Yoga Retreats. If everyone in the universe could attend just one I truly believe the world would be a better place. I remember the days when retreats were a brand new concept. You had to search long and hard to find just one. There wasn’t even internet access to google them but let’s not get into the olden days of yoga.

Present day: There are yoga retreats 365 days of the year, hundreds per day and they are occurring all over the world.

I remember the very first yoga retreat I ever went on. I was a teacher’s assistant. The lead teacher shall remain nameless however, rhymes with Minnie Barino. It was awesome. I was hooked. I wanted to go on them and lead them and this is exactly what I did the following 15 years!

Let me say this from my experiences: No two Yoga Retreats are ever alike. Each one has its own unique and special qualities and experiences. What you need to consider first is the destination and the vibe of the teacher.

Ask yourself: Do you want an adventure? Do you want warm turquoise water? Do you want a cultural experience? Do you want to relax and lounge about and do 4 hours of yoga a day or get up at 6 and go on a boat and snorkel? What type of yoga do you want to practice and learn? Do you want to go solo or with family or a friend?

There are so many questions to consider.

What to Expect

Here are a few qualities one can expect: Retreats can often be life changing and transformative on all levels. I don’t want to give too much away because it’s often a personal journey shared with the special group attending. I typically love giving my students the guidance and space for self discovery.

Retreats allow you to completely step away from your habits and your routines. You are spending a huge chunk of time on you and your needs. You often grow in ways that are inexplicable until you have the experience of the retreat, both during and after it ends.

Bottom Line: Yoga Retreats are often magical. All of your senses become ignited. People usually leave retreats as a newer version of themselves. It is the ultimate reset, recharge, rejuvenate and for many re-invent.

My Advice to You

My best advice to plan for your yoga retreat is to not plan anything. Drop your habits and let go of what you think you know you need. Step abroad with curiosity. Choose to go with a teacher that you feel will create a safe and supportive space and nurture you along the way.

There are many “moments” on retreats full of joy, laughter, tears, relaxation, silliness, human connection, and feeling as if you are bursting open. Retreats change us. They live inside of us for years to come after they are over.

In fact, they never really are over because they become a part of your heart and soul.

Thus began my new theme for teaching yoga after being quite the perfectionist for 20 years and incredibly hard on myself. Sometimes, my child is my greatest teacher.

Yoga is a practice. It is created to practice for a lifetime. I often suggest to my students that they burn the word perfect and remove it from their dictionaries. Perfect is possibly the most defeating word of all time. It’s not possible to be perfect ever on your mat or off your mat. It sets us up for failure and defeat. It is the human condition to always be changing! Thus, your yoga practice is always changing.

One is never finished with yoga or a pose. There is no checklist. One doesn’t “do triangle pose” then suddenly declares, “Well, I did it. Let’s check the triangle off the list.” It even sounds absurd to say it outloud. Oh, I got that breathing, breath practice down! Let’s move on from that!

Maty, who was my yoga teacher for over 20 years and the founder of YogaWorks, would always say, “The postures don’t change. We change. Our relationships to the poses change!.” Such true words I have shared and taken to heart.

Yoga is about working with what you have on any given day. The darkness and the light and everything in between. Yoga is being curious and open to what is. Yoga is about letting go of your mind-stuff and paying more attention to your body. Yoga unveils and creates a clearer pathway to getting to know our true natures, without distractions. Yoga makes the mind quieter and our hearts and our intuition louder.

Getting to know our true nature and self is a practice. The postures are our tools. We need to show up and try. Some days this try is very small as we are, “On the human struggle bus.” Other days our try is huge and we can meet the best versions of ourselves and thrive. More often than not, we are somewhere in the middle.

I urge you to let go of the idea of “perfection” in yoga, and instead focus on progress and consistency and loyalty and trust. There simply is no such thing as perfection in yoga. There is your choice to show up, engage with what is on any given day and TRUST showing up makes a difference both big and small.