If you’ve been feeling stressed and overwhelmed, it could be a good time to create your own at-home retreat. A yoga retreat at home is a perfect opportunity to relax, rejuvenate and enjoy the benefits of yoga from the comfort of your living room.
It can last as long as you want, you can make your own schedule and choose your activities. On top of that, you get to deepen your yoga practice and really take time for yourself and your wellbeing.
If you’re wondering how to create your own yoga retreat at home, read on to discover the 10 steps to creating a unique yoga retreat experience at home.
Note: Affiliate links may be used in this post. We may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you if you make a purchase through our affiliate link. Read our full disclosure policy here.
Prepare your space
Before you start your yoga retreat at home, you need to pick a room and de-clutter your space. Choose a room where you’ll feel comfortable, it also needs to be big enough that you can put a yoga mat there. A place near a window is great, as it provides natural light.
Once you found the perfect space dedicated to your well-being, you can decorate it with candles, crystals, and things that are meaningful to you. You can also burn incense or diffuse essential oils.
Try to clean and tidy up this space you’ve chosen before starting your yoga retreat. You can add some pillows, blankets and other accessories to make it retreat-like.
If you intend to fully commit to this yoga retreat at home, do your chores, pay your bills and go grocery shopping the day before. This way, your attention will be completely focused on your wellbeing.
Follow a schedule
Following a schedule is the easiest way to get things done. So, before you start your retreat, clear your calendar and establish a schedule of what you’re going to do. Our at-home yoga retreat program includes a retreat-like schedule that you can easily follow.
But you can also make your own. Just make sure you are planning for at least an entire day. And this day has to only be about you and your wellbeing. Also, include plenty of free time to do other activities.
Practice yoga twice a day
Whether you want to enjoy a self-led practice or follow a class on Youtube, you should dedicate at least a couple hours per day to your yoga practice. Even if it’s just for a day or two, you should feel the benefits of yoga!
You don’t have to do active Vinyasa flows all the time though, you can mix it up and try Restorative or Yin yoga in the evening for example. You will see that in our schedule, we recommend active yoga classes in the morning and more introspective sessions in the afternoon. Like in a real yoga retreat!
If you have a garden, practice outdoors and enjoy the fresh air. Practicing yoga twice daily will really help you deepen your practice and allow you to connect to yourself on a deeper level.
Disconnect from your digital devices
A yoga retreat at home is the perfect opportunity to disconnect from electronics. if you’ve never done a digital detox, you’ll be surprised how good it feels. When you stop scrolling down endlessly, you can finally take time for yourself to reconnect with your soul and spirit.
If you can, take at least an entire day to disconnect from the world, and make it clear to your friends and family that you are not available during this time. If you can’t do that, just pick a few hours a day when you’ll be free of technology.
Ditching technology will help you be more mindful and relaxed. It’ll also give your mind a break, and the opportunity to think about you, and just you.
Cook healthy meals
Consider what you want to eat during your retreat and plan your meals. Do you want to take this opportunity to try vegetarian food? Do you want to make smoothies? Choose recipes and head to the grocery store with a list of what you need. Definitely try to cook something new, and not something you’re used to.
The point of this retreat is to experience, and enjoy. If you’re looking for meal ideas, we have added recipes for vegetarian and vegan meals in our printable at home yoga retreat schedule.
Cooking can also be a great experience, especially if you’re not used to it. It’s an opportunity to be mindful and really enjoy the present moment. You should really see this at-home retreat as an opportunity to eat fresh food also.
Take time to journal
Journaling is a great way to explore yourself, discover what you want from life and your purpose. It can be healing too. You can answer prompts or simply write your heart out. We encourage you to write about your experiences, your feelings, and emotions.
You could also take this as an opportunity to practice gratitude, and write about the good things in your life. This will help you be more positive and could change your perspective on life.
Our 3 day home yoga retreat program includes journal prompts for you to think and reflect. Click here to download it.
Read a book
Reading is a great way to distract yourself and you should use this at home retreat experience to open a good book. So, before you start, select a couple of inspiring books for your retreat. It could be something you always wanted to read or a book someone recommended you.
It could also be the perfect opportunity to read self-help books or introspection books that’ll help you grow. Have a look at the book Get Out Of Your Head or Atomic Habits, they are both great books. You could also deepen your meditation skills by reading spiritual texts.
Meditate
Your home yoga retreat should definitely include meditation. Whether you want to just stay still and in the present moment, or set yourself for a real meditation session, you should definitely consider doing it. Practicing meditation can promote positive thinking and could improve your overall emotional health. You’ll feel more relaxed, calm and grounded.
Meditation also helps you get a clear picture of your mind and you can become more aware of the thoughts that drive your emotions. Also, it helps bring inner peace and relax the tensions you’ve accumulated in your body over the years. Over time, you’ll improve your capacity to focus longer on certain tasks and be more efficient.
Pamper yourself
A retreat is a good time to pamper yourself. Whether you want to take a hot bath, give yourself a facial or get a massage, you deserve to nurture your body and feel good.
If you want to pamper yourself at home, you can easily make an exfoliating face and body scrub with simple ingredients, or take a saltwater bath. Otherwise, you can go to the spa and treat yourself.
Getting a massage could lower your tension and help you get rid of the stress. You could also try acupuncture or reflexology. Whatever you choose, it should make you feel good.
Get rest
Do you sleep enough? If not, it’s actually a sign that you need a yoga retreat. Take this home yoga retreat as an opportunity to rest. If you want to maintain good health, concentration, and efficiency it is really important that you get a good night’s sleep.
Having your own yoga retreat at home can definitely help you sleep better. You could even take a nap in the afternoon, which is very healthy.
The quantity of sleep you get is important but the quality is even more. Going to bed around 10pm and avoiding intense lights from smartphones and computers can help you sleep better. Also, you should feel comfortable in your bed and in your bedroom. If you don’t feel relaxed enough you’ll wake up in the middle of the night and you’ll feel tired in the morning.
Yoga retreat at home schedule
This is a sample schedule of a home yoga retreat. We actually made a 3 days home yoga retreat program that you can download for free here.
Day 1
Affirmations to repeat out loud in the morning.
“I let go of any negative feelings about myself or my life, and accept all that is good.”
“I am, and always will be, enough.”
“I am a powerful creator. I create the life I want and enjoy it.”
“I can never fail, for everything that happens only contributes to me being better.”
“I am valuable and will make powerful contributions to the world today.”
Schedule
8am: Morning yoga
9am: Breakfast
10am: Journaling and free time
> Journal prompts: If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be and what’s stopping you from taking action? What’s one thought that has been getting the best of you lately and how has it been influencing your behavior? What is truly worth focusing on today?
12:30pm: Lunch
1:30-5:00pm: Free time
> Suggested activities: gardening, drawing or coloring, at-home spa treatments
5:00-6:30pm: Restorative or Yin yoga and meditation
> See and feel your soul’s purpose meditation
7:00pm: Dinner
8pm: Evening activity
Do you want more? Click here to discover the schedule for day 2 and 3 and download a printable version of this at home yoga retreat! It’s FREE! This program includes recipes, links to yoga and meditation videos, tips and activities you can do at home during your retreat.
Tips for a successful yoga retreat at home
Having your own yoga retreat at home is pretty easy, all you have to do is commit to it. However, there are some things we thought you should know before you start. So, here are a few tips to help you out:
Try not to eat 2 hours before your yoga session or you’ll feel uncomfortable. If you don’t want to do your morning class on an empty stomach you can have a light breakfast like a cup of coffee and a slice of bread.
We put the journaling part after breakfast because this is when I like to do it. But a lot of people enjoy writing in their journal when they wake up or before going to bed. Choose the time that suits you best!
In the PDF version of our at-home retreat schedule, we added 5 affirmations for you to say out loud every day. Try to do this as soon as you wake up to give a good start to your day.
There is a lot of free time in our schedule because we know you might be busy with kids, or other commitments. If you cannot commit for 3 days, try to do this yoga retreat at home for a least one day, it’ll still be beneficial.
If you do not want to practice yoga by yourself, we have included links to youtube videos, including sessions on the channel Yoga With Adriene. We only linked to youtube channels that we love and enjoy using for our own wellbeing.
Go to bed early, at around 10 pm, so that you feel well-rested. Getting a good night’s sleep is key to a successful yoga retreat at home.
Bottom line
If you can’t afford that dream retreat, you can definitely take some time to organize your own yoga retreat at home. Taking care of yourself should be your priority, and there’s no better way to do so than having some me-time at home.
Clear your calendar, and take this time as an opportunity to take care of your mind, soul, and body.
Don’t forget to download our 3 day at-home yoga retreat schedule for free, and let us know how about your experience in the comments below!
No Comments