USA TODAY 10Best
Center your mind at the 10 best yoga retreats in the US
Best Yoga Retreat Center (2023)
Beyond deepening one's yoga practice, yoga retreat centers empower guests to disconnect from technology, detox their bodies and surround themselves with positive energy. A panel of experts joined 10Best editors to identify 20 of the top yoga retreat centers throughout the country, then readers voted for their favorites. Here are the 10 best yoga retreat centers in the United States.
Photo courtesy of Barbara L Batt
No. 10: Drala Mountain Center - Red Feather Lakes, Colorado
A typical day at the 600-acre mountain valley retreat may include morning and afternoon yoga, meditation, a walk to the Great Stupa of Dharmakaya (a significant example of sacred architecture), meeting other participants over tasty meals and attending evening sessions that attend to body and mind. The variety of housing at Drala Mountain Center, which is surrounded by forests, meadows and the peaks of the Colorado Rockies, is varied to meet your budget and desired level of fellowship.
Photo courtesy of Bill Geoghegan
No. 9: Yogaville - Buckingham, Virginia
Virginia's Satchidananda Ashram–Yogaville sits upon on 750 rural acres and encompasses a teaching academy, organic farm, monastery, guest accommodations and sacred sites for prayer and meditation. Pack up your blocks and mat and sign up for one of the many diverse yoga retreats that coincide with the seasons, silent retreats or a personal retreat. Partake in the daily schedule of vegetarian meals, group meditation, hatha yoga classes, hiking trails and evening programs.
Photo courtesy of Bri Crow Creative
No. 8: Retreat In the Pines - Mineola, Texas
Beginner-friendly and open to all women, Retreat in the Pines is a serene sanctuary offering all-inclusive weekend retreats in the Piney Woods of East Texas. You'll practice yoga both indoors and out, enjoy fresh meals, meditate and relax. You might return for a "Strength & Healing" retreat that incorporates even more yoga practices than the facility's other programs.
Photo courtesy of Geber86 // Getty Images
No. 7: Big Sky Yoga Retreats - Bozeman, Montana
Yoginis who have a yearning for wide open spaces may want to consider an experience at Big Sky Yoga Retreats. Choose retreats such as "Dude Ranch Cowgirl Yoga" that deepens yoga practice and explores the horse-human connection for a "yeehaw meets namaste" retreat. Yoga classes accommodate all levels. The company also creates yoga getaways to places like the French Alps, Patagonia and Sicily.
Photo courtesy of Zane Williams Photography
No. 6: Feathered Pipe Ranch - Helena, Montana
When it's time to refire neurons or your computer hunchback needs realignment, Montana's Feathered Pipe Ranch offers wellness and yoga tools from late spring to early autumn. Various retreats suit all experience levels in hatha, lyengar, vinyasa, bhaki and yoga nidra. Mindfulness and meditation sessions result in a real mind/body renaissance amid beautiful vistas in the foothills of the Rockies. Lodging ranges from chalet rooms and rustic cabins to tipis and yurts.
Photo courtesy of Ridofranz // Getty Images
No. 5: Mount Madonna Center - Watsonville, California
At Mount Madonna Center, there's something for yoga practitioners of all levels at retreats that include daily sunrise and sunset ceremony of lights events at the mountaintop temple, group mediation and asana classes, dancing and devotional celebrations. Get what you need from a personal retreat: daily yoga classes, vegetarian meals, swimming, or walking redwood forest trails.
Photo courtesy of The Pearl Laguna Staff
No. 4: The Pearl Laguna - Laguna Beach, California
Cleanse, get fit and feel utterly renewed through yoga, organic vegetarian meals, sunset hikes along the beach and meditation at this intimate wellness retreat located in Laguna Beach, California. The program, which attracts an international guest list, is built on four pillars: Natural Exercise, Natural Food, Rest and Positive Loving Thoughts. The appealing menu during a weeklong retreat includes morning hikes through coastal canyons, two daily yoga classes, daily therapeutic massage and relaxation in a private room.
Photo courtesy of ArcticHive.com
No. 3: Arctic Hive - Wiseman, Alaska
If finding your "true north" means to gain insight by following your internal compass, straighten your path at Arctic Hive, 63 miles north of the Arctic Circle. The wilderness retreat center in Alaska's Brooks Range creates unforgettable yoga retreats under the northern lights. Guests dedicate a week to tune within via mornings in the yoga dome, coffee and a plant-based breakfast in the igloo, and outdoor adventures and cultural immersions. There's cabin lodging with mountain views, crafts, dog-sledding and a tour crossing the Arctic Circle and the Yukon River.
Photo courtesy of Ridofranz // Getty Images
No. 2: Sewall House - Island Falls, Maine
A retreat at Sewall House may focus on Kundalini yoga, spiritual herbalism, women's mental health or the intersection of writing and yoga. All are open to beginners as well as experienced practitioners. Retreats are small and personalized. Meals are vegetarian, mostly organic and prepared on-site. Accommodations are private bedrooms in an historic rural New England home, located 30 miles from the Canadian border.
Photo courtesy of Himalayan Institute
No. 1: Himalayan Institute - Honesdale, Pennsylvania
For more than 50 years, the Retreat Center at the Himalayan Institute in the rolling hills of the Poconos has been a magnet for those seeking balance. Yoga retreats can address specific issues such as grief or they can combine yoga, ayurveda and hiking to nourish mind and body on the 400-acre campus. You'll experience restorative asana, pranayama and yoga nidra, which is a powerful relaxation practice with guided meditation. Lodge in simple and comfortable accommodations conducive to a peaceful stay and enjoy hearty vegetarian or vegan meals daily.
About 10Best Readers' Choice Awards
Nominees are submitted by a panel of experts. 10Best editors narrow the field to select the final set of nominees for the Readers’ Choice Awards. Readers can vote once per category, per day. For any questions or comments, please read the FAQ or email USA TODAY 10Best.
The Experts
Ava Roxanne Stritt
Ava Roxanne Stritt has been called the most... Read More
Ava Roxanne Stritt has been called the most influential person in the world for spa travel and also a top authority on luxury and wellness travel. Her fans say she is responsible for turning the spa day into a wellness adventure! You can find her always searching for unique experiences. Ava writes for multiple print and online publications such as Spa Travel Gal and many more. You can also find her here @SpaTravelGal
Ava Roxanne Stritt
Ava Roxanne Stritt has been called the most influential person in the world for spa travel and also a top authority on luxury and wellness travel. Her fans say she is responsible for turning the spa day into a wellness adventure! You can find her always searching for unique experiences. Ava writes for multiple print and online publications such as Spa Travel Gal and many more. You can also find her here @SpaTravelGal
Catherine Smith
Catherine Smith, Readers' Choice Awards Production... Read More
Catherine Smith, Readers' Choice Awards Production Manager and Social Media Director for USA TODAY 10Best, has a special interest in unique culinary experiences and off-the-beaten-path adventures. Catherine is the founder of Her Bags Were Packed where she focuses on helping women release emotional baggage through solo travel and self-discovery.
Catherine Smith
Catherine Smith, Readers' Choice Awards Production Manager and Social Media Director for USA TODAY 10Best, has a special interest in unique culinary experiences and off-the-beaten-path adventures. Catherine is the founder of Her Bags Were Packed where she focuses on helping women release emotional baggage through solo travel and self-discovery.
10Best Editors
USA TODAY 10Best provides users with original,... Read More
USA TODAY 10Best provides users with original, unbiased and experiential travel coverage of top attractions, things to see and do, and restaurants for top destinations in the U.S. and around the world.
10Best Editors
USA TODAY 10Best provides users with original, unbiased and experiential travel coverage of top attractions, things to see and do, and restaurants for top destinations in the U.S. and around the world.