10 Transformative Yoga Retreats in the US

Refresh and recharge your body, mind and spirit in scenic settings at the best yoga retreats in America.

By: Jeff Stafford

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Photo By: Satchidananda Ashram–Yogaville

Photo By: Frederic Silberman, www.sewallhouse.com

Photo By: Zane Williams

Photo By: Kait Simek, Sedona Mago Retreat Center

Photo By: Tom Beil-Arkin, Tilt Architects

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Photo By: Trina Roberts

Photo By: The Standard Spa, Miami Beach

Photo By: Omega Institute for Holistic Studies, Rhinebeck, NY, eOmega.org

Photo By: 420 Yoga Retreat

Satchidananda Ashram-Yogaville

Located in picturesque Buckingham, Virginia, not far from the city of Charlottesville, the Satchidananda Ashram-Yogaville is open to the public 365 days a year and offers guest stays, programs and teacher trainings. Founded in 1980, the community is dedicated to the practice and philosophy of Integral Yoga which synthesizes the various branches of yoga into a comprehensive life style system. The ashram also operates an organic farm and offers visitors vegetarian dining with vegan and gluten-free options.

Sewall House Yoga Retreat

A popular, off-the-grid getaway since 1997, Sewall House in Island Falls, Maine offers several yoga disciplines along with massage and sauna sessions. The idyllic setting is also ideal for canoeing, kayaking, swimming, hiking or just meditating on the porch. Special workshops on writing, cooking, folk herbalism and other practices are also offered periodically on their calendar.

Feathered Pipe Ranch

Break away from your day-to-day routine and find your inner Zen at this rustic retreat in the heart of the Rocky Mountains not far from Helena, Montana. Founded in 1975, Feathered Pipe Ranch offers specialized workshops, body work and massage, healing arts plus hiking on scenic trails and water activities on their spring-fed lake.

Sedona Mago Retreat Center

Established in 1998, Sedona Mago Retreat Center in Arizona promotes the spirit of Tao as universal principles of harmonious living and a peaceful world through such programs as Tao meditation training, Integrative Ki Energy Healing and other disciplines. The stunning desert location, which is 4,500 feet above sea level, includes healing vortexes, an outdoor pool and jacuzzi, meditation areas and other amenities. Accommodations include private or shared casitas with three meals a day based on your dietary needs, whether you are vegan, gluten-free, soy-free or dairy-free.

The Esalen Institute

A legendary destination perched on the edge of the Pacific Ocean along the coast of Big Sur, California, The Esalen Institute is both a holistic retreat, spiritual community and education center that played a key role in the Human Potential Movement of the early Sixties. The location is justly famous for its hot springs, healing arts and wide array of workshops (more than 200 available). You can even opt to take an experiential program in dance, singing, Qi gong, meditation and other disciplines that promote spiritual and intellectual growth.

Breitenbush Hot Springs Retreat

For those who want to take a quiet break from the stress of modern life, Breitenbush Hot Springs Retreat, located in the Oregon Cascades, is an ideal option. You can choose a day visit or a personal retreat that includes lodging in a 1930s-era rustic cabin that has been refurbished with geo-thermal heat for year-round use. Among the many popular amenities are the hot spring pools, steam sauna, organic vegan cuisine, forest trails and, of course, the daily workshops in yoga, meditation, EDGU (Evolutionary Spinal Maintenance) and other holistic practices.

The Pearl Laguna

Located in beautiful Laguna Beach, California, The Pearl Laguna is a luxurious wellness retreat that specializes in physical and spiritual rejuvenation through yoga, hiking, meditation and a cleansing diet of organic vegetables, fruits and non-gluten grains. Visitors can opt for a single week or multi-week program at this intimate twelve-bedroom ashram, which also offers therapeutic massage, a heart-shaped pool (pictured) and other restorative practices.

The Standard Spa

If you are seeking a retreat that combines yoga and meditation with an accent on spa and bodywork options, The Standard Spa in Miami Beach is a top choice with its private waterfront setting. Billed as "part recovery center, part hydrotherapy playground, part new-age ashram," this luxury facility offers a Finnish sauna, arctic plunge, mud lounge, a Turkish-style humam, Roman waterfall hot tub and other water treatments to connect the body, mind and spirit.

The Omega Institute

Situated in New York’s lovely Hudson Valley region in the town of Rheinbeck, The Omega Institute was originally conceived as a university of lifelong learning and a gathering place for spiritual teachers and social visionaries. It has since evolved into a world famous holistic center that focuses on yoga service, rest and rejuvenation retreats and wellness treatments that include Asian body work therapy, massage and facials.

420 Yoga Retreat

A more creative approach to radical stress-management is offered by 420 Yoga Retreat at the Aspen Canyon Ranch in Parshall, Colorado. Offering a versatile mix of yoga, movement, meditation, massage and (legal) marijuana in a bucolic setting, the weekend retreats are particularly popular for their DJ-hosted Saturday night celebration of free-flowing, movement meditation.