How do I choose a yoga event/retreat that is right for me?

• Make sure you feel that the retreat you choose meshes with your intentions.
• What kind of experience do you want to have? A more intense retreat might mean yoga sessions 2 times a day for up to 3 hours. This may be too much, not allowing you to explore other aspects of the trip. Make sure you are comfortable with the schedule before booking.
• If you are going with a friend or several, make sure you are all in agreement of the type of experience you want, in case changes in the schedule come up or decisions need to be made about lodging, restaurants, etc.
• Be honest about your physical abilities and what you are willing to do each day.
• Look on our site and read everything. The teacher’s bio, the schedule, the accommodations, the interview. Know who you are investing in to lead the group through their yoga journey!
• Don’t be shy. Ask questions! Here on the site, or directly to the teacher. We are all here to make sure that you are happy with your choice.

How do I make the most of the event/retreat experience?

• Always remember this is your retreat. Take the class at your own pace. Everyone is different. It’s wise to make sure you don’t overdo it or do more than you feel like.
• Yoga events and retreats are an amazing way to bond with people. Be open to the idea of relating to people and seeing the light inside of them. Just hang out and get to know everyone. Give everyone a chance to show his or her good sides. Remember that you also need moments of alone time as well, to take it all in.
• As much as possible, leave the office at home. There’s something particularly fantastic about getting as unplugged as possible. On that note: Double-check what’s available since lots of places de-prioritize Internet connections and such. Sure, there might be an Internet cafe somewhere nearby but if you absolutely can’t be unreachable, you might just have to avoid places without reliable Internet or cell phone access.

How can I experience some of the affects of a retreat here at home?

Think of all of the local studios in your area that you would like to spend your time in. Look up their schedule. Choose two classes/workshops a day that you would like to experience. Call your boss. Take a long weekend off work. Drink twice as much water as usual, and write twice as much in your journal every morning. The idea here is to focus more deeply on your yoga practice and forget about the daily grind. End the experience with a yummy potluck meal with some of the people you’ve spent time with in class.

How do I return home to every day life and keep the beauty and transformational experiences in my heart that occurred in class, on retreat, through the weekend of a workshop or festival?

A few days before going to your anticipated yoga event or retreat, start a journal – even if it’s to write one sentence in each day. You may already keep one, so you are ahead of the game. Throughout your event, take notes, draw images, anything that will allow you to have presence of mind. Promise yourself that you will remain as a presence in the room. Do not let yourself fade or shrivel into the corner. You are attending these events to enrich your life on many levels. This won’t happen if you let the energy in the room overpower your sense of self. Be there. Drink it in. The dance, the challenge, the poetry, the song. These events are put together to expose beauty that may have gone undiscovered in your life otherwise. They are created by these teachers to spread clarity and strength, love and kindness. These are events to bring you back home to your most authentic heart center. When you return home to do the chores and to pay the bills, continue to write in your journal. Let your writing flow from your experience out your fingertips. Allow this journal to keep the growth that is taking place close to your heart. When pulling the clothes out of the dryer or mowing that last row of grass as you sweat in the front yard, see the beauty. It’s in there. How good the laundry smells, how pretty the yard looks, how good it feels to be home.