USA TODAY 10Best
Center your mind at the 10 best yoga retreats in the US
Best Yoga Retreat Center (2024)
Beyond deepening one's yoga practice, yoga retreat centers empower guests to disconnect from technology, detox, and surround themselves with positive energy.
Often nestled in breathtaking landscapes, from serene beaches to majestic mountains, these 10 retreats — selected by an expert panel and voted by readers as the best in the U.S. — provide expert guidance, holistic wellness activities, and a chance to connect with a community of like-minded people.
- Arctic Hive - Wiseman, Alaska
- Kripalu Center For Yoga & Health - Stockbridge, Massachusetts
- Yogaville - Buckingham, Virginia
- Retreat In the Pines - Mineola, Texas
- The Pearl Laguna - Laguna Beach, California
- Big Sky Yoga Retreats - Bozeman, Montana
- Soul Farm Retreats - Amboy, Illinois
- Mount Madonna Center - Watsonville, California
- Sewall House - Island Falls, Maine
- Himalayan Institute - Honesdale, Pennsylvania
Photo courtesy of ArcticHive.com
No. 10:
If finding your "true north" means to gain insight by following your internal compass, straighten your path at Arctic Hive, 63 miles north of the Arctic Circle. The wilderness retreat center in Alaska's Brooks Range creates unforgettable yoga retreats under the northern lights. Guests dedicate a week to tuning in with themselves via mornings in the yoga dome, coffee and a plant-based breakfast in the igloo, and outdoor adventures and cultural immersions. There's cabin lodging with mountain views, crafts, dog-sledding, and a tour crossing the Arctic Circle and the Yukon River.
Photo courtesy of GlobalStock // Getty Images
No. 9:
Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health in the Berkshire Mountains has a roster of nourishing retreats — full of yoga for all levels — which include nutritious meals and peaceful accommodations. The Kripalu R&R experience is the signature retreat which allows guests to choose exactly what they need — a full schedule of yoga classes, more meditation, some dance or sound healing, or guided outdoor adventures. This Massachusetts facility has been training yoga teachers for more than a half-century.
Photo courtesy of Bill Geoghegan
No. 8:
Virginia's Satchidananda Ashram–Yogaville sits upon on 750 rural acres and encompasses a teaching academy, organic farm, monastery, guest accommodations, and sacred sites for prayer and meditation. Pack up your blocks and mat and sign up for one of the many diverse yoga retreats, silent retreats, or a personal retreat. Partake in the daily schedule of vegetarian meals, group meditation, hatha yoga classes, hiking trails, and evening programs.
Photo courtesy of Bri Crow Creative
No. 7:
Beginner-friendly and open to all women, Retreat in the Pines is a serene sanctuary offering all-inclusive weekend retreats in the Piney Woods of East Texas. You'll practice yoga both indoors and out, enjoy fresh meals, meditate, and relax. You might return for a "Strength & Healing" retreat that incorporates even more yoga practices than the facility's other programs.
Photo courtesy of The Pearl Laguna Staff
No. 6:
Cleanse, get fit, and feel utterly renewed through yoga, organic vegetarian meals, sunset hikes along the beach, and meditation at this intimate wellness retreat located in Laguna Beach, California. The program, which attracts an international guest list, is built on four pillars: Natural Exercise, Natural Food, Rest, and Positive Loving Thoughts. The appealing menu during a weeklong retreat includes morning hikes through coastal canyons, two daily yoga classes, daily therapeutic massage and relaxation in a private room.
Photo courtesy of Larry Stanley Photography
No. 5:
Yoginis who have a yearning for wide open spaces may want to consider an experience at Big Sky Yoga Retreats. Choose retreats such as "Dude Ranch Cowgirl Yoga" that deepens yoga practice and explores the horse-human connection for a "yeehaw meets namaste" retreat. Yoga classes accommodate all levels. The company also creates yoga getaways to places like the French Alps, Patagonia, and Sicily.
Photo courtesy of Soul Farm Retreats
No. 4:
A two-hour drive west of Chicago, Soul Farm Retreats offer one- and two-night retreats oriented around yoga practice and meditation, as well as healthy meals served outdoors with plenty of locally-grown produce. Guests can book a massage or an equine experience, as well as walk any of the paths on the 80-acre site. Spend the night sleeping comfortably in a glamping tent, or friends can reserve together to buddy up in a bunkhouse that accommodates up to eight.
Photo courtesy of Mount Madonna Center
No. 3:
At Mount Madonna Center, there's something for yoga practitioners of all levels at retreats that include daily sunrise and sunset ceremony of lights events at the mountaintop temple, group mediation and asana classes, dancing, and devotional celebrations. Get what you need from a personal retreat: daily yoga classes, vegetarian meals, or walking redwood forest trails.
Photo courtesy of Sewall house
No. 2:
A retreat at Sewall House may focus on Kundalini yoga, women's mental health, or the intersection of writing and yoga, with events that are open to beginners as well as experienced practitioners. Retreats are small and personalized, inclusive of meals that are vegetarian, mostly organic, and prepared on-site and accommodations in an historic rural New England home, located 30 miles from the Canadian border.
Photo courtesy of Himalayan Institute
No. 1:
For more than 50 years, the Retreat Center at the Himalayan Institute in the rolling hills of the Poconos has been a magnet for those seeking balance. Yoga retreats can address specific issues such as grief or they can combine yoga, Ayurveda, and hiking to nourish mind and body on the 400-acre campus. You'll experience restorative asana, pranayama, and yoga nidra, which is a powerful relaxation practice with guided meditation. Lodge in simple and comfortable accommodations conducive to a peaceful stay and enjoy hearty vegetarian or vegan meals daily.
About 10Best Readers' Choice Awards
Nominees are submitted by a panel of experts. 10Best editors narrow the field to select the final set of nominees for the Readers’ Choice Awards. Readers can vote once per category, per day. For any questions or comments, please read the FAQ or email USA TODAY 10Best.
The Experts
Christopher Parr
Christopher Parr is the Founder and... Read More
Christopher Parr is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Pursuitist, one of the world’s most influential luxury lifestyle and travel guides. Named a "Top 10 Luxury Travel Blogger” by USA Today 10Best, Parr has also been selected as the official winner in Luxury Lifestyle Awards’ 2023 list of the “Top 50 Best Luxury Influencers and Bloggers in the World.” In addition to Pursuitist, Christopher is a contributor to numerous travel and luxury publications and TV shows, including being the host of Travel Tuesday on CBS. Follow along on Twitter.
Christopher Parr
Christopher Parr is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Pursuitist, one of the world’s most influential luxury lifestyle and travel guides. Named a "Top 10 Luxury Travel Blogger” by USA Today 10Best, Parr has also been selected as the official winner in Luxury Lifestyle Awards’ 2023 list of the “Top 50 Best Luxury Influencers and Bloggers in the World.” In addition to Pursuitist, Christopher is a contributor to numerous travel and luxury publications and TV shows, including being the host of Travel Tuesday on CBS. Follow along on Twitter.
Jamie Davis Smith
Jamie is an attorney, writer and photographer. She... Read More
Jamie is an attorney, writer and photographer. She was born with deeply ingrained wanderlust and has visited 45 countries and counting. She often brings her children along for the adventure and is passing her love of travel on to the next generation. Jamie has written for Insider, Fodor's Travel, Yahoo, the Huffington Post, the Washington Post, Viator and Reviewed among many other publications. Jamie is from Philadelphia and now lives in Washington, DC, where she takes advantage of everything the region has to offer. Jamie can be reached at [email protected] and can be found on Twitter, Instagram and TikTok.
Jamie Davis Smith
Jamie is an attorney, writer and photographer. She was born with deeply ingrained wanderlust and has visited 45 countries and counting. She often brings her children along for the adventure and is passing her love of travel on to the next generation. Jamie has written for Insider, Fodor's Travel, Yahoo, the Huffington Post, the Washington Post, Viator and Reviewed among many other publications. Jamie is from Philadelphia and now lives in Washington, DC, where she takes advantage of everything the region has to offer. Jamie can be reached at [email protected] and can be found on Twitter, Instagram and TikTok.
Jean Chen Smith
Jean Chen Smith is a freelance journalist who has... Read More
Jean Chen Smith is a freelance journalist who has been producing content for over 15 years. With a love of travel and storytelling, her intention is to create content to inspire and connect people to places, things, and experiences. Her articles have appeared in AARP, Travel and Leisure, 1859 magazine, Insider Travel, USA Today, Family Vacationist, The Oregonian, SFGATE, weekand.com, and more. When not writing or teaching Pilates at her studio, she enjoys trail running, spending time with her pups Tonka and Paisley, and reading suspense novels.
Jean Chen Smith
Jean Chen Smith is a freelance journalist who has been producing content for over 15 years. With a love of travel and storytelling, her intention is to create content to inspire and connect people to places, things, and experiences. Her articles have appeared in AARP, Travel and Leisure, 1859 magazine, Insider Travel, USA Today, Family Vacationist, The Oregonian, SFGATE, weekand.com, and more. When not writing or teaching Pilates at her studio, she enjoys trail running, spending time with her pups Tonka and Paisley, and reading suspense novels.
Catherine Smith
Catherine Smith, Expert and Award Eligibility... Read More
Catherine Smith, Expert and Award Eligibility Coordinator for the USA TODAY 10Best Readers' Choice Awards, has a special interest in health and wellness, family travel, women's solo travel and off-the-beaten-path adventures. Catherine is the founder of Her Bags Were Packed where she focuses on helping women release emotional baggage through solo travel and self-discovery.
Catherine Smith
Catherine Smith, Expert and Award Eligibility Coordinator for the USA TODAY 10Best Readers' Choice Awards, has a special interest in health and wellness, family travel, women's solo travel and off-the-beaten-path adventures. Catherine is the founder of Her Bags Were Packed where she focuses on helping women release emotional baggage through solo travel and self-discovery.
10Best Editors
USA TODAY 10Best provides users with original,... Read More
USA TODAY 10Best provides users with original, unbiased and experiential travel coverage of top attractions, things to see and do, and restaurants for top destinations in the U.S. and around the world.
10Best Editors
USA TODAY 10Best provides users with original, unbiased and experiential travel coverage of top attractions, things to see and do, and restaurants for top destinations in the U.S. and around the world.
