Immerse Yourself in Yoga: Try a Yoga Retreat

For many of us in Western society, yoga tends to be a short oasis at the start of a hectic workday, or some may get away from work or school and retreat to the Yoga studio, where for a brief time they can find a bit of peace and calm while they care for their body and nourish the spiritual connection.

But what if you could do Yoga for the entire day? How fabulous would it be if you could arise and go take a Yoga class on the beach as the sun comes up? You could then go and enjoy a fresh, healthy meal, take a dip in the pool and then enjoy a massage? Does this sound like a fantastic paradise that is far too good to be true? You can have all of those experiences and more if you attend a Yoga retreat.

You can plan your yoga retreat as a three-day escape, or a week long oasis for you from the challenges of your daily life. A yoga retreats offer you the opportunity to escape to an exotic or rustic location to study Yoga, meet other Yoga devotees, gain exposure to new yoga teachers, learn new techniques, and just relax and have a great time.

Here are a few yoga retreats that offer structured programs, or a place for you to get away for some a private weekend sabbatical.

Located in picturesque Rhinebeck, New York, the Omega Institute is celebrating its 30th anniversary in 2007 of being a health and wellness retreat center. Their mission was to create a "peaceful oasis in a hurried world." Omega Institute offers workshops and retreats in the areas of health, wellness, personal spiritual growth, and self-awareness.

They have conferences and retreats in their Rhinebeck location as well as Florida, California, St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands and Costa Rica. The Omega Institute offers yoga workshops, conferences and retreats throughout the year covering many different styles of yoga.

Accommodations at the Rhinebeck campus range from tent cabins, single and cabins and dormitory style sleeping rooms. Other activities that guests can enjoy while staying at the Omega Institute include swimming, sauna, canoeing, hiking, tai chi, and evening entertainment.

At the Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health in the Berkshire mountains of western Massachusetts, they hold yoga retreats year round. At Kripalu you can attend a scheduled retreat, or you can plan a personal retreat when you can de-stress and be alone, or you can choose to participate in programs going on at the retreat center.

Kripalu's campus is a beautiful place where you can go hiking, take a bike tour, go on a kayak trip or simply find a quiet place on a hillside to meditate.

Accommodations at the Kripalu retreat center include dormitory rooms, shared rooms or private rooms. Rates for retreats are all inclusive with a two-night minimum stay.

The Shoshni Yoga Retreat in Rollinsville, Colorado offers both yoga and meditation retreats. Located on a 250-acre campus set in the Colorado mountains, Shoshoni offers health and healing retreats, family weekend retreats, special retreats just for women, rejuvenation retreats and meditation retreats.

Accomodations at Shoshoni range from staying in a tent, a hut, a dormitory, shared rooms, private rooms and silent retreat rooms.

In addition to yoga and meditation classes, Shoshoni also offers spa treatments, Ayurvedic consultations, cooking classes, Sanskrit lessons and private yoga instruction.

If you want to get back to yoga's traditional roots, then you will want to make a pilgrimage to India. There are many yoga retreats and conferences in India, which is the birthplace of yoga.

There is an Ayurveda, Yoga and Meditation Retreat in Kerala, India. This two week retreat offers instruction in Ananda yoga, Ayurveda, and meditation. Guests can take advantage of Ayurvedic massage treatments, guided excursions to the local area, Indian music and dance and wonderful Indian cuisine.

Adventurous yogis will find yoga retreats in Mexico, Spain, Bali, Thailand and many other places in the world.

For those who love yoga and are committed to the yoga lifestyle, attending a yoga retreat might be just the thing to move your practice to the next level.