How a Yoga Retreat Can Deepen Your Practice and Maybe Even Change Your Life
I went on my first yoga retreat one month after finishing my 200-hr yoga teacher training. I think I registered for it in an attempt to get that feeling I had after each yoga teacher training weekend over the previous nine months - clarity, groundedness, MYSELF. Since attending that first retreat, I’ve been on a small handful of others and led some, too. Through my experience in retreating and leading retreats, I’ve witnessed some remarkable connection to self and others, clarity and growth in determining a life’s purpose, perspective and lifestyle shifts, and deep rest and rejuvenation.
Disconnecting to Connect or Reconnect
Yoga retreats are offered all over the world and in a variety of different packages from luxury to budget and from adventure to relaxation. One thing that seems to remain consistent, though, is the opportunity to step outside of everyday life. We temporarily assume a different routine; prioritize different activities and intentions; and let daily distractions like phones, emails, meetings, and errands take a backseat to seeing, tasting, hearing, and experiencing new things. Retreats often occur in settings that feature natural beauty and opportunities to be outside. Recent and long standing studies suggest that time outside in natural settings boosts our cognitive performance and emotional wellbeing and reduces stress and its many byproducts. Time in nature reminds us that we are a part of it and puts us in accord with our True Self.
Retreats also put us in contact with like-minded people. In a time when social media might make up a significant part of our “social” lives, retreats offer us a chance to meet and get to know people who value the practice and the lifestyle of yoga. A four or five day retreat (or longer) gives retreaters ample time to get to know people and share their own stories. The retreat environment organically creates the context for community over meals, during practices and workshops, and through shared experiences. This strong social connection soothes the nervous system and can create new friendships. And it’s all done in real life and in person!
Personal Evolution
Going on retreat puts deep intention into traveling or vacationing. That first step of introducing intention into a major activity (like a retreat) can put us on the path for personal growth and discovery. Paired with experiencing the freshness of a new place and activities; daily yoga, breathwork, meditation, and journaling; and time for rest and reflection; a retreat can jumpstart the next step in life, illuminate a new path, or show us how to become more heartfelt in our daily lives.
Additionally, retreats expose us to other ways of thinking about and participating in life. It happens naturally through travel and somatic (body) practices. Just think of how you see the world for the first few days after returning from visiting a new place. Sometimes we feel the same way after a particularly deep yoga practice. Retreats are both travel and practice and give us several days to recognize the natural shifts , explore them, accept them, and adopt them as a new part of our way of being. These types of shifts in how we see other people, circumstances, our lives, and our world can intermingle with how we live, how we eat, how we engage with others, and more! Before you know it, we’ve created a new, supportive, and intentional lifestyle!
Stopping, Resting, and Calming
While there is definitely some physical activity built in yoga retreats - from twice daily asana (postural) practices to activities to enjoy the natural surroundings like hiking, surfing, or paddle boarding - retreats also hold plenty of space for rest. By stepping out of daily obligations like cooking, errands, checking emails, and attending meetings, we are afforded opportunities to nourish the physical, mental, and spiritual parts of us that crave slowing down, letting go of the feelings of being stuck in the past or looking ahead into the future, and resting in a way that is truly rejuvenating. Paired with the daily practices, resting can provide a clearer mind, a more regulated nervous system, and a more recovered physical body.
Retreats also prioritize mindfulness and show us how to be present, content, and curious through yoga, meditation, breathwork, journaling, and conversation. Not only does this allow us to leverage the time on retreat to rejuvenate body, mind, and spirit, it gives us the tools to continue living this way when we return home.
Yoga retreats give us permission to unplug, encourage us to open our eyes, and inspire us to tap into our hearts. Most retreaters come home from retreat slightly changed for the better. I know I always do - whether I’m retreating or helping others to do so.