What Is A Retreat?

As I start to plan & hold more retreats, a mix of mini retreats, 1-day retreats and fully immersive longer retreats, I figured I’d delve a little deeper into what a retreat actually is; what it is traditionally, and what it means to me in the modern world.

Retreat - an act of moving back or withdrawing.

Traditionally, a retreat in the yoga & meditation world was spending time alone to focus on the practice of meditation and/or yoga. Yogis & sages might literally retreat into a cave to spend time in solitude, without any external distraction and be able to really focus on their practice.

These days, yoga retreats tend to be a little more relaxed, and a little more comfortable, but the main focus is still to remove yourself from the outside world and external distraction. They often tend to be more social these days, coming together as a community to share the retreat together. However, even in a social yoga retreat, there are a number of ways you can retreat within yourself.

During a retreat, I would always recommend to switch your phone off for the duration of the retreat if you can. Our phones tend to be our biggest distractions these days.

A retreat is often scheduled out so you don’t have to think about what your day will look like. Food & drinks are normally provided, so you don’t have to think about what to cook or when you’ll do the shopping. Spending in time in retreat you’re also away from home, away from the housework and whatever responsibilities you might have at home. You’re switched off from work.

So while you might still be socialising on your retreat, and receiving information related to the style of retreat you’re on, you have disconnected from so much of the outside world, and you’re all on the same journey together.

There are many different styles of retreats, from silent meditation retreats, where you would refrain from talking for the duration of the retreat, yoga retreats which focus on yoga & meditation practices - and there are many different styles within this too! Wellness retreats which might include the introduction of daily mindful habits, coaching retreats which might focus on a group theme of the retreat.

So when you’re looking for a retreat, have a good think about what you’re hoping to get from a retreat. Whether you want specifically a yoga retreat, and what type of yoga you’re interested in, or whether you’d prefer a retreat which has a theme alongside it as well. Do you only have the time for a half day mini retreat, or would you like a full week immersion?

You can see my upcoming retreats using the tabs above. And I’d love to hear what your favourite style of retreat is?