The Best Online Yoga Retreats To Take From Home

Times are…strange. Life is tough at the moment, as we adjust to a new normal and shrink our lives into the confines of our homes as much as possible.

With stress and anxiety on the rise, this would be a great time for a relaxing yoga retreat.

But we physically can’t go anywhere right now, not even on a retreat… Or can we?

What if you could enjoy the experience and benefits of a yoga holiday without ever having to step outside your house?

Online yoga retreats allow you to do just that. You might not be able to head to an exotic location or sip coconut water on the beach between classes (unless you happen to live on a beach, of course), but you can unwind, connect with others, and deepen your practice from your living room.

Why should you take an online yoga retreat right now?

It’s true that an at-home yoga retreat doesn’t share all of the benefits of an in-person getaway.

Such as the chance to explore a new place like Bali or Thailand, where you are in a totally different environment, and have three healthy meals cooked for you by an on-site chef. And possibly a massage or spa treatment too!

But don’t dismiss online retreats just yet.

Because what they lack in out-of-the-house-ness might be made up for by their other, perspective-changing plus sides.

Virtual retreats can:

• Give you high-quality teaching and tailored attention from an experienced yoga teacher, over the course of several days
• Help you expand and deepen your yoga practice, and your understanding of yogic philosophy, anatomy, or other principles
• Be a brilliant introduction to yoga
• …or be the key to cracking those challenging postures you’ve always wanted to add to your practice
• Make you see your home, or even your whole life, in a new way
• Inspire you to focus on your health and self-care
• Introduce you to likeminded people worldwide who you can stay in touch with online
• Make you excited to wake up in the morning, knowing you have a purpose, and a day of yoga and meditation ahead of you

On top of all that, online yoga retreats are much more affordable than residential ones.

The retreat provider doesn’t have to hire a venue, chefs, cleaners, and so on — so all you pay for is the teacher’s time, knowledge, and skill.

What to expect from an online yoga retreat 

Yoga retreats online are usually offered via a live video conferencing platform.

The most popular option is Zoom, but retreats may be run on Skype, Google Hangouts, FaceTime, or even WhatsApp.

Most retreats will involve a schedule of live classes and workshops, during which you’ll be guided by a teacher and may be able to interact and ask questions too.

Some retreats also include one-to-one coaching sessions, group chats, and self-directed learning. And others will offer pre-recorded classes that you can use at your own pace.

Whatever the format, your teacher(s) will give you clear instructions for accessing classes before the retreat starts and will be on hand to help you make the most of the experience.

Best online yoga retreats

7 Day Online Yoga and Meditation Wellness Retreat

This relaxed home yoga retreat includes two daily classes and is designed to allow you to fit it around your existing schedule.

A simple detox Ayurvedic menu is provided so that you can prepare health-supportive food in your own home.

• Duration: 7 days
• Platform: Livestream via video-conferencingWhereby
• Timezone: GMT+8 (Bali time, but timings are flexible)
• Experience level: Beginner, intermediate and advanced
• Price range: from $170
• What makes it special? The first session of this retreat is a foundation yoga workshop — making it perfect for beginners to start building a strong practice

6 Week Online Course: Functional Nutrition For A Healthy Digestion with Private Sessions

If you’ve been feeling the pull to improve your diet and learn new nutritional skills, now could be the perfect time.

This 6-week course is divided into 6 modules and is perfect for those who wish to heal their digestion and improve their overall health.

• Duration: 6 weeks
• Platform: A combination pre-recorded audio sessions downloadable from Soundcloud, written learning material, and live support to suit you
• Timezone: GMT-7 (but available to any timezone)
• Experience level: Beginner, intermediate and advanced
• Price range: from $247
• What makes it special? What you’ll learn about functional nutrition on this course will stay with you for the rest of your life — making it a pretty wonderful way to invest in your wellbeing

2 Week 25-Hour Online Pranayama Intermediate Series Course

Have you been practising yoga for a while, and want to go deeper into the power of pranayama?

This course will help you do just that, with expert tuition and a small, interactive group of fellow students.

• Duration: 2 weeks
• Platform: Online live sessions on Zoom or Skype, along with written materials to study and lots of guided self-practice
• Timezone: GMT+5:30 (India)
• Experience level: Beginner
• Price range: from $300
• What makes it special? Learn authentic pranayama techniques from experienced teachers in Rishikesh, India — without having to leave the house

4 Day Virtual Mindfulness and Stress Relief Yin Yoga Retreat

Move through meditative yin yoga and mindfulness meditation practices on this thoughtfully created, value-packed online yoga and meditation retreat.

As well as 2.5 hours of live sessions each day, you’ll have access to the recordings of those classes to continue using after the retreat.

• Duration: 4 days
• Platform: Live sessions will be held on Zoom and WhatsApp, and you’ll receive a PDF of the retreat materials
• Timezone: GMT+1
• Experience level: Beginner, intermediate and advanced
• Price range: from $300
• What makes it special? This retreat has a maximum of 2 participants — so you’ll receive genuinely personal, tailored guidance every step of the way

3 Days Online Vibrance Private Yoga Therapy and Wellness Retreat

If you’re in need of a healing retreat at home, this might be the supportive and meaningful experience you’ve been looking for.

Enjoy a combination of live and pre-recorded classes, as well as audio meditation.

• Duration: 3 days
• Platform: Live sessions can take place on a video conferencing app that suits you
• Timezone: GMT+8
• Experience level: Beginner, intermediate and advanced
• Price range: from $450
• What makes it special? The teacher! Yoga therapist Dijan will take the time to understand your needs and intentions, and tailor your sessions to meet your needs

7 Day Online Meditation and Yoga Retreat To Reduce Stress and Improve Sleep

With one daily morning meditation and two daily yoga classes online, this retreat will help you relax and settle into yourself.

• Duration: 7 days
• Platform: Sessions take place on Facebook and Skype
• Timezone: GMT+5:30 (India time)
• Experience level: Beginner, intermediate and advanced
• Price range: from $150
• What makes it special? There’s a focus on improving sleep and reducing stress — two things that most of us could do with at this moment in time. But even better, you’ll be able to action some of the tools you learn well beyond the retreat

7 Day Online Private Yoga Therapy Course

For a truly tailored online retreat experience, this course offers a schedule of private sessions to help you soothe your body and mind, and expand your yoga practice in a gentle and healing way.

• Duration: 7 days
• Platform: Classes are taught one-to-one via Zoom, and there’s a group chat on WhatsApp to share experiences and support
• Timezone: GMT+5:30 (India time)
• Experience level: Beginner, intermediate and advanced
• Price range: from $300
• What makes it special? All classes are one-to-one, so you’ll have the full attention of your teacher, and will be able to schedule sessions to work for you

Self Paced Days Lockdown Online Chakra Yoga Retreat

A retreat specifically created to support people through this period of increased isolation.

This retreat allows you to work through the chakras using yoga and meditation. And you’ll connect with your fellow retreat-goers, too!

• Duration: 7 days (at your own pace)
• Platform: Live sessions via Zoom, classes pre-recorded to work through at your pace
• Timezone: GMT+10, but classes are pre-recorded to use any time
• Experience level: Beginner, intermediate and advanced
• Price range: from $203
• What makes it special? Although this retreat is self-paced, you can attend a live opening circle on Zoom on any Monday, so you can meet your retreat group and feel supported and connected

7 Day Virtual Yoga Retreat Using Retreat Method by Yoga with Perumal

This powerful healing retreat will inspire you to focus on your yoga practice, and make the most of your time at home.

• Duration: 7 days
• Platform: Live sessions are held via BlueJeans
  
• Timezone: GMT+1
• Experience level: Beginner, intermediate and advanced
• Price range: from $553
• What makes it special? You can choose between a relaxed approach with one class per day or a more intensive retreat with two sessions per day

3 Day Online Cooking, Yoga, and Meditation Retreat

An affordable stay at home online yoga retreat that will help you cultivate wellness in all aspects of your life.

Enjoy two hours of live classes each day, as well as a meditation session and cooking classes to uplift your body, mind and soul.

• Duration: 3 days
• Platform: Live sessions are held via WhatsApp and Zoom
• Timezone: GMT+8
• Experience level: Beginner, intermediate and advanced
• Price range: from $60
• What makes it special? The retreat is interspersed with opportunities for live chats among the retreat group — so you’ll get to connect and make friends with your fellow yogis

Make YOUR virtual world more meaningful

We’re all spending a lot of time online right now.

So instead of scrolling through Instagram for the 25th time today, why not book one of these online yoga retreats, and make your time online worthwhile?

Live online yoga and meditation classes will motivate and inspire you, and the retreat structure of these offerings creates a sense of being somewhere different… even though you’re still at home.