Yoga retreats can sometimes be a life-changing experience. Interestingly, we even get this experience from the comfort of our own home!
Home yoga retreats seem to be growing in popularity. With everything going on in the world lately, more and more people seem to be choosing to do at-home yoga retreats.
Think of it like going out on a date with yourself. Only it involves a lot of yoga and can last from 1 to as many days as you like!
How can we have a yoga retreat at home? Well, it’s all about planning your space and your daily activities with an intention to experience the benefits a yoga retreat can offer.
And this means deciding on a daily schedule, similar to what is done in yoga retreats. And take it from there.
Prepare your space to be able to cater to this yoga practice, cook healthy food with live, take time to recharge your batteries, and do things you would do a yoga retreat, such as read an inspiring book, go for long walks, and embrace life.
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If creating a yoga retreat at home is something you would be interested in, have a look below at the 15 creative ways you too can create your very own at-home yoga retreat.
1. Create a calming space
Set up a space in your home that feels right to you. It really doesn’t matter is the space you have is big or small. Both will do just fine. Choose a room or area in your home that doesn’t have many distractions, that you can make your own special practice spot.
You can add candles, incense sticks, plants, or cushions to make your yoga space extra cozy.
And very important, try to remove any clutter.
You want the speace you are practicing in to be clean and uncluttered, as you may even have noticed that an uncluttered room helps us to calm and de-cluttering the mind.
And so for the purpose of this at home yoga retreat when the aim is to recharge our batteries, finding some calmness is necessary in today’s stressful world.
2. Set intentions
Your at-home yoga retreat is your time, your plan, your gift to yourself. And so what will help make the experience even more meaningful and potentially life-changing, is if you set an intention before getting started.
These intentions can be asana related. For example, you want to focus on certain yoga practices that you know will help you achieve that posture you have in mind.
It can be lifestyle-related. For example, you want to use this experience to see how you can create more fulfilling lifestyle habits (such as finding the space and discipline to practice yoga at home on a daily basis).
It can be nutritionally based. For example, you have been looking for the motivation and inspiration to start cooking healthy meals at home, and so this experience will get your creative cooking juices flowing.
3. Clear your schedule
This home yoga retreat is your ‘me’ time, and so in order to make it successful, clear your schedule. This means treating the duration of your retreat as you are away on holiday with no responsibilities.
If you have children, arrange for them to have a sleepover or two. if you have a partner, invite him/her to join you. If you have job commitments, make sure they have all been completed before you embark on this little at home journey.
The only thing to plan is the retreat itself. At the end of this article you will find a home yoga retreat scedule.
4. Unplug
What we’re aiming for with this experience is to retreat into yourself. And so in order to be able to do this, it is important to remove any distractions, especially mobile phones.
Try to move them to another room for the duration of your practice, and if possible, for the duration of your home yoga retreat. This will help you stay present and will help you really focus on your practice.
Naturally, if there is anything else that may distract you, consider removing that too.
5. Plan a daily schedule
Yoga retreats tend to follow a specific schedule. This generally includes a morning yoga practice, followed by a good breakfast, followed by time off for a walk or reading a book. Then lunch. Then an afternoon/evening yoga or meditation practice, followed by a relaxing evening.
You get to create your own schedule for your home yoga retreat.
If you need some helping planning your day, see bellow when I have included a potential plan for your day/days.
6. Do two yoga practices each day
Yoga retreats generally offer a morning yoga class and then an afternoon and or evening yoga or meditation class. The morning class tends to be more dynamic while the class later in the day tends to be calmer and more gentle.
Both types of practices can do wonders for your mind and body.
And so when planning your home yoga retreat, try to figure out what practices you would like to do.
Here is an example of a morning yoga class you could do. And here is a long relaxing evening yin yoga class you could follow.
And for anyone looking to add some meditation to the experience, you could try following this meditation video.
7. Cook and enjoy healthy meals
Yoga retreats tend to be an opportunity to eat very healthy food, that is there to help fuel your practice. Most yoga retreats have cooks who prepare healthy meals for all the hungry yogis.
We may not get to have a cook prepare our meals for our home yoga retreat, that doesn’t have to mean that we won’t get to eat delicious and healthy food.
Plan ahead, look for recipes that are healthy, and that perhaps you have always wanted to try. Buy organic if possible, fresh, and embrace the cooking experience during your retreat. Your body will thank you for it.
And so after your morning yoga practice, make that breakfast smoothie you always wished you had the time to make. For lunch, make that delicious meal you once saw. For dinner, prepare a healthy soup and savor every spoonful.
For more information on what to eat, have a look at my article: What to Eat Before and After Yoga (Plus Yummy Recipes)
8. Take long walks
Yoga retreats tend to offer the opportunity for long walks. An at-home yoga retreat doesn’t have to be any different.
A long walk can be particularly nice right after your yoga practice or after breakfast, as this way you will get to think about and truly process all your new experiences.
9. Take time to write
Taking time to write down your thoughts and experiences can be a good way to reflect on the day/days of your yoga retreat. Write freely and embrace what comes out.
A journal that you may like to use in this home yoga retreat journey, is Practice You, which is a journal aimed at helping us connect with ourselves and thus help us find our truths.
Using beautiful watercolors, Elena created this journal which can almost feel like a restorative workshop. Page by page, artwork by artwork she guides us to explore our inner thoughts and feelings.
10. Curl up with a good book
Yoga retreats tend to give us that extra time in our day that we seem to never have in our daily lives. Given that we are aiming for a digital detox, choose a book that you want to read.
This can be a yoga book, or even an inspirational novel of your choice.
During the day and/or at the end of that day, open your book, snuggle up on your sofa or bed with a warm cup of tea and a blanket, and enjoy the experience.
11. Take a nice evening bath
There is smoething about stepping into awarm baubbly bath isnt there? And then taking time to lie in the warm water and allow mind and body to slowly relax.
If you have a bathtub, you could use some candles and some scented bath bombs to elevate the experience. These particular bath bombs are organic and moisturizing, and cater to specific needs such as: “relax”, “joint pain”, and “muscle relief”.
12. Pamper yourself
After your long bath, consider doing an at home facial. Use a face mask, an eye mask, do a bidy scrub, anything you feel you have always wanted to add to your daily/weekly scedule but never seemed to get round to it.
Nourish your body and soul on every level!
13. Rest
A yoga retreat is a perfect opportunity to relax and unwind. By practicing yoga every day, eating healthy food, catching up on sleep, being away from your stresses of daily life, you will slowly but surely unwind and relax.
Use this experience to honor your body’s needs and rest.
Most of us go about our daily lives sleeping late and waking up feeling tired. Even an at-home yoga retreat can help us catch up on sometimes much-needed sleep, as we try to follow a schedule that helps the body and mind rest and relax, making falling asleep much easier.
14. Meditate
According to Cyndi Lee at Yoga International:
“Meditation is the path to making friends with your mind. It enables you to observe the quality and contents of your thoughts and to stay open to the opportunity of a fresh start in every moment.”
And so use this home yoga retreat as an opportunity to explore and experience meditation. Yoga International has a comprehensive meditation course you may like to check out.
15. Embrace the experience
By stepping away from our lives we get the opportunity to gain perspective. All the things that occupied our thoughts and became a massive weight on our shoulders seem to feel much smaller as we distance ourselves. And so even just by taking the time to take care of ourselves, we are able to gain perspective.
Add to this the daily yoga classes that will leave your body and soul feeling energized and taken care of. All of this while eating healthy food and doing all those things we always wanted to do. Yoga retreats really can be life-changing experiences.
And so once your home yoga retreat comes to an end, consider those things you would like to keep in your daily life. This could be a daily practice at home, this could be taking the time to prepare and cook healthy meals. This could also be creating time and space in our everyday lives for those things that our mind and body need.
Home yoga retreat schedule template
For some inspiration on how to set up your home yoga retreat, have a look at this template I prepared. Of course, feel free to adapt it to your needs!
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