Why I Love Hosting Yoga Book Club Retreats
Reflections on last year’s retreat
Last January I hosted 11 wonderful people during my annual Yoga Book Club Retreat. We hunkered down in Western Massachusetts in the woods during the Winter. It happened to be an incredibly cold weekend, one night hit -5 degrees, but we were warm inside.
I love this particular retreat for many reasons. We read a book leading up to the retreat then spend the 3 day weekend practicing yoga and meditation, and discussing the book. Well, we start with the book, then get carried away with our amazing, insightful conversations.
Last year we read Tara Brach’s book Radical Acceptance: Embracing Your Life with the Heart of a Buddha, which I recommend if you haven’t read it yet. We discussed approaching different aspects of our lives through the lens of Buddhism and how we might find self-love and compassion for others and ourselves.
What I love most about this retreat is the connection and community. Even people that are new find a community of open hearts and welcoming minds. By the end of the three days, everyone feels like they belong, is seen and heard by the group, and understand that they are not alone.
Why a Yoga Book Club Retreat?
Most book clubs discuss a book over the course of a couple of hours. I feel like for some books, that’s not nearly enough time. This idea came to me a few years ago. Being able to discuss a book over the course of a weekend gives us plenty of time to dive into some of the more difficult topics.
The opportunity to share wisdom with each other and cultivate connection is why I value these retreats so much. Over the 3 days, we have 7-9 hours of discussion, although last year’s retreat it didn’t seem like nearly enough time to get through the whole book. We moved from “The Trance of Unworthiness” to “Awakening Together: Practicing Radical Acceptance in Relationship.” It was quite a journey.
I find discussing a book in this way, helps me (and others) internalize the themes more cohesively. 2023’s retreat book, Inner Engineering: A Yogi’s Guide to Joy by Sadhguru, was quite dense and some of the themes took some piecing apart to grasp fully (or better). Learning in community in this way, I know for me, helps me grasp and grok the concepts in a more meaningful way.
I’ve studied the principles we discuss over the last 30 years of practicing yoga, so I feel confident in leading our discussions. Learning is never ending, and that’s why I love this work. I get to revisit and reinforce these concepts in my own being while my students do the same.
Combining Yoga on the mat with Yoga off the mat
Retreats are an opportunity to take a step out of “real life” and practice yoga in a concentrated way.
Usually when you step off the mat after a yoga practice, you go back to your regular life, with family, job, and other responsibilities. On retreat, the only person you need to worry about is yourself. Your basic needs are taken care of so that you can focus on integrating your practice in a concrete, practical way.
We practice yoga and meditation in various ways each day, directly building on the practice before. You take the feeling of Savasana/Corpse pose with you into the next practice, so by the end of the weekend, you feel deeply rested, grounded, and settled in yourself.
Off the mat practices are the book discussions, journaling, and the mindfulness we apply to our time off the mat. Each night we are in silence from the end of the last event of the evening through the start of breakfast the next morning. This is an opportunity for introverts to recharge their batteries. It is also a time to check in with yourself and notice how it feels when we stop talking, stop interacting with the world around you, and simply be with what is in your heart and mind.
Practical Benefits Of Silence For Releasing Stress
4th Annual Yoga Book Club Retreat sign ups are open!
This year we are returning to Nine Mountain Retreat Center in Plainfield, MA and reading Brene Brown’s book Braving the Wilderness: The Quest for True Belonging and the Courage to Stand Alone. Read the book ahead of time, then join me January 30-Feb 2, 2026 to discuss the book.
Click the button below to learn more or to sign up!
Subscribe to the Yoga Retreat Email List and be first in line to sign up for yoga retreats! You’ll get access to early bird pricing, and be able to save your spot before anyone else! Click the button below to subscribe!
