Wellness awaits at the most blissful yoga retreats in the U.S.

Situated on dramatic Big Sur cliffs about 45 miles south of Monterey, Esalen (55000 Highway 1, Big Sur, CA) has served as a West Coast mecca for fans of yoga, meditation, organic food, and spirituality since its founding in the early 1960s. The choice of Don Draper—Mad Men filmed its final episode on campus—Esalen has also hosted such real-life icons throughout the decades as Ansel Adams, Ray Bradbury, Joan Baez, Ravi Shankar, Bob Dylan, and many more. Today, Esalen continues to draw guests to its stunning 120-acre campus with more than 500 workshops a year in addition to conferences, research initiatives, and work-study programs all dedicated to personal and social transformation. All workshop pricing includes accommodations, meals, movement programming, and complete use of facilities—including the clothing-optional geothermal springs overlooking the crashing waves of the Pacific. Rates vary by program, and are all inclusive of accommodations, meals, and use of facilities.

On 250 sprawling acres in New York’s breathtaking Hudson Valley, Omega (150 Lake Dr, Rhinebeck, NY) welcomes thousands of guests (especially those arrived by way of NYC, the most stressed-out city in the U.S.) every year to the main campus of its nonprofit center devoted to well-being. Opt to take part in a rigorous or restorative yoga workshop with a top teacher or simply book a wellness vacation focused on rest and rejuvenation. Free-form retreats are available spring through fall with daily classes in yoga, tai chi, movement, and meditation. While there, you’ll have plenty of time for contemplative strolls on nature trails in between kayaking, nutritious meals, spa treatments at the Omega Wellness Center, and educational programs at the Omega Center for Sustainable Living. $270-$720 for two all-inclusive R&R nights.



On 120 acres of the Big Island in Hawaii, Kalani (12-6860 Kalapana-Kapoho Rd, Pāhoa, HI) nestles in between tropical jungle and the Pacific Ocean. One of the region’s largest yoga retreats, Kalani offers more than 50 classes a week in a dozen styles of yoga, plus offerings exploring Hawaiian culture and a wellness center specializing in various styles of massage. On-site accommodations range from off-grid-style campsites to eco-cottages made from sustainably harvested wood. All guests can enjoy several pools, volleyball courts, and lounges. $299 per night for cottage accommodations, with yoga, meals additional; Three-night packages start at $5,385.

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Kripalu (57 Interlaken Rd, Stockbridge, MA) is widely regarded in the yoga world as on of the best-established destinations in the country for immersive holistic-living trainings and getaways. Seekers of yogic serenity can choose from three primary ways to experience Kripalu: signing up for a yoga or wellness session, booking a customizable retreat, or enrolling in a training program. Since types of stays and programs at Kripalu—at its core a nonprofit educational organization with more than 800 programs a year—are highly varied and flexible, fees can range widely. All retreats are priced for all-inclusive stays on the spacious grounds, with minimalist accommodations, healthy meals and daily classes, as well as use of sauna, fitness room, lakefront beach, hiking trails and more. Rates vary by program, and are all inclusive of accommodations, meals and use of facilities. There is a two-night minimum.

Tucked right in the Rocky Mountains near Helena, Montana, Feathered Pipe Ranch (2409 Bear Creek Rd, Helena, MT) offers holistic workshops and yoga retreats guided by renowned teachers. Take respite from the harried pace of life—no reliable cell service here—and enroll in a retreat focused on yoga or another mindful modality. A variety of lodging choices, including tipis, tents, and yurts, plus tons of outdoor activities, ensure a connection to the natural world. Not to mention, the availability of suites with private bathrooms, massage, acupuncture, and wellness consultations all but guarantee total bliss. Attending with a workshop is all inclusive of accommodations and meals, and prices vary depending on the program.

Yoga in a tropical paradise sound like your speed? Then report to Maui’s North Shore and Lumeria (1813 Baldwin Ave, Makawao, HI), a luxurious educational adventure haven set on a carefully restored six-acre estate designed in 1910. The look of the historic 24-room property, housed in the oldest wooden structure on Maui, evokes its surroundings with natural woods, stone and Hawaiian-inspired decor. Lumeria’s classes and programs keep its guests out in nature too, with yoga, kayaking and surfing.  Recover with a meditation session, a dip in the saltwater pool or a massage. Plus, both all-inclusive and accommodations-only options are available, making for a very flexible yoga retreat. Rates vary for a multi-day, all-inclusive retreat. $449-$549 per night for an a la carte stay.

Set against the dramatic backdrop of the Colorado Rockies and the soaring Great Stupa of Dharmakaya (built in honor of the center’s founder, a Tibetan meditation master), the Shambhala Mountain Center (151 Shambhala Way, Red Feather Lakes, CO) is a haven for neophyte and experienced practitioners alike with a robust schedule of programs on yoga, meditation, and more. Move one step closer to enlightenment with a stay that includes not only yoga, but also wilderness walks, guided meditations, poetry readings, and three healthy meals a day. The sparse-yet-comfortable accommodations range from rustic lodge rooms with private baths to shared same-gender dormitories and well-priced seasonal tents on wooded hillsides. $90 for a shared dorm room or tent to $299 for a junior suite, plus the cost of the program.

A longstanding mountain sanctuary overlooking Santa Barbara, the Pacific, and the Channel Islands, the White Lotus Foundation Retreat Center (2500 San Marcos Pass Rd, Santa Barbara, CA) was founded by accomplished yoga master Ganga White and has served as a gathering place for devoted and aspiring yogis for decades. Around half a dozen retreats are regularly scheduled annually that include daily yoga classes, hikes in the oak and manzanita forest, silent meditation in canyons, dips in sandstone swimming holes, and gourmet vegetarian meals. Accommodations can be arranged for private indoor lodging, yurts, or scenic campsites. $700 for a 3-day retreat inclusive of accommodation in yurts, classes, meals and use of facilities.

Get your “om” with a healthy dose of “yeehaw” at Big Sky Yoga Retreats (multiple locations in Bozeman, MT), high up in Montana’s Madison Range, about an hour north of Yellowstone National Park. Best known for its all-women “Cowgirl Yoga”—a blend of yoga and horseback riding—Big Sky hosts around a dozen all-level Rocky Mountain retreat weeks each year. The idea of practicing ashtanga, restorative, and vinyasa flow yoga under the endless Montana skies might be enough of a draw, but roll in the extra activities (nature hikes, starlit nights, mountain-themed cuisine, and a superb wine list) and the pull of this mountain getaway becomes irresistible. Prices and the length of stay varys from retreat to retreat.

Tune in to the unhurried rhythms of nature at Rolling Meadows (83 Sullivan Rd, Brooks, ME), a 100-acre meditation and yoga retreat center in the hills of coastal Maine. Throughout the year, guests can join small group meditation and yoga retreats housed in a restored 1840s New England farmhouse. All retreats top out at 10 participants and mingle daily yoga classes with meditation, free time, and the practice of social silence—that is, communicating verbally only when necessary. With awe-inspiring hilltop views, walking trails, fields, gardens, and a spring-fed swimming pond, it’s easy to slip into a quiet leisurely flow. $1225 for 4-day retreat, inclusive of all meals, lodging, yoga and meditation sessions.

Leave the modern world behind during a stay at Breitenbush Hot Springs Retreat (53000 Breitenbush Rd, Detroit, OR), a holistic retreat center on 154 acres of wildlife refuge in the Willamette National Forest in the Oregon Cascades. Truly off-grid—the entire campus runs on locally generated geothermal power—Breitenbush operates as a worker-owned cooperative that hosts more than 150 events annually, ranging from all-levels yoga retreats to doula trainings to Thai massage workshops. Beyond the scheduled retreats, the remote destination offers a free monthly Inipi Ceremony (sweat lodge) and access to multiple clothing-optional hot springs of varying temperatures. $106 to $186 per night for accommodations and meals. Cost of workshop is additional.

The tranquil Sivananda Ashram Yoga Farm (14651 Ballantree Lane, Grass Valley, CA) has served as an oasis for yoga and meditation in the foothills of California’s Sierra Nevada mountains since 1971. Open to practitioners of all levels, the farm offers day programs, overnight stays and multi-day retreats, each packed with morning satsang meditation, yoga classes, selfless service and organic, vegetarian meals. The 80 acre property also has multiple hiking paths, lavender fields, a peace labyrinth and a troop of friendly llamas. Prices vary based on accommodations and length of retreat. Six-days, all-inclusive ranges from $525 to $2700.