Sometimes, it is good to hit the reset button, get out of the busy city life, and enjoy new nature full of exotic facilities that remind you of nothing short of your inner peace.
As most people think about beach getaways during holidays, you can choose to satisfy your wanderlust by visiting one place that you love or would like to discover. And what is the best way to maximize this chance than booking a yoga retreat?
Of course, beach getaways will help you unwind after a stressful working period. Unfortunately, they will not give you top strategies to manage inevitable problems that kick in once you return home.
Yoga retreats or camps, on the other hand, will leave you feeling relaxed and full of simple techniques that you can incorporate into your daily wellness routine to bolster your mental and physical health for months.
Though, as yoga and wellness tourism continues to skyrocket in popularity, it may be challenging to identify the best place and time to travel and perform your self-care rituals. That is why we have listed a few places to add to your yoga camping cart.
How To Choose a Yoga Retreat
The good thing about yoga camps is that there is always something for every age, experience level, and budget. Yogis can also experience beautiful picturesque ocean vistas, walking trails, spa hours, and unlimited yoga classes to heal the body, mind, and soul.
That means, whether it is your first time booking or just trying a new yoga destination, it is always a guarantee that you will love the final healing power.
But how do you choose the best yoga camp to suit your checklist? Here are three key considerations when booking a yoga retreat.
Location
Yoga retreats are now available all over the globe, ranging from rainforests and islands to adventurous jungles and mountains. You will also find yoga camps with historic amenities or in countries where English is the primary language. However, before settling for one location, you may need to ask a few questions, including:
- Are you a city or nature person?
- Do you like exploring ancient cultures, arts, and monuments?
- Do you like humid or warm places? Or you are only interested in luxury retreats?
- Do you want your camping to be dedicated only to yoga or would like to try other activities such as hiking, kayaking, and skiing?
A Yoga Teacher or Guide
Choose a yoga teacher that makes you feel safe, supported, and cared for. That means, when choosing a yoga teacher or guide, you may need to consider their experience level in guiding group camping, past client testimonials, and their knowledge of the retreat location, including its language, culture, and other activities.
If you know the guide from your local yoga studio, check if this is the same person you can trust away from the studio.
The Theme of The Retreat
People go for yoga retreats with different goals. Some sign up for yoga camps for life coaching and personal growth, while others are only after physical fitness and mental calmness.
Therefore, when planning for a yoga retreat, ask yourself if the theme fits your goal. If you are looking for tranquility, a yoga retreat based on physical activity will not suit you.
Top Yoga Retreats Of 2023
Kripalu Center For Yoga and Health
Started in 1983, the Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health lies on 125-acre land in the rolling hills of Stockbridge, Massachusetts. The retreat is a home of hundreds of yoga students looking for an amazing renewal experience away from home.
It also boasts of well-trained and world-renowned year-round yoga teachers and experts that offer everything from yoga training to Ayurveda, yoga psychology, physiology, and therapy.
Kripalu retreat has something for everyone camping at it. You can try its official YogaDance or go hiking on the Berkshire trail. You can also join cooking classes or enjoy sensual massage. In short, you will experience limitless fun at this beautiful destination.
Yogis can enjoy three meals a day, expert-led workshops, daily yoga, and other guided outdoor activities. They can also enjoy the property’s numerous amenities such as a sauna, fitness room, market hiking trails, and many more fun activities. All these come at a daily rate of between $125 and $150, which is discounted for nearby students.
Anamaya Resort and Retreat Center
If you love outdoor yoga, this is the best place to visit this year. The Anamaya Resort and Retreat Center sits at the top of a hill facing the turquoise waters of the Gulf of Nicoya.
The place offers customizable yoga camps with extra outdoor activities such as surfing, kayaking, snorkeling, nature walks, horseback riding, and spa days.
When you book this yoga retreat, you expect to start your day with refreshing, 90-minute-long vinyasa classes while watching the beautiful oceanic scenes. In the afternoons, you can join the yin yoga class, get lost in the saltwater infinity pool or spa, or wander in the rich Costa Rican countryside.
Anamaya has varying base rates for a seven-day retreat based on season and occupancy. For instance, accommodation fees for a double room start at $1,095 and include three meals a day. Yoga classes, cooking, and salsa dancing lessons are $15 each. Other fees may also apply for extra activities like excursions, yoga workshops, and gratuities.
Miraval
The Miraval retreat is built on a core “Life in Balance” mission that emphasizes digital device-free yoga sessions. With this motto, yogis can focus on their sense of mindfulness and unplug from the real modern world.
Also, while there are some designated places where yogis can use their devices, the resort still encourages yogis to be thoughtful of their choice to use them.
The place offers various yoga practices for beginners, intermediate, and advanced yogis, including morning yoga, New Age and celestial sessions, slow flows, and inversion-focused aerial yoga classes. These leave students with a wide range of options to choose from, which are mostly included in the base rates.
Although the resort does not have a limit on the number of days one can stay, it recommends a 3- or 4-day trip for maximum benefits. It is also among the most expensive yoga retreats, but it is the best choice for private yoga sessions, wellness lectures, and spa treatments.
The Miraval rates begin at around $929 per night and include all meals, workshops, an infinity pool, fitness center access, and resort credit.
Yasodhara Ashram Yoga and Nature Retreat
Swami Sivananda Radha founded Yasodhara Ashram Yoga and Nature Retreat in 1963 after returning from India where she had gone to search for enlightenment. She discovered the yoga techniques in Gurudev Sivananda’s ashram, which inspired her to open a Sivananda School for Yoga.
The school also laid the foundation of the modern Yasodhara Ashram Yoga Retreat, set alongside the Kootenay Bay in British Columbia, Canada.
With its rich history, Yasodhara offers multiple retreats every year, making it ideal for yogis who want to connect with nature, their friends, and themselves. Yogis leaving the place can also encourage each other to continue practicing the techniques when they return home. This is a good way to keep the yoga spirit alive for months.
The Yasodhara restorative retreats range from $965 for a single room for a week to $5,880 for a double room for three weeks. The place also offers yoga teacher training and a series of self-guided retreats for artists, writers, and working professionals.
Blue Cliff Monastery
If overall tranquility is your ultimate goal, then you can choose Blue Cliff Monastery. This Zen Buddhist center has pure mountain air, meandering trails, water streams, and a digital-free environment that offers the perfect rest, healing, and growth.
The monastery ensures everyone ends the day in mindful meditations, yoga workshops, personal engagement, and total silence before bed.
Blue Cliff has varying base rates for all retreats at its serene southern Catskills property. Dorm-style accommodations range from around $70 to $120 per day for one person, while children under six years can stay for free.
Camping is also available for around $35 to $100 per night, and the registration fee covers all the meals, 95% of which are predominantly vegan.
Final Thoughts On Best Yoga Retreats
Each yoga retreat has something different to offer the incoming yogis. Whether it has to do with available amenities, location, nature activities, or mindfulness sessions, we are sure you will find the best yoga camp that meets your demands.
However, to achieve this, you may need to go a step further and check the number of retreats offered, which time of the year it is open, the size, and accessibility of the location.
