Distinguishing Between Yoga Retreats: Cultural, Social, and Immersive
There’s no shame in it……you’re retreat curious! A lot of people are! How do I choose which yoga retreat is right for me, you might ask.
Know yourself: Are you a minimalist who loves to back pack and camp, while eating berries you picked and swimming in the river? Or do you need supportive beds and quiet to rest before eating a keto and doing intermittent fasting? It’s important to be honest about your needs and your areas of growth.
In my youth, I would go on retreats and pile into yurts with a sleeping bag, eating vegan food and being hungry, but still practicing 3–4 times a day with a teacher I admired. At my age… this is no longer the case. Know who you are and be honest with yourself about how you travel.
I offer three different versions of retreats with different qualities.
Cultural retreats are often the most rewarding for me. This is a destination retreat to incredible international destinations. If we are going abroad, then we should experience ALL the things: food, accommodations, nature, culture, art, museums. And that is exactly what I provide.
The entire trip is planned, balancing downtime so that you can sit back and relax. You will have private guides and transportation to all activities. Accommodations and food are luxurious and carefully cultivated. Yoga practices vary by day and are centered around the group’s ability and capacity.
These trips tend to be one-of-a-kind trips with insider events that you could not do on your own. I carefully scout and plan all trips and activities to curate a trip that will deepen your practice and also develop your affinity for other cultures and food. This retreat has the most direct interaction within the group, where we are together the majority of the time. This type of retreat is high activity, less downtime. Ideal for an experienced traveler that likes to take it all in!
Social retreats are simply delightful. Yoga practices happen once daily in the morning and are curated for all levels. Practice often lasts 2 hours so that practitioners can delve deeply into varying aspects of practice (active standing poses, restorative poses, pranayama (breathing), meditation). Social retreats are hosted at one location and have the ideal balance of group activity and alone or social time.
Practices are always together and the rest of the day is open to socializing or group activities. The all-inclusive nature of our host resort allows for an individual’s greatest flexibility in planning. In addition to group classes, I offer optional group activities and hang-outs. Nothing is mandatory. The physical location of the place delivers regeneration and rejuvenation. This is the most accessible retreat type for new participants: lots of fun, great yoga, amazing people, stunning location and facilities.
Immersive retreats are the most in-depth and closest to what individuals expect of a retreat, with a few tweaks. You will have beautiful and wonderful accommodations, delicious food that caters to your dietary needs. The focus of the retreat is yoga. We practice 2 to 3 times per day. Generally, I offer different styles of practice: vini yoga in the morning (breath-based and more physically gentle), Vinyasa in the afternoon (more physically demanding and intense practices), and a variety of other techniques at night (pranayama, meditation, restorative, philosophical discussion). We follow ancient techniques like silent mornings (no talking until after breakfast), communing with nature, friendship, and support in group. The facility is always located in a beautiful natural space and offers other healing modalities to support your journey like massages and sound baths.
Immersive retreats are open to everyone and best suited for those that want to grow and learn. I suggest that people come curious and open. I encourage you to leave technology behind and truly immerse yourself in the experience that is transformative.
If you have any questions about my retreats, please reach out to me directly. I wish you an excellent journey on whichever path you choose!