and recharge and rejuvenate you.
They can also help you overcome specific challenges with your physical and mental health.
The schedule of sleep, physical activity, and healthy food intake helps you detox and reset your system while the ambiance of peace and serenity helps you soothe physically and emotionally.
Some yoga retreats that specifically focus on health and wellness also incorporate Ayurveda, massages, spas, and healing sessions.
Wanna know more? 👉 Here What Is An Ayurvedic Retreat
Yoga retreat combined with ADVENTURE
Think yoga sessions and activities that offer adventure, exploring, and discovering new exciting places or activities – walks in the jungle, rafting, snorkeling, visiting landmarks, horse riding excursion, camping…
What should you expect out of retreats that offer adventure?
Adventure yoga retreats are designed to offer an experience that has a grounding element to it which comes from yoga and which is contrasted with the thrill of adventure.
These are great for times when you are looking for a more active and fun experience while not losing the focus on yoga.
These types of retreats provide the best of both worlds.
Yoga and SPORT
You could be a yoga practitioner who has a thing for running or martial arts or tennis or something else.
What should you expect out of retreats that offer sports?
These yoga retreats usually have yoga sessions at the beginning and end of your day and sports activities in between – cycling, skiing, golf, and water sports, for instance.
Yoga sessions at the end of the day might help with legs that are sore from running. And an early morning at the beach might make the sun salutations on the sand feel more delicious.
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A yoga retreat focused on DETOX
If you have been eating too much sugar, spending too much time on screens, or are feeling emotionally and mentally cluttered, and are looking for some cleansing of the physical, mental, and emotional bodies.
What should you expect out of retreats that offer detox?
Expect food that is light, healthy, fresh, and free from preservatives. This switch in food is in itself an effective detox.
Yoga retreats that are designed for detox incorporate yoga sessions and breathing exercises along with the cleansing diets that help to clean the gut and reset the digestive system.
They could also be using other cleansing techniques from Ayurveda and alternative medicine for deeper detoxification.
There is also a digital detox that happens as there isn’t really much time to spend on the phone. Being away from daily life also gives a chance to move away from the mental chatter that creates clutter in the mind and emotions.
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A WOMEN ONLY yoga retreat
Yoga retreats that only take in women participants.
Some can be even more specific and only meant for women during their pregnancy.
What should you expect out of retreats that are for women only?
Since more often than not women play the role of caregivers, yoga retreats for women give women a chance at self-care.
Expect experiencing self-love and self-acceptance.
These yoga retreats focus on balancing feminine energies and give an opportunity to women to develop a positive body image, learn from other women, and be able to share their stories and challenges in a non-judgmental environment.
There is an opening up and a finding of ease and comfort. There is a release of inhibitions and a blossoming of the authentic self.
A yoga retreat combined with CULTURAL experience
When you go in as foreign but want to return as not so foreign. This is for the times when you want a real, authentic local experience of a not so familiar culture.
What should you expect out of retreats that offer a cultural experience?
Expect a real, authentic local experience. Yoga retreats that offer a cultural experience keep to their local traditions, flavors, and quirks.
Some yoga and cultural retreats also include language classes.
Food will surely be a highlight.
You might have to be dressed a bit conservatively if the place is more traditional.
There could be times when interacting with locals outside the yoga retreat is not so easy because of language barriers.
And you could experience a whole new way of living and being.
A yoga retreat for the whole FAMILY
If more family time is what you wish for while never leaving your yoga mat.
What should you expect out of retreats that are for the whole family?
Yoga retreats that include the whole family help create more trust, warmth, and love.
Expect a time that leads to more sharing and communication, doing things together that are more meaningful, and building more cohesion with each other.
If there hasn’t been enough time that has been spent as a family, attending a yoga retreat can give days of togetherness that also help in bonding more deeply with each other.
Wanna know more? 👉 Here Can a 3-Year-Old Do Yoga
Yoga vacation to make FRIENDS
This is especially applicable if you are traveling solo.
Yoga retreats are great places to find like-minded people, spend some time with your soul tribe, and get a chance at making friends for life.
What should you expect out of retreats that offer a social experience?
Expect team activities. Expect interactions with each other that are unfiltered and honest. And expect to be surprised by how easy and comforting it can be to open your heart to complete strangers.
There is a healing that happens from being able to share our vulnerabilities and challenges with people we think can understand us.
The belief that we are not being judged, that we can be ourselves, and that we are not expected to be perfect helps to release the burden of having to please others.
In that lightness of being, it becomes possible to make friends who are for real and keep those friendships close to us.
Looking for an AFFORDABLE yoga retreat
Breaking a sweat on the yoga mat because of what you pay rather than what you do might be counterproductive.
You are looking for options that don’t cost you an arm and a leg.
What should you expect out of retreats that are affordable?
Yoga retreats that are affordable might offer a more modest and simple experience.
You would most likely notice that in the accommodation (shared-room, dorms option) and the food.
Affordability does not necessarily impact quality.
You could find really affordable yoga retreats in countries like Nepal and India that offer a great experience and are still cheaper than what you would pay for the ones organized by your fancy neighborhood studios.
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Wanted a LUXURY yoga holiday
You deserve some pampering and are looking for a luxurious experience.
What should you expect out of retreats that offer luxury?
Think glorious spas, five-star accommodations, and gourmet food.
A luxury yoga retreat enables you to experience the joy of yoga while being in a state of happy indulgence.
Only expect from yourself to take care of your yoga practice. The rest will be taken care of.
A retreat focusing on a specific STYLE OF YOGA
These are yoga retreats that focus on a specific style of yoga, restorative yoga, aerial yoga, vinyasa yoga, or kundalini yoga, for instance.
What should you expect out of retreats that offer a specific style of yoga?
These yoga retreats help you deepen your understanding and practice in a particular style of yoga.
It is a really good way to try a new style. Perhaps you have never tried that one before but want to see if it suits your needs and aligns with your personal style.
If it is a style you have already been practicing, attending a yoga retreat will help you develop a better and more holistic understanding of the style.
By including sessions on history, the philosophy, and integrating it with anatomy, you will gain new insights about the style of yoga.
8 Questions to ask yourself when choosing a yoga retreat
Finding answers to these questions will lead you to the gates of your perfect yoga retreat.
1. Do you have a specific destination in mind?
If you do, your search gets narrowed down.
If you don’t, try assessing how much you are willing to travel and how open you would be to exploring a new country and culture.
Destination can be an easy and effective filter to apply. It helps you either by knowing where you want to go or by eliminating places you would not like to go to.
2. Do you have a min or max price range you don’t want to go over or below?
Budget is another effective filter.
Think about how much money you are willing to spend. Yoga retreats come in all shapes and sizes of currency. And there is one for every budget.
You might have to trade off one thing for the other, quality, convenience, location, being some parameters.
But setting a price range will help make comparisons between yoga retreats easier and will ensure that you only spend as much as you have intended.
3. Do you want to practice a specific type of yoga?
Ask yourself if there is a particular style of yoga you have been wanting to try. A yoga retreat could be your best chance to get a complete experience.
Also, assess if the style of yoga that you practice needs some more help with.
Perhaps spending more time with the teacher can help you with your alignments, help solve your doubts, and get unstuck from places and poses that you find challenging.
4. Do you have specific dates or are you flexible?
See if you have any constraints of dates or time of year.
If you are looking for a longer retreat and your workplace needs you to plan your absence much in advance, thinking about that and planning for that can help you gain some more flexibility.
Also, be aware that some yoga retreats are open all year round while some others are leading on specific dates.
5. Are you looking for a specific theme?
It is good to check in with yourself if a yoga retreat on a specific theme can help you with some area of your life that you can use some support with.
There are yoga retreats that are centered on themes like sleep, dealing with anxiety, chakra cleansing and balancing, and prenatal, to name a few.
6. Are you looking for a specific group size?
Do you feel like you need to be among people where there can be some coming together and making friends or you would rather be part of a smaller group so each participant receives more attention?
7. Do you want to be part of a group and share all activities or have independence and a lot of free time for yourself?
Check for your intention.
Are you looking for a more social experience? Will it feel good for you to spend time talking, laughing, sharing? Or would you rather spend your time journaling perhaps, thinking, being by yourself?
This will help you pick a yoga retreat that offers the kind of time that you are looking for.
8. How long or short are you looking for the retreat to be?
There are yoga retreats that run over a weekend and there are yoga retreats that go on for a couple weeks.
What is the kind of time that you have available and that you are willing to spend on a yoga retreat?
The more time that you spend, the more intensive the experience is.
However, that also depends on the kind of yoga retreat you are attending.
Perhaps two days are good enough for the theme that is being covered.
Take a close look at the retreat program
Studying the itinerary of the yoga retreat program will give you most of the answers to what you can expect.
The itinerary will help you figure out your daily schedule, when and how many asana classes you will be attending, if there are other sessions that are included, breathing exercises and meditation for instance, how much time you will have for yourself, and what are the activities other than yoga that you will be part of.
The retreat program will also help you understand how intensive the retreat is, what they are focusing on and if it is more relaxed or more active.
Take time to read reviews
Attending a yoga retreat is an investment of time, effort, money, and sometimes even travel.
It is important to make sure that the one you are choosing is genuine, value-creating, and trustworthy.
One of the best things about the internet is that it brings transparency.
Reading reviews of previous participants will help you form a mental picture of what you can expect from the retreat.
Reading reviews will also show you the red flags if there are any.
Contact the organizers and gauge their responsiveness & friendliness
Before you book a yoga retreat, it is generally a good idea to interact a bit with the organizers.
By doing so, you will get a sense of how flexible and helpful they are.
Anyway, it is always better to check for any doubts and questions before you sign up.
Ask questions of anything not fully disclosed on the retreat program
You really don’t want to travel halfway across the world and then realize that the yoga retreat is literally in the middle of nature, you have missed the last ferry of the day, and hiring a taxi will cost you more than your flight tickets back home.
Ask all the questions you need to before taking the plunge.
Is there a specific area to practice yoga?
Is the retreat center available to freely walk in and practice yoga or have they reserved only certain areas that participants can access to practice and the rest is closed.
If you are an outdoor person and are looking for some time in nature, it is good to check if yoga sessions will be held outside or indoors.
Getting a sense of how big the space is and how open or closed will prevent you from being disappointed once you get there.
How big or small will the group be?
The answer to this question will help you assess if you will get enough personal attention from the teacher to help with your asanas, how big the retreat space will be, and how crowded.
How do I get to the retreat?
Important question, especially if you are going to a new country.
Get precise directions on how to get there, ask for modes of transport that are available along with their prices, and check for how easy or difficult it is to get there by yourself.
You can also check if the retreat organizers provide for pickups and drops.
Has the instructor hosted a retreat at that resort before? If not, have they visited the location?
If the instructor is familiar with the site of the retreat, in all likelihood, there will be less scope for a surprise.
If there is no familiarity, preparedness by visiting the location will ensure that things are in order.
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Will the food satisfy your diet?
The majority of yoga retreats serve vegetarian food.
If you have special dietary requirements, have any food restrictions or allergies, or if for instance, spicy food is unpalatable to you, it is best to check with the organizers of the yoga retreat for the alternatives that they can provide.
What will the weather be like at the time of year you are going?
Weather is the primary influencer of what to pack.
It is good to check for what kind of weather you can expect during the time you will be at the yoga retreat.
The retreat organizers will also be able to guide you if there are any specific things you need to pack, for example, if you would need a bug repellant or earplugs to sleep.
Conclusion
Attending a yoga retreat is often a transformative experience.
Our needs change with time and you will notice that each experience of being on a yoga retreat will be unique and valuable in its own right.
If you are wondering why you should go on a yoga retreat, read this article on the benefits of a yoga retreat.
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