The USA is home to some of the most stunning landscapes in the world. As such, it’s no surprise that all-inclusive resorts and wellness centers are a big thing here. Over the last decade or so, these resorts and wellness centers have integrated yogic practices in their programs, in an effort to provide their guests not just an escape, but a holistic healing experience.
With that said, it can be challenging to pick the right yoga retreat, especially if you’re a beginner. While some yoga retreats are beginner-friendly, there are also those that are specially designed for aspiring yoga teachers. For this reason, we’ve compiled a list of some of the best yoga retreats in the country. Read on and find out which yoga retreat best suits you!
Mandala offers a welcoming, peaceful environment with abundant water and land based amenities for groups, including retreat leaders, healing professionals, and corporate team building. Their window-filled studio spaces hold 100+.
Located in a valley in the Mayacamas Mountains of Northern California, 2.5 hours drive from SFO, 2 hours from Napa and Sonoma wine country, and 10 minutes from the state highway, people remark on its peaceful, nature-focused setting that includes modern accommodations focused on comfort and luxury. With an outdoor stage and pavilion, as well as several halls for dining and dancing, complete with high-end sound systems.
They specialize in vegetarian and vegan catering services, so please inquire regarding dining options. There are a variety of fun activities such as pedal karts, a pond with kayaks and SUPs, creeks for wandering, and trails with views for hiking, plus a saltwater pool for summer use. Yoga retreat leaders return again and again to teach yoga, meditation, movement, chant, and more. Everything is designed to provide a calm, simple and welcoming environment for learning, teaching and sharing.
Run by Donna Davidge, a highly experienced yoga teacher that started her practice in the mid ‘80s, Sewall House Yoga Retreat is based in the historic Sewall House in Maine. More than providing an escape from everyday life, Sewall House teaches its guests to explore themselves, and assists them on their road to healing.
Activities here include different types of yoga (such as Kundalini, Restorative, Hatha, Vinyasa, and Ashtanga), meditation, arranged hiking and lake tours, canoeing, swimming, and even horseback riding. With the belief that there are no hard and fast rules to yoga, Sewall House designs its programs to be flexible.
Apart from yoga Amenities at Sewall House include six private bedrooms, four full bathrooms, sauna and a one-person jacuzzi bath, free Wifi, and of course, breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Bookings for four people or more for meditation can have the house to themselves!
For those interested in conducting their own yoga classes, Sewall House also offers a yearly, intensive Yoga Teacher Training class. These classes will be limited to only six participants, and are taught by three yogis with a combined 75 years of teaching.
Operating out of Los Angeles, Caroline Klebl’s Source of Yoga conducts yoga workshops, retreats, and teacher training courses in a number of beautiful locations around the world.
Having trained for 9 years under Sri K Pattabhi Jois in India, Caroline Klebl teaches the traditional methods of Yoga Asana practice. Moreover, Caroline Klebl also studied traditional Ayurveda and Pancha Karma, Sanskrit and Yoga Philosophy in South India.
Certified by the Yoga Alliance, Caroline Klebl’s intensive, internationally recognized courses specialize in Ashtanga yoga—one of the most intensive and challenging forms of practice. It is focused on breathwork, muscle development, balance, and spiritual and mental growth. Ideal for yogis who want to become pros, Caroline Klebl’s retreats aims at helping participants connect their mind, body, and soul through teaching them the core principles of Ashtanga yoga.
Caroline Klebl does not conduct workshops all year round, so if you want to participate in one of her intensive workshops, be sure to check out her schedule here.
With a mission to provide the highest possible quality of education in the yoga space, Soma Yoga Institute teaches its students ancient yogic practices, as well as modern biomechanics.
Founded by Liz Heffernan, an international yoga teacher and Integrative Yoga Therapist, Soma Yoga Institute provides 200-Hour Therapeutic Yoga Teacher Training and 300-Hour Advanced Yoga Teacher Trainings both online and in destination retreat locations in Costa Rica, Greece, and Hawaii. Topics taught at Soma Yoga include ancient yoga wisdom and philosophies, alignment and anatomy biomechanics, as well as application of the radical self-honoring philosophy to help shift belief systems.
Soma Yoga Institute’s online therapeutic yoga teacher training programs include: a 200-hour therapeutic yoga teacher training certification program, a 300-hour advanced yoga teacher training program, a five-week yoga S.A.F.E certification program (aimed at yogis who teach yoga to aging bodies, injured students, and beginners), and a yoga assists and conscious adjustments training. If you’re not keen on getting online lessons, you can opt to sign up for the 200-hour therapeutic yoga teacher training ideal for all skill levels (check out their schedule here). That said, if you’re ready for advanced classes, then Soma Yoga’s comprehensive 300-hour advanced yoga teacher training program is for you (check out their schedule here).
Based in Sedona, Arizona, Vita Pura Yoga exclusively offers a Private Yoga experience. This means either one on one sessions, couples, or small groups. Private yoga classes also entail flexible classes both in scheduling and in duration.
That said, Vita Pura’s Yoga experience isn’t confined to a studio. They also offer a variety of retreats and hiking tours. Vita Pura yoga retreats are usually 5-day retreats, and are held in Sedona, San Diego, Saratoga Springs, the Catskills, and Charleston. Hiking tours, on the other hand, are held either in Sedona, or San Diego. While there are still hikes involved in retreats, retreats are a more luxurious experience, with participants staying in a resort hotel most of the time. Hiking tours are usually 50 percent yoga, and 50 percent hiking, and students get to explore more hiking trails in the area.
For those who just want to focus on getting yoga lessons, they can also book Vita Pura Yoga classes from their own Sedona BnB. Vita Pura can provide students anywhere in Sedona with their own instructor, mats, and everything needed for their class!
Vedanta Spiritual & Holistic Retreat
Based in California Hot Springs, at 3,000 feet elevation in the Southern Sierra Nevada Mountains, Vedanta Spiritual & Holistic Retreat is an Eco village and center for holistic learning. With an emphasis on helping individuals transform themselves, Vedanta offers retreats, as well as a variety of yoga courses.
Retreats at Vedanta include basic yoga retreats, Ayurvedic cooking retreats, and even moon gazing retreats. Retreats here are opportunities to unplug from the world and reconnect with yourself. As such, Vedanta is a no-internet, drug and alcohol-free zone, as well as an exclusively vegetarian environment. Amenities at Vedanta include luxury spa rooms, soaks at the local hot springs, and massages.
Yoga courses here come in four levels, with each level being a prerequisite for the next level. Apart from yoga, hiking is also a popular activity at Vedanta, as it’s set on 200 acres of private property. For those who want to do more hiking, there are also accessible hiking trails outside Vedanta, and Sequoia National Park is just 2 hours away.
Miel Yoga is run by Melanie Mullen, a long-time yoga instructor and lifelong environmental activist. With a firm foundation in anatomy and neuroscience, she incorporates breath work, meditation, and energy healing into her yoga classes.
Currently teaching yoga at The Mindry in Malibu, Melanie offers private yoga sessions, as well as yoga retreats. Melanie’s private yoga sessions are tailored to each individual client’s body, and are aimed at helping clients gain some insight on underlying issues that may be hindering them from being fully themselves. Miel Yoga yoga retreats are held in a variety of different venues. While Melanie has conducted yoga retreats in Bali, this year, she’s holding an on-location yoga retreat at the Shakti Ranch in Malibu, and another at the Pebble Cove Farm in Orcas Island.
In addition to private yoga sessions and yoga retreats, Melanie also offers other services such as in-person guided meditation, as well as mobile services specifically for women. These services include personal vaginal steams, group steam sessions, and postpartum closing of the bones ceremonies. Melanie also conducts vaginal steams and pregnant belly casting in her own backyard in Point Dume, Malibu.
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