What to Know Before Launching Your First Yoga Retreat
If you are reading this, it’s likely that you are interested in leading a retreat but aren’t sure where to start. Or perhaps you’ve tried planning a retreat, but haven’t yet had success. This post offers tips on how to lead a successful yoga retreat based on what I have learned over the years.
Is Leading a Yoga Retreat the Right Choice for You?
Since I started offering yoga retreats in 2012, I have been fortunate to lead weeklong retreats at least once a year in places like Mexico, Belize, Costa Rica and Utah. I also offer many weekend retreats in Washington and Oregon, and lead day-long retreats in my hometown of Leavenworth, Washington.
Leading retreats is definitely my favorite thing to do professionally. I love that I get to experience extended time with a group of students who want to delve deeper into yoga, meditation, somatic movement and personal growth. In weekly classes and even in workshops, we often don’t have time to get to know one another and really explore body, mind and spirit. Retreats provide an opportunity for deeper connection and learning while exploring some very beautiful places on the planet.
Despite the positive aspects, organizing and leading retreats is not for everyone. I have watched teachers attempt to lead retreats only to cancel the retreat or run it at a loss. When I first started offering retreats, I also had to make some tough choices about whether to cancel a retreat and accept financial losses. Over time, I learned how to develop successful retreats, and I want to share this knowledge with other yoga teachers to help you have a positive experience from the start.
Questions to Consider Before Leading a Yoga Retreat
Before planning your retreat, ask yourself why you are wanting to lead a retreat. Get clear about why you want to give your students this experience. If you just want to go on vacation to a beautiful place, you will ultimately feel resentful and drained. While organizing and leading the retreat, you will be at work in service of your students, not on vacation.
This doesn’t mean that you can’t have time each day to rest - this is especially important for us introverts. And that doesn’t mean that you can’t have fun, too! But unless you can bring an assistant or find a student who wants to help organize the retreat for a reduced rate, you will be the point of contact for your students for all things. Are you prepared to handle complaints about food, bedding, heat, bugs, and other students? Holding space and making sure that students have a great time on retreat can be a lot of work.
Here are some other questions to consider if you’re deciding whether to plan a retreat:
Do you have a consistent and loyal following of students?
Do students regularly attend special events that you offer beyond your weekly classes?
If you mostly teach privates, do your students come to group workshops or other events you offer?
Do you have an email list that you use to regularly communicate with your students?
If you’re not sure you have enough students to lead a retreat, could you lead a joint retreat with another teacher who compliments your teaching? Choose your collaborator carefully!
Do you like your students? Remember, especially for a weeklong retreat, you will essentially be with them for seven days straight!
Who are your yoga students?
Can your students afford to do a retreat? If so, what type? Day-long, weekend, or weeklong? (See below for inexpensive retreat ideas.)
Do they travel regularly?
If they are parents, do they have enough support to leave home for an extended time?
Have you asked your students if they are interested in a yoga retreat?
Important Details for Planning a Yoga Retreat
There are many details to consider before leading a retreat. Here are some things to keep in mind:
Financial Considerations
Deposits: If you are a yoga teacher who is just starting out and you don’t have savings, you’ll need to find retreat centers that don’t require a deposit. They do exist, but most well-respected retreat centers require a contract with a deposit schedule. Do you have the income and buffer to take a risk and possibly lose a deposit?
Pricing: This can be done in different ways depending on how the retreat center is structured. Some retreat centers charge per person, others per room and some charge a flat rate for the entire retreat center. They will give you their pricing and then you’ll add in your costs and whatever you want to charge as your profit or tuition. Try to pay your own costs for lodging and travel with the first quarter to third of your registrations.
Profit: How much money you make is dictated by what your students will pay, how many people you can accommodate, and what you want to charge. You could make the same amount of money for five people or 25 people depending on what your costs are and what you are charging.
Choosing a Location
Choosing a location is partly dictated by how you answer the financial questions above. Another factor is distance from where your students live. These are general guidelines to follow:
Day-long Retreat: Choose a location that is a short drive from where most of your students live.
Weekend or Three-night Retreat: Locations up to a half-day drive from where most of your students live are ideal.
Weeklong Retreat: The world is your oyster, but it is helpful to go places that only require a day of travel or less.
The location you choose will also dictate how much additional work you have to do:
Is it all-inclusive (room, board and yoga space)?
Do you need to hire a caterer?
Is there an additional fee to rent space for yoga?
If possible, go to the location in advance, and be sure to take lots of pictures! If you can’t go, look closely at TripAdvisor or other online reviews.
What is Your Timeline?
You may need more or less time depending on location and the type of retreat you are planning:
For day-long, local retreats, you can plan a month or two out.
For weekend retreats, a minimum of six months is recommended. I typically book about year out for my weekend retreats.
For week-long retreats, most retreat centers are going to book a year or more out for the high season. Depending on your students, many people will need to plan that far out for scheduling and finances.
Once you have chosen a location, decided on pricing, and have a clear timeline, the rest is marketing, registration, communication and logistics.
Marketing a Yoga Retreat
Good marketing is about more than just communication. It is about motivating your target market to invest in what you are offering.
What will people get out of their retreat with you?
What’s included and what’s not included?
What problem do your students have that your retreat will solve?
Understand your ideal retreat participants and tailor your marketing to that audience. Let them know what you have to offer and how that fits with their needs. Send emails, post images on social media, and say the same thing in several different ways.
Registration Tips
Take non-refundable deposits and then allow a monthly payment plan for the remainder. Deposits should be roughly 25 percent of the retreat cost. Be clear about a cancellation policy. I now encourage my participants to purchase travel insurance if they are concerned about cancelling last minute. I explain that I cannot afford to give refunds.
Consider organizing an info session or two in which you answer questions, show pictures and offer a significant discount if they register on that day. Serve something tasty to eat, and have a flyer or postcard with information about registration that people can take home with them.
Inexpensive Retreat Ideas
When first starting to lead retreats, inexpensive options may feel less intimidating. These ideas help reduce costs for teachers and students:
Day-long retreats with a brown bag lunch.
Having retreat participants cook meals together, in teams of two or three people.
If you have a younger student base, they may be willing to camp, sleep on the floor, or stay in locations that offer dorm-style lodging.
Although leading a retreat can be incredibly rewarding and fun, it also requires a high level of organization, perseverance, and sometimes creativity in marketing to create success. I encourage you to give it a try and pursue your dream if you are ready for the challenge!
I’m also available for one-on-one coaching if you would like help in creating and fulfilling a yoga or personal growth retreat. Contact me for details: [email protected] or 509-470-0542