Religious Studies Yoga Cohort

Imagine stepping away from the everyday world for six full days to explore yoga not as a fitness practice, but as a living philosophy—one with ancient roots, intellectual depth, and profound relevance to how you live today. The Religious Studies Yoga Cohort invites seekers, scholars, and practitioners to examine the intersection of yoga's spiritual lineage and its place in our contemporary world, held within the serene mountain sanctuary of Drala Mountain Center in Red Feather Lakes, Colorado.

This isn't a typical yoga retreat. Rather, it's a rigorous yet nourishing cohort program that weaves together physical practice, philosophical inquiry, and the study of yoga's history and evolution. You'll practice yoga asana and pranayama while also sitting with sacred texts, exploring the traditions that birthed this practice, and investigating how yoga shows up in modern life. Whether you're a dedicated practitioner seeking intellectual context, a student of religion and spirituality, or someone yearning to understand yoga beyond the mat, this six-day immersion offers a rare opportunity to engage your whole self—body, mind, and heart—in deep learning.

Held at Drala Mountain Center, a retreat facility devoted to contemplative study and practice, you'll be held in an environment specifically designed to support both rigorous inquiry and genuine rest. The mountain setting, the structured cohort format, and the integrated curriculum create conditions for real transformation: not just information absorbed, but understanding integrated.

What to Expect

Over six days, you'll move through a carefully sequenced program that honors both yogic practice and academic study. Daily yoga sessions ground you in embodied experience. Seminars, discussions, and study circles invite you to explore yoga philosophy—from the Yoga Sutras and Bhagavad Gita to contemporary debates about yoga's decolonization and cultural translation. You'll examine the history of yoga in the West, the role of yoga in spiritual traditions, and what authentic practice means today.

The atmosphere balances intellectual rigor with contemplative reverence. Meals are shared communally. Mornings begin with practice; afternoons blend movement, study, and discussion; evenings offer time for integration and reflection. By the program's end, you'll carry both a deeper knowledge of yoga's roots and a renewed relationship to your own practice—rooted in understanding rather than assumption.

Venue & Logistics

The Religious Studies Yoga Cohort takes place Friday, September 4, 2026 at Drala Mountain Center in Red Feather Lakes, Colorado, a pristine mountain retreat designed for focused contemplative work. The six-day program is residential; participants stay on-site. Bring comfortable clothing for yoga practice, warm layers for mountain evenings, and an open mind. The center accommodates various accessibility needs—reach out directly to discuss any requirements.