With countries on lockdown and travel restrictions in place, a yoga retreat might sound like a distant dream right now. So we’ve prepared a mini, online yoga retreat that you can do from home.
The online retreat includes a full day of yoga classes, meditation, movement, and breathing exercises from Esther Ekhart, that will help you relax, restore, re-energise and rejuvenate.
Day Yoga Retreat with Esther Ekhart
Enjoy this home yoga retreat with a friend
Why not invite your friends to join you? They can take out a two-week free trial and join in.
You may not be physically in the same space, but as we found with our live meditations on YouTube, practicing together can create powerful connections even when we’re physically far apart.
How to prepare for your home retreat
Make a schedule for your day
The retreat is grouped into morning, afternoon and evening sessions and you can see the duration of the classes on the retreat page. Make yourself a timetable so you know when your breaks are. The easiest way to do this is to factor in when you are going to eat! If you’re someone who needs breakfast no matter what, eat something light and give yourself at least an hour after eating before you start the morning session. Alternatively, you can practice the morning classes (which take around 90 minutes in total) then have a healthy brunch afterwards. We suggest you follow the order given but for the classes but it’s not essential.
Plan your meals
Take a look through the recipes on our blog to get some inspiration for healthy, plant-based meals for the day. If cooking isn’t your idea of relaxation, pick meals that you can prepare the day before, like soups, so you don’t need to think about it too much on your retreat day.
Get your space ready
Gather any props if you have them – or cushions and blankets are fine if you don’t. Try to clear away as much as you can so that you’re not surrounded by work things or other distractions. If you’re in a small space, perhaps you can cover your work desk with a scarf or blanket. Or use candles or incense to create a calm atmosphere.
Prepare your technology
To keep your day relaxed, try taking a complete day off from social media and news updates. Let your friends know you’re having a day offline. Switch your phone to flight mode during breaks and turn off any notifications that might ping up while you take your classes or set up a website blocker, such as Freedom, for the day.
Plan your breaks
Think ahead about what you’ll do in between classes – ideally as little as possible! Try not to give yourself a to-do list, but being mindful about what you’ll do in your time off can help if you tend to get drawn into work or checking your phone etc. If you’re able to go out in nature, that’s great. If not (like many of us) then journaling, drawing, reading a yoga book, sitting doing nothing, or sleeping are all good.
Join us for the home yoga retreat
We hope you’ll join us for this online retreat! It’s open to all EkhartYoga members.
If you’re not a member yet, you can register and start your two-week free trial to join in.
