HAND-PICKED EXPERIENCES

Editor's Picks

Curated events selected by the BrightStar team — transformational gatherings worth your time.

154 events curated

yoga retreat

CircusYoga: The Human Art of Play

CircusYoga blends interactive yoga, circus arts, and intentional play into a multigenerational retreat suitable for ages seven and up. Led by Kevin and Erin Maile O'Keefe, this program has returned to Kripalu for over two decades, drawing participants ranging from children to older adults who seek connection and embodied joy. The retreat weaves together mandala yoga, partner acrobatics, juggling and diabolo, clowning, Thai massage, and creative movement. Rather than promoting virtuosity, the work emphasizes inclusion, resilience, and the surprising capacities that emerge when people play together. Participants leave having moved through vulnerability toward a more grounded, expressive way of being. The retreat welcomes people of all abilities and ages.

Wed, Jul 22, 2026Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health, Stockbridge

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yoga retreat

CircusYoga: The Human Art of Play

CircusYoga brings together yoga, circus arts, and physical play into a multigenerational retreat experience. For more than two decades, this program has welcomed people of all ages—from children seven and up through elders—into a framework of joyful exploration and embodied connection. The practice weaves mandala yoga and collaborative group movement with partner acrobatics, basic circus skills like juggling and diabolo, clowning, and Thai massage. Participants learn to inhabit a more playful and resilient presence while discovering what their bodies can accomplish in community. The retreat honors principles of inclusion, coauthorship, and empathy, creating space for people of varying abilities to play together and surprise themselves with their own capabilities.

Wed, Jul 22, 2026Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health, Stockbridge

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yoga retreat

Kripalu Outdoors: Mindful Hiking and Stand-Up Paddleboarding

A summer retreat that extends yoga and meditation practice into the natural world. Participants explore Yokun Ridge's wooded trails through contemplative hiking, forest meditation, and tea ceremony, then transition to guided stand-up paddleboarding on Lake Mahkeenac. The program emphasizes embodied presence—moving mindfully through both terrestrial and aquatic environments while cultivating awareness of the body, mind, and heart as extensions of nature itself. Daily Kripalu yoga classes anchor the experience, offering formal practice alongside informal outdoor movement. Suitable for those comfortable on rolling terrain and moderate hiking, with paddleboarding open to all levels provided swimming proficiency is present.

Fri, Jul 24, 2026Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health, Stockbridge

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yoga retreat

Kripalu Outdoors: Mindful Hiking and Stand-Up Paddleboarding

This weekend retreat invites participants to practice yoga and meditation beyond the studio walls, moving through natural settings with intentional presence. Over three days on Kripalu's Massachusetts grounds, guests hike the wooded trails of Yokun Ridge and paddle on Lake Mahkeenac, weaving contemplative practices into outdoor movement. The program emphasizes embodied awareness, forest meditations, and tea ceremonies alongside guided water activities. Participants experience how yoga translates into the forest and onto the water, cultivating a sense of continuity between formal practice and lived experience in nature. The retreat balances structured instruction with unstructured time on Kripalu's grounds.

Fri, Jul 24, 2026Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health, Stockbridge

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yoga retreat

Meditation & Tai Chi 2026

At Healing Spring Monastery, this six-day retreat weaves together slow, intentional movement and seated practice. Participants engage with Tai Chi, a gentle Chinese martial art refined into flowing sequences that cultivate balance, flexibility, and presence. Morning and evening meditation sessions anchor the days, while nature walks and silent meals deepen awareness. The retreat is not a Tai Chi course but a mindfulness-centered gathering where body and breath work together. Daily hikes connect practitioners to the land; small groups of 20-30 create space for genuine exchange. Teacher Mr. Cao Minh Dinh, trained in integral Tai Chi and qigong, collaborates with the monastery's dharma teachers to guide participants of all experience levels. All meals are plant-based, with lunch as the main offering. This is contemplative work, not intensive training. The retreat honors impermanence; the schedule may shift with conditions.

Fri, Jul 24, 2026Plum Village, Thénac

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yoga retreat

No More Aches and Pains

This three-day residential program introduces the Gokhale Method, a postural and movement approach that addresses chronic aches and tension through structural realignment. Led by Esther Gokhale, award-winning author and founder of the method, participants learn gentle traction techniques and strengthening practices designed to restore the body's natural curves and ease. The curriculum emphasizes releasing tension in the back, neck, shoulders, and legs while building foundational strength in the abdominal and back muscles, glutes, feet, and neck. Participants integrate these principles into daily movement patterns, returning home with concrete practices for maintaining improved posture and reducing discomfort. The retreat combines instruction with daily yoga classes, nourishing meals, and access to Kripalu's grounds, creating a supported environment for embodied learning.

Fri, Jul 24, 2026Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health, Stockbridge

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yoga retreat

Embodied Practice: Practicing Yoga All Day

Judith Hanson Lasater, a pioneering figure in contemporary yoga and co-founder of the Iyengar Yoga Institute in San Francisco, returns to Feathered Pipe Ranch, where she has taught since 1975. This eight-day retreat explores the gradual maturation of yoga practice, moving from viewing it as an action to recognizing it as a state of being woven into daily life. Lasater guides participants through a rhythm of active asana practice in the mornings, restorative work and pranayama in the afternoons, and meditation throughout. Set against the backdrop of Montana's mountains and pristine landscape, the retreat balances structured practice with unstructured time, inviting community members to reconnect with themselves and one another. The week includes optional activities such as river rafting, hiking, and evening gatherings, allowing participants to experience yoga as an integration of formal practice and lived experience.

Sat, Jul 25, 2026Feathered Pipe Ranch, Helena

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yoga retreat

Harvesting the Energy of Trees with Qigong

In the quiet depths of the forest, among the towering presence of ancient trees, lies a subtle energy available to those who know how to receive it. This three-day retreat at Kripalu invites practitioners to explore the relationship between trees and human vitality through the lens of qigong practice. Led by certified instructors John Platt, Mary Platt, and Cris Caivano, participants will learn classical postures, breathing techniques, and mindfulness methods rooted in Five Element qigong tradition. The work includes understanding how specific trees correspond to different organ systems and emotional states, as well as ancient Taoist methods for drawing nourishment from the forest air itself. Sessions combine indoor instruction with time spent moving among the trees on Kripalu's wooded grounds, creating space for direct experience alongside technical learning. The retreat is structured around daily yoga classes, communal meals, and extended practice sessions that weave together movement, breath, and contemplative awareness. Participants should come prepared for outdoor activity in variable weather.

Sun, Jul 26, 2026Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health, Stockbridge

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yoga retreat

Mountain Samadhi Retreat

Mirabai Ceiba hosts the tenth edition of their Mountain Samadhi Retreat in the southern French Alps, a five-day immersion designed for both adults and children. Set in Les Damias, a mountain sanctuary in Provence, the retreat weaves together yoga, meditation, chanting, and exploration of alpine landscapes. Participants hike to high plateaus, engage in self-inquiry practices, and share meals with a community of practitioners. The program balances structured sessions with spontaneous creativity and play. Children are welcomed with a dedicated camp offering age-appropriate activities and inspiration. The setting itself serves as teacher, with mountain air and natural beauty supporting the quieting of mind and renewal of spirit. Registration opens soon, with early-bird pricing available through January 31, 2026.

Sun, Jul 26, 2026Les Damias, Eourres

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yoga retreat

Restorative Yoga Retreat with Sundari Nora Benian at Sivananda Yoga Ranch

Restorative Yoga Retreat with Sundari Nora Benian at Sivananda Yoga Ranch at Sivananda Yoga Ranch — Woodbourne

Fri, Jul 31, 2026Sivananda Yoga Ranch, Woodbourne

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yoga retreat

Six Gateways on the Spiritual Journey: Weekend Retreat

This weekend retreat at Yogaville explores six classical approaches to spiritual practice, recognizing that different temperaments and natures gravitate toward different paths. Rather than presenting theory, the program invites participants to step into direct experience of each gateway: Raja Yoga's meditation and mental training, Hatha Yoga's embodied awareness through posture and breath, Bhakti Yoga's heart-opening through chant and devotion, Jnana Yoga's inquiry into deeper truths, Japa Yoga's mantra practice, and Karma Yoga's transformation of action into service. Led by Swami Divyananda Ma, a senior monastic teacher trained directly by Swami Satchidananda, the retreat combines guided practice, journaling, group discussion, and teachings drawn from classical spiritual texts and living examples. Whether attending as a newcomer or as someone with established practice, participants gain both a map of possible directions and experiential grounding in each pathway. The weekend culminates in clarity about which gates naturally open for each individual.

Fri, Jul 31, 2026Satchidananda Ashram – Yogaville, Buckingham

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yoga retreat

Awaken the Joyful Warrior: Centered, Strong, and Free

This three-day retreat addresses the emotional, physical, and spiritual demands of contemporary life by cultivating inner resilience and clarity. Led by Jurian Hughes, the program weaves together yoga sequences, conscious breathwork, voice activation, and intuitive movement to help participants release what weighs them down and reconnect with their aliveness. The retreat creates space for both individual reflection and community connection, offering practical tools for bringing presence and joy into daily life. No prior experience required. The work centers on balancing strength with softness, meeting the world with open awareness rather than numbness or collapse.

Fri, Jul 31, 2026Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health, Stockbridge

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