Live transformative yoga experiences by volunteering in retreats and other inspiring projects in exchange for acommodation and other perks.
11min
Ever tried striking a pose on a yoga mat, feeling your muscles stretch as you reach for that elusive balance? Have you felt the mindfulness effect that comes from inhaling deeply and aligning mind and body? If yes, then you understand the allure of yoga experiences.
This can be a transformative practice even if you do it at home, by yourself. But what if we said there is something else to explore? A chance to mix yoga with travel adventures, discovering new poses amidst stunning landscapes, learning from experienced practitioners, exchanging experiences with yogis from all over the world…
All this can come true in holistic centers and yoga retreats around the world, where you can combine your interest in yoga with other amazing experiences. And the best part is you can enjoy it for free, by volunteering in exchange of accommodation, yoga lessons, and other perks.
Yoga, a traditional practice originating in India, is well-known for its transformative power on both body and mind. Through thoughtful poses and conscious breath control, yoga fosters a unique connection between physicality and mentality.
A consistent yoga routine not only enhances strength but also promotes balance and flexibility. But these are just the tangible benefits that we can see or feel. There's more to it than meets the eye—yoga's influence extends into our mental health as well.
Several studies reveal that regular participation in yoga classes significantly reduces stress levels.
The trend of blending travel with meaningful experiences like yoga is on the rise. More and more, people are seeking out unique opportunities to connect deeply with different cultures and learn new things while nourishing their mind and body.
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Different yoga experiences are becoming increasingly popular for travelers who want more than just sightseeing. There are many yoga retreats around the world that cater from beginner level yogis looking for a welcoming environment to advanced practitioners craving new challenges.
Taking this a step further, platforms like Worldpackers have started connecting yoga enthusiasts with volunteer programs and work exchanges that allow you to stay for free at retreats and yoga-related projects worldwide.
This gives people a chance to not only further their training with experienced teachers, but also contribute with meaningful projects. This way, personal growth is intertwined with a positive impact.
Worldpackers is a platform that lets you travel the world in a cheap, collaborative, and impactful way. It's not just about discovering new places; it's also about trading abilities, gaining knowledge from different cultures, and forming meaningful connections.
The mission of Worldpackers is to democratize traveling by connecting volunteers with hosts across the globe. This exchange system allows travelers to offer their skills in return for accommodation. So, whether you're good at painting murals or teaching yoga classes, there’s a place for your talent somewhere around the world.
And you don’t even need to possess special skills. If you’re willing to learn, there are many hosts who will teach you what is needed to perform the tasks they ask for.
The work exchanges offered through Worldpackers are diverse and range from welcoming guests at hostels to cooking meals or painting walls in yoga and meditation retreats - all in exchange for free lodging, although some non-profit projects charge a small fee to cover your living expenses.
These exchanges not only give volunteers an opportunity to practice their passion but also make travel more affordable.
If yoga interests you, then the yoga retreats listed on Worldpackers can be particularly enticing. From beachfront resorts where sunrise yoga is a daily ritual to serene ashrams nestled among mountain peaks, there is something special waiting just for you.
It’s an enriching journey where you not only improve your yoga practice but also get to create lasting bonds with people from all walks of life who share similar interests. Working together towards common goals helps build strong connections with people, and many volunteers leave with friends for life.
You will also have the chance to immerse yourself fully in different cultures and might even pick up some new language skills along the way and develop new skills that could be valuable additions to your CV.
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By volunteering and practicing yoga in different settings, you're not just there to roll out a yoga mat - you are also given an opportunity for personal development.
You can look for yoga experiences on Worldpackers by clicking on Volunteer Opportunities on the top of the website and using the filters on the left. Choose Holistic Center as the Host Type, or Yoga/Meditation as the Style if you want a broader selection.
Want to start exploring this new way of traveling and enhancing your yoga practice? You can begin by trying out new yoga experiences near where you live. There are amazing opportunities for volunteering with hosts that offer activities related to yoga in the United States. Here are some examples:
The mission of the Hiranyagarbha Yuga Ashram is "to embody as many facets of enlightened living as possible", including becoming a self-sufficient community with environmentally sustainable systems. Their main projects are developing agricultural systems and building projects. They do not require experience of any kind, only a dedication to learn and be of service to others.
Community life at the Ashram is vivid. They share all meals together, make art and music together, do spiritual practices together, community activities, etc. You will be part of a community of people who care about making a change in themselves and in the world.
As a new member of HYA, they will guide you through a 10-day program to learn the ashram’s system of spirituality. They are pet friendly and family-friendly, so kids are welcome.
“I had the most amazing experience here! The people are so welcoming and genuine. I made wonderful friends, learned new skills, and made so many good memories! This is the best place to grow if you’re looking to be around people who offer support and fun while you’re on your spiritual journey!”, said Eliot, a previous Worldpackers volunteer, in her review of the host.
Join the staff of Shoshoni Yoga Retreat and immerse yourself in the yogic lifestyle while fostering connection with community and enjoying the tranquility of mountain life. Ashram residents participate in different seva (selfless service) projects designed to maintain the ashram facility and offer a welcoming and nourishing environment for their guests.
Shoshoni is an established ashram and yoga retreat center from an authentic living yoga tradition, nestled in the beautiful Rocky Mountains of Colorado. Volunteers live alongside a dedicated group of yogis and are immersed in the yogic lifestyle; there is daily meditation, yoga several times per week, and three delicious vegetarian meals per day, plus access to hiking trails and amenities including hot tub and sauna.
Travelers looking to volunteer at Shoshoni would be flexible, self-motivated, excited to take a deep dive into their own spiritual practice, and work hard in support of the community. In exchange, you receive teachings and guidance along your spiritual path while connecting with nature and like-minded individuals.
Shoshoni has a permanent staff of 10 residents, including families with children, and a volunteer staff of five to 10 people. It is a registered non-profit organization and the help of volunteers supports the longevity of the place.
Assignments include doing the dishes, housekeeping (turning over guest spaces), cleaning common spaces and bathrooms, kitchen prep, firewood prep and stocking, and more. The daily schedule also includes required meditation classes, with the option to attend yoga classes.
The Black Swan Temple is a tropical organic farm/eco-sanctuary on the beautiful lush north shore of Maui. This is a great opportunity to work on the land, meet people from around the world, and to be of service and support to others on their healing journeys.
They host small group retreats 1-2 month long where they offer a morning practice of yoga, aerial yoga play, sound healing, etc. They also have a recording studio, spa, and offer public sound healing ceremonies. They are looking for volunteers to support them with housekeeping, breakfast prep, and gardening tasks. Currently, this position is only open to women.
In exchange for 25 hours of volunteer work per week, you will get accommodations, meals, classes, and personal wellness sessions.
“It was an amazing experience that I will never forget. I was welcomed, respected. I met great people. And we were living like a family. Leaving them was sad. But this place gave me a lot of insights. I had small talks to Donny, that was very helpful! I have shared and I have devoted my energy to this land and people and I feel like it was sharing giving and receiving also. I’ve done the work that I wouldn’t do anywhere else! Cutting trees, planting, weeding! I found out that I’m a great land worker! And fell in love with vegetarian food! Heather is amazing cook”, said Jalia, who volunteered at Black Swan Temple through Worldpackers.
For over 50 years, Ananda Meditation Retreat has been hosting guests from around the world who are interested in learning and practicing meditation and yoga in a beautiful, 72-acre setting amid lush forest land.
Guests range from beginners to experienced, and their staff is highly trained with many years of experience with meditation and yoga. Their work is based on the teachings of Paramhansa Yogananda, author of the classic "Autobiography of a Yogi".
By volunteering there you get to participate in yoga and meditation classes while helping their staff provide delicious meals and clean, comfortable lodging for guests. Beginners are welcome.
Requirements include attendance at daily sessions of yoga/meditation while fulfilling duties in housekeeping or kitchen. You will get free lodging in a spacious bungalow shared with one more people and two days off per week.
“Ananda is a wonderful place to immerse yourself in nature and meditation. I very much enjoyed my time. I had a great little cabin to sleep in and there was nourishing food prepared everyday. The work is easy enough and if you show a liking or talent for something in particular, it is noticed and often encouraged. Everyone was super kind and helpful. Lots of love and understanding. A very peaceful experience. I'm inspired and will most likely return when life allows”, said Rachel, a previous volunteer.
If you feel like going one step further and enjoying different yoga experiences in other parts of the world, you’ll find great positions in many other countries. Check out a few that you might like:
Yoga Academy in Italy looks for volunteers who already practice yoga
Turiya Yoga Ashram is a Meditation Center and Yoga Academy that follows the Himalayan tradition, which studies the concentration of the mind. They look for volunteers that already practice meditation and yoga and want to both deepen the practice of Yoga and support them in developing their meditation center.
The Ashram life is defined by a routine that must be followed by the volunteers too, which is a way of intensively learning Yoga. The project is based on Yoga classes, gardening, cleaning the forest, cleaning the common areas and the shala.
“My period in Turiya Yoga was fantastic! I had the opportunity to learn and practice Yoga. I connected with nature and could also contribute to the construction of the beautiful project they are doing in the woods. The atmosphere is cheerful and peaceful, the working hours are respected and everyone is always open to conversations, suggestions and exchanges. Thank you to Monique, Marzia and Simone for the experience!”, said the Brazilian volunteer Aline.
The Mindfulness Project Thailand want volunteers to find a home away from home and become their most authentic, funny, and creative self.
The couple behind the project has been running it for 10 years, having always around 30 volunteers on site. They believe that there is a way that we all can live in harmony with nature and each other, no matter who we are, what we believe, what opinions we have or how we look, as long as we have an open heart.
Well off the beaten track of tourism, they offer an opportunity for everybody to join in a project that combines meditation, yoga, neuroscience, natural building and ecological gardening (especially permaculture) to a system of personal growth and care for nature.
They are currently focused on maintaining and expanding their beautiful gardens and implementing systems to improve soil quality and retain water. They offer 1 hour 15 minutes Yoga in the morning, 30 minutes of meditation, 1 to 2 hours of talking circles and teaching about Buddhism, Neuroscience, Psychology and Permaculture 5 days a week, plus a whole day and night in a monastery, and charge a small daily fee.
“I came to this project with a lot of skepticism seeing that they had 5 star reviews from every person that commented. After spending 10 days here, I’d give it infinite stars. The couple Christian & Anja that run this project and genuinely two of the most intelligent, kind, learned, insightful people I’ve ever met. I’m still in awe of my experience there. I had come to the project to give, and instead I received so much more. I gained lifetime friendships. Learned to be aware of my inner biases, pushed my personal limitations. Yoga-meditation-work-talking circle-teachings. Wholesome”, said Tisha, a volunteer from the USA.
The Plantation Villa retreat, in beautiful Herefordshire countryside, is looking for a volunteer cook to become part of their growing team. There is plenty of time to enjoy the beautiful scenery, swim in the river next to the center, talk with guests and take their yoga and meditation classes.
They are a social enterprise with a team of 5-6 full time staff members and like to have about 2-3 volunteers, who are also treated like part of the family.
“This was my first experience as a volunteer, and it was wonderful!! I would do it again and I am sure next year I will visit this place again for a longer period. It is a quiet, beautiful place that inspires peace, disconnection from the outside world to reconnect with yourself. The work is pleasant and is carried out by all members of the team. Some of the food is grown on site. And I learned about Ayurveda, which is very good for my profession as a holistic doctor. If you are looking for a place to take a break, eat healthy and get closer to nature while helping with the work. 100%”, said Catalina from Colombia.
If you're planning on living these or other yoga experiences while volunteering around the US or abroad, remember that these are more than just fitness classes or vacations. They're opportunities for cultural immersion, skill-building, meeting like-minded individuals, and truly living your yoga off the mat.
Ready to start this adventure? Grab your trusty yoga mat and get ready for an unforgettable journey!
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