There are many ways to personalize
your retreat experience.
G
etting away can be essential to re-establish our inner balance
and sanity. But what kind of vacation can we take where we
can relax, recharge, and feel more at peace with our lives in
just a few days?
Embedded within the burgeoning $16 billion dollar a year yoga industry
is a new version of an old model that has become increasingly popular:
Yoga and Meditation Retreats, aka Wellness Tourism 2.0. The Global
Wellness Institute (GWI) estimates from the period 2015-2020, the largest
projected growth sector in the five main categories of wellness (Spa, Well-
ness Tourism, Thermal/Mineral Springs, Workplace Wellness, and Well-
ness Lifestyle Real Estate), will be
Wellness Tourism. It is expected to
grow annually by 7.5% (compared
to conventional tourism’s 3.4% an-
nual growth rate) and will account
for $808 billion dollars in the Unit-
ed States alone by 2020. Naturally,
this increase in popularity for
wellness retreats can directly, or
perhaps indirectly, be attributed
to the rise of interest in yoga and
meditation practices and retreats
worldwide.
Just pop into any local yoga stu-
dio and you’ll see a collection of
flyers for upcoming retreats. Head-
lines frequently read, “Join us on an
unforgettable, magical, and trans-
formational yoga journey to _____
(insert an exotic paradise-like loca-
tion) where we’ll do yoga twice a
day, eat yummy, nourishing, organ-
ic food, meditate and participate in
other wellness-based and fun activi-
ties, and escape into a world where
you can become the person you’ve
always wanted to be.”
Sound familiar?!?
Whether it’s an adventure-based
shamanic yoga and surf retreat in
Costa Rica, a spiritual delight for
the senses in India or Bali, a deca-
dent culinary and wine get-away in Italy, or a peaceful local relaxation
sanctuary at an oasis like Palm Springs, yoga and meditation retreats offer
a plethora of experiences and opportunities to help people find themselves.
Yet, yoga and meditation retreats are actually nothing new with-
in the field of wellness travel. They’re simply a modernized rebrand-
ing of something that already existed for a long period of time.
The History of Wellness Retreats
According to researchers Melanie Smith and Catherine Kelly, wellness
retreats are “One of the most ancient forms of tourism if one considers
the scrupulous attention paid to well-being by the Romans and Greeks,
the quest for spiritual enlightenment of Mediaeval pilgrims, or the medi-
cal seaside and spa tourism of the 18th and 19th century European elite.”
Whether people retreated for health or medical purposes or for spiritual
enlightenment, it can safely be assumed that this concept has been going on
since Western societies became civilized.
Moreover, the latter falls in line with India’s storied tradition of spiritual
seekers. Growing up in the Kriya Yoga tradition of Self-Realization Fel-
lowship, I was personally raised on some of the stories of the great saints
of India like Ramakrishna, Neem Karoli Baba, Mahavatar Babaji, and,
of course, Paramahansa Yogananda. Yogananda-ji, author of the famed
classic, Autobiography of a Yogi, often wrote about how he longed to
visit the Himalayas to search for and find the Holy Ones of India’s mysti-
cal traditions high up in the mountains.
This type of existentially motivated tirthayatra (pilgrimage) retreat
has interested many spiritual seekers throughout history. According to
Richard Sharpley and Priya Sundaram in Tourism, A Sacred Journey,
pilgrimage “has been an element of Indian social life since ancient times.”
What’s more, the Kerala region of Southwestern India has been a ha-
ven for healing people’s physical
dukha (suffering) since the tra-
dition began. It is said to be the
place where Ayurveda was born
at least 5,000 years ago. Centers
there have provided medical es-
capes and extended panchakarma
wellness retreats to rehabilitate
people’s overall health since time
immemorial. Furthermore, Kera-
la-based Ayurvedic and yoga re-
treats have = reached a historical
pinnacle of popularity.
Thus, whether in ancient India
[in the East] or in ancient Greece
and Rome [in the West], the
concept of a retreat, or of escap-
ing from society for health, heal-
ing, or holiness, is deeply rooted
within each of us as human be-
ings. They’ve been an historical
hallmark of self-care and wellness
before statistics on these kinds of
practices even existed.The Evolution and
Expectations of a Yoga and
Meditation Retreat
People often have preconceived
notions of a yoga or meditation
retreat. These commonly include
images of long-haired hippies
dressed in white, eating dhal and rice and drinking komboucha, chant-
ing all night near a nag champa incense and sage-scented fire. However,
in today’s modern yoga environment, the actual picture is far different.
Each retreat is unique and carries a specific energy and theme. When
choosing your adventure, ask yourself: What’s your ideal theme? Becom-
ing clear on your focus, knowing the topography or scenery you’re seek-
ing, and aligning with the details of what’s being offered are essential
steps to ensure you choose the right retreat for you.
A number of factors may be considered when retreat decision-making.
Location: Do you like the desert, the beach, the mountains, the forest,
or the open lands?
Accommodations: Do you prefer five-star, rustic, something in between,
or something truly unique like a treehouse, an ashram, or an ancient castle?
Distance of travel: Do you have to fly to the retreat and spend extra
time away from life or is it close enough for you to drive?
Excursions: Do you want to relax and practice yoga on a beach in Mali-
bu? Have a side of yoga with skiing up in Mammoth? Or enjoy desert yoga
and meditation after hiking in Joshua Tree and visiting the eco-conscious
wind and solar farms? Lots of fun excursion choices await you!Photo courtesy of La Quinta Resort & Club, A Waldorf Astoria ResortPhoto by Shirley Shivon