Top 10 Spiritual Retreats
1. Esalen Spiritual Retreats, California
This spiritual center has been visited by spiritual people such as Joseph Campbell and Deepak Chopra. It is spread across 27 acres of beautiful Big Sur coast.
The retreat offers more than 500 workshops including massage, mindfulness and martial arts.
The centre even has its own garden full of fruit and vegetables. Therefore the food is always fresh and healthy.
People come to this center in search of personal development and conversation with other people on a similar pathway. The minimum stay is for two nights and the rates range from $320 to $1715.
2. Ananda in the Himalayas, India
The retreat includes traditional Indian wellness regimes of Ayurveda, Yoga and Vedanta. The practice is believed to bring into the union the mind, body and soul. It is spread on 100 acres in the foothills of the Himalayas.
The center has amazing facilities including a 21,000 square-foot spa, several yoga vilillions and meditation rooms set among gardens and the former Maharajah’s place.
The spiritual retreat houses an elegant tea lounge and an antique billiards room. It offers one-on-one guided meditation sessions which are tailored to each guest’s individual needs. It also offers more active practices such as Ananda Yoga programme and Nature Walk
Buddhist teachings or yogic breathing techniques can be incorporated in the meditation. The meditations can be conducted indoors or outdoors according to your preferences.
The spiritual retreat offers 78 luxury rooms, villas and suites which all have large windows to the mountains. Some of them also have minibars and TVs.
3. Ala Kukui, Hawaii
The name of the center, Alai Kukui, means “Pathway of Illumination”. People come to this center in search of creative expression, spiritual restoration, deep dialogue and intercultural exchange.
Hana is known as ?the land where the heavens meet the earth? because of its breathtaking beauty.
The spiritual retreat has an amazing view of Haleakala, which is Maui’s beautiful mountain. People come here mainly for personal growth and this is achieved through the global awareness and appreciation of Native Hawaiian cultural values.
The center offers various programs including Tibetan sand mandala painting, Vipassana meditation and a weekly writer’s workshop which is run by Hana writers of all ages. The minimum stay in the center is for two nights.
Here’s the quote of the Ala Kukui mission statement:
“The Mission of Ala Kukui is to strengthen and enhance relationships among spirit, land, ocean, and all life forms they support in our islands and throughout our global community. By sustaining these relationships, we enable lokahi (the harmonious balance of life) to flourish.”
4. White Cloud Sanctuary, Costa Rica
The centre spreads across only 13 acres and includes a small organic vegetable farm, a couple of outdoor practice areas and exotic fruit trees. It has many friendly resident animals such as horses, goats, ducks and rabbits.
It’s located just west of San José in central Costa Rica. Only one guest at a time is allowed to stay in this centre. Therefore it allows intense individual spiritual study.
It includes Tai Chi and QiGong which is Chinesne mediation-in-movement practices. There is a daily schedule of guided sessions and quiet seated meditation.
The great thing about this sanctuary is that the spiritual seekers all help each other and even if you are there for a short time you will meet many like-minded people who may become your long-term friends.
The accommodation has beatiful mountain views and includes a single bed, a kitchen, a living area and a bathroom. The meals are not included in the stay.
www.thewhitecloudsanctuary.com
5. Holy Isle, Scotland
The center is located on a private two-mile-long island which is just off the isle of Arran and is on Scotland’s west coast.
The spiritual retreat is open for serious students and those who want to learn the practice of meditation.
There is a very popular seminar called ?The ABC of Meditation? which teaches the foundations of meditation by a BBC actor-cum-Buddhist Alistair Appleton.
This retreat doesn’t have strict schedules so you can attend as many or as little programmes as you wish.
There are 65 rooms available ranging from single to double private rooms. All are decorated in a minimal style. Some areas of the island cannot be explored on foot due to the island’s delicate ecosystem.
The island has Saanen goats, Eriskay ponies and many interesting and little-known plants.
6. Omega Institute, NY
This spiritual retreat is located in the Hudson Valley and is spread across 195 acres. People come here for both inspiration and rejuvenation.
The center offers not only deep relaxation, but also fast spiritual development. It offers 325 workshops, personal training sessions and conferences.
It has 15 meditation courses which are ranging from those offered for beginners only to advanced meditators. Other courses include self-care, dancing, writing, mind exploration, spiritual development and creativity.
All programs have hints of Buddhism, Judaism, Hinduism, Christianity, Sufism or Native American Traditions. The minimum stay is for two nights and the prices range from $140 to $1,449.
7. Insight Meditation Society, Massachusetts
The center spreads across 200 acres of the rural and wooded surrounds. The meditation retreat includes dining and lodging facilities and there’s a Forest Refuge which is used for long-term retreats.
The practice has hints of the Indian Buddhist traditions of vipassana and metta. It involves both seated and walking meditation all conducted in silence. The center has quite strict regimes therefore it’s not for people who want to do what they like once they get there.
There are 79 minimally furnished single and double rooms which have twin beds, chairs, pillows and blankets. You should bring your own sheets and towels. There are also thermostats for temperature control.
Here’s how this spiritual retreat is described by the Insight Meditation Society:
“At the IMS Retreat Center, most retreats follow a typical daily schedule that starts at 5:00 am and ends at 10:00 pm. The day is spent in silent practice comprising alternate periods of sitting and walking meditation. Three meals are served breakfast, lunch and a light dinner. Comprehensive meditation instruction and talks about the Buddha’s teachings are offered daily. In addition, individual or group interviews with the teachers take place at regular intervals.”
The rooms for men and women are separate, located on different floors.
The center discourages the use of perfumes, incenses and other scented products such as tobacco.
8. Rolling Meadows Meditation Retreats, Mexico
The centre runs meditation retreats several times a year in Tulum, which is a beautiful spot on Mexico’s Yucatán peninsula. Here ancient Mayan ruins overlook the Caribbean Sea.
The spiritual retreats take place in a rustick beachside camp which has a restaurant.
Here’s how the Rolling Meadows Meditation Retreats describe their teachings:
“Our teaching guides a student to be self-referenced through attention to the breath, sensations of the body and whatever arises in every moment. It is a process of letting go, or “undoing”. We see yoga as an inquiry: listening, trusting and surrendering to the body. Ultimately it is about being, rather than doing. ”
All participants in the week-long retreats have to follow a daily schedule which incorporates both guided vipassana meditation and yoga.
There are 13 thatch-roofed cabanas which have private baths, tiled floors and king-size beds. There is no electricity, however.
9. Kripalu Center, Massachusetts
This yoga and health center offers 700 experiential workshops suitable for all kinds of tastes and needs. Classes such as mindfulness meditation, yogic breathing and walking meditation are taught by world-class instructors like Larry Rosenberg and Stephen Cope.
This spiritual retreat offers all kinds of meditation-oriented programs which include music, self-discovery and conscious eating.
The center has many highly experienced teachers and guest presenters. They teach different subjects including emotional freedom, body detox and trauma treatment.
Interestingly, Kripalu is America’s largest center for yoga and holistic living. The center has its own signature yoga style, known as Hatha. This style is best known as meditation-in-motion.
Kirpalu also has one of the best yoga spas. The minimum stay is for two nights and the prices range from $160 to $437 per day.
10. Breitenbush Hot Springs, Oregon
This extraordinarily beautiful spiritual retreat offers unusual yet inviting activities such as fire dancing and poetry reading. This sanctuary is located in the Willamette National Forest of the Oregon Cascades and is spread across 154 acres of wildlife.
There are 150 workshops available including meditation, yoga and other relaxing and soulful activities. It also offers unusual workshops for couples and women-only. You can get involved in guided hikes, concerts, dances and singing.
Hiking is especially interesting since you will explore an ancient forest, river and mountain trails. You will also walk the labyrinth, nourish your body with vegetarian food and relax in natural hot spring pools.
This retreat even has its own library where you can lounge or read.
Prices range from $51-$110 per person per night.
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My name is Simona Rich and I help people improve themselves through the articles and products of this website. Although I have found my life's purpose and now I spend my time traveling throughout India and sharing my knowledge, my life used to be completely different.