Yoga Retreat Centers in the UK

Determine Your Needs and Budget

When you’re ready to get away or expand your yoga practice, a retreat is a terrific solution. However, before being enticed by lush grounds and multiple daily classes, outline what you hope to gain from a yoga retreat center.

• Do you want to advance your practice to a new level?
• Do you hope to learn a different style of yoga?
• Are you interested in additional services, such as yoga therapy, detoxification, or meditation?
• Is there a particular destination you have in mind?
• Are you looking for all-inclusive, or “all-in”, retreats, or will your budget allow for additional expenditures such as meals, excursions, and lodging?

Once you’ve developed a strategy, it will be easier to find the perfect retreat.

A Sample of Yoga Retreat Centers in the UK

We’ve included some possibilities that may be a quick flight or ferry away.

Burren Yoga Retreats – County Galway, Ireland

Just a bit southwest of the city of Galway lies Burren Yoga. Instructor Dave Brocklebank established the centre in 1999 and now hosts approximately 40 different programs a year.

The retreat offers weekend and weeklong sessions in various yoga styles, including Kundalini, Ashtanga, and Bikram. You’ll also learn more about detoxification, vegetarian cooking, and Pilates. Room accommodations vary in size and there are shared bathrooms. Course fees include vegetarian meals. You’ll enjoy opportunities for massage and other healing treatments, too.

Clare Island Yoga Retreat Centre – Clare Island, Ireland

This western Ireland getaway hosts a number of different retreats throughout the year. Your hosts at Clare Island are Christophe Mouze and Ciara Cullen, who provide a real home atmosphere in special rooms and cottages.

Retreats include study of various yoga styles with guest instructors, Ayurveda, meditation, vegetarian cooking, and other specialties. Average retreat length is three days, and course fees include accommodations, classes, and meals. Those interested in long-term stays can try being a centre helper in exchange for room, board, and yoga.

East Clare Yoga Centre – County Clare, Ireland

The Sturton family runs the East Clare Yoga Centre just north of Shannon. Enthusiasts of B.K.S. Iyengar will appreciate the guest yoga instructors at East Clare teaching holiday, weekend, and special one-day workshops. Suzanne Sturton also leads daily yoga classes, while her husband Paul and his parents cook all the vegetarian meals offered at centre.

Workshops and retreats are held throughout the year, and accommodations include twin, double or triple beds, with en-suite or communal shower options. The location boasts a thriving music scene, and opportunities for hiking and horseback riding.

Keythorpe Yoga Retreat – Leicestershire, England

The once-majestic Keythorpe Hall in Leicestershire was a derelict building when yoga instructor Sarah Cawkwell discovered it in 1978. After considerable renovation, it is now home to myriad daylong yoga retreats, daily class for locals, and private instruction.

The Keythorpe Yoga retreats include reflexology, Nidra and Hatha yoga sessions, a vegetarian lunch, and afternoon tea.

Mandala Yoga Ashram – Llanwrda, Carmarthenshire, Wales

For those practitioners hoping for a more spiritual getaway, the Mandala Yoga Ashram may be a good choice. The ashram offers a special course for first-time visitors, and stays can be extended as need be.

The ashram follows a specific timetable, depending on the courses offered. Attendees will participate in Karma yoga practice, Hatha yoga, meditation, and other special sessions daily. Accommodations and vegetarian meals are simple but comforting.

Waterwynch Retreat – Red Roses, Carmarthenshire, Wales

The Eternal Group is a collective of professionals running the Waterwynch Retreat. You’ll find a variety of packages here. From a daylong spa session featuring yoga, lunch, and Reiki healing to a four-night respite, Waterwynch accommodates many levels of interest.

Enjoy twice-daily yoga sessions, meditation, indoor swimming, mountain hiking, and cycling. Accommodations vary based on preference: enjoy a private en-suite room in a converted windmill offering modern amenities, or escape to a more private log cabin.

Ruth White Yoga Holidays – Throughout England

Retreats with instructor Ruth White are held at various locations around England throughout the year in stately manors in the countryside. Spend weekend and weeklong holidays at Eden Hall in Kent, the Eynsham Hall in Oxon, or Aura Soma in Lancashire, to name just a few. Each location offers a different itinerary of yoga and other activities, accommodations, and meal plan.

White leads a number of classes at her centre in Oxfordshire, and also offers yoga certification.

Additional Resources

• Find more yoga retreat centers in the UK, Ireland, and Europe in the Good Retreat Guide.
• The Neal’s Yard Agency specializes in organizing healthy retreats such as yoga getaways and holistic healing opportunities.
• Also try LoveToKnow Travel for other destination ideas.