Art of Living Retreat Center — Boone, United States

Meditation, yoga and Ayurveda retreats on 380 acres in the Blue Ridge Mountains, Boone, NC

The Art of Living Retreat Center is a meditation, yoga and Ayurveda retreat center on 380 acres in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina, with its address at 639 Whispering Hills Road in Boone. Guests stay on the mountain for programs built around breathwork, silence and yoga, and the center also runs an Ayurvedic spa and hosts outside teachers and events. Its teaching comes from the Art of Living lineage. The signature meditation retreats are rooted in that tradition and centered on Sudarshan Kriya, known as SKY Breath Meditation, a rhythmic breathing technique. The yoga programs follow the Sri Sri School of Yoga, which the center's pages say was founded by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, referred to as Gurudev. The pages describe the retreats as sequenced: Art of Living Part I programs introduce the breath practice, and Part II builds on it. The meditation retreats begin with the two-night Happiness Retreat, held twice weekly, which teaches SKY Breath Meditation. The Breathwork & Meditation Retreat runs three nights and pairs SKY with Sahaj Samadhi Meditation practices, a personal mantra-based approach. Stepping Into Silence is a five-day retreat that eases guests from Sudarshan Kriya, gentle yoga and guided practice into silence, and the page states that no prior meditation or silent-retreat experience is required. Dive Deep Into Silence is the Part II program, with advanced breathwork, guided meditations, daily yoga and more silence. Longer Navratri editions of it run seven and four days. The yoga offerings include the Sacred Mountain Yoga Retreat, a weekend from Friday to Sunday that combines Sri Sri Yoga asana practice, pranayama and meditation, and respects the classical Hatha Yoga lineage. The Sri Sri Yoga Deep Dive Retreat is a four-day program covering asana, pranayama, meditation, kriya and philosophy, including the cleansing kriyas Shankh Prakshalana and Jala Neti. The 200-hour Sri Sri Yoga Teacher Training is offered on campus, online and hybrid, and its curriculum draws on the Bhagavad Gita, the Patanjali Yoga Sutras, the Yoga Sara Upanishads and the Hatha Yoga Pradipika. Wellness retreats for couples, girlfriends, mother-daughter pairs and men sit alongside Ayurveda-based programs, Panchakarma, and self-guided R & R stays. The guest presenter calendar widens the range. Listed teachers include Seane Corn, Elizabeth Gilbert, don Miguel Ruiz, Jr. and don Jose Ruiz, Marianne Williamson, Shiva Rea and Lama Rod Owens. Programs on the calendar include a Toltec journey, a creative living workshop and an INELDA end-of-life doula training. The center also hosts conferences, corporate and nonprofit offsites, and yoga, meditation and spiritual retreats organized by others. The campus is a mountain-top setting of forest and trails. Activities named on the pages include daily yoga and meditation, Ayurveda workshops, nightly kirtan, miles of hiking trails, bonfires and a labyrinth. Retreat rates include daily vegetarian meals, served buffet-style, and rooms on the Sacred Mountain page include private hotel rooms with a king bed or two queen beds. The center also offers a day pass. The programs welcome beginners. The Happiness Retreat is pitched at people running on empty, Stepping Into Silence asks for no experience, and the Sacred Mountain Yoga Retreat is open to new students and seasoned practitioners alike. The Happiness Retreat page cites more than 170,000 U.S. graduates, and the center says its breath practice has been taught to over 40 million people worldwide. Those who come for the teacher training join what the page calls a global network of graduates.

Traditions: Sudarshan Kriya (SKY Breath Meditation), Sahaj Samadhi Meditation, Sri Sri School of Yoga, Hatha Yoga, Pranayama, Ayurveda, Panchakarma, Kirtan

Programs: Happiness Retreat, Breathwork & Meditation Retreat, Stepping Into Silence Retreat, Dive Deep Into Silence Retreat, Sacred Mountain Yoga Retreat, Sri Sri Yoga Deep Dive Retreat, Sri Sri Yoga Teacher Training, Panchakarma, R & R Retreats, Guest Presenter Programs

Amenities: 380-Acre Campus, Hiking Trails, Labyrinth, Bonfires, Ayurvedic Spa, Vegetarian Dining Hall, Private Hotel Rooms, Meeting Spaces, Day Pass