What Are The Benefits of Attending a Yoga Retreat Together?
When life feels overwhelming work, family, obligations - it’s easy to feel disconnected: from yourself, your partner, or your close friends. A yoga wellness retreat with a friend or partner offers more than respite. Shared with someone you care about, the benefits of attending a retreat nearby - or further afield - together becomes a journey of connection, renewal, and lasting memories.
What Are The Benefits of Attending a Yoga Retreat with Someone You Love?
Because yoga retreats are about connection, to yourself, to nature, and often, to others, when you share the journey with someone close to you, everything expands: the joy of practice, the quiet of meditation, even the taste of shared nourishing meals. The benefits also go beyond yoga, giving you time to rest, reflect, and strengthen your bond in ways that daily life rarely allows.
Built-in encouragement & accountability It’s easier to stretch out of your comfort zone (try that longer meditation, or restorative yoga class) when you have someone cheering you on. And knowing someone is sharing the journey helps you stick with intentions when distractions try calling.
Quality time, away from distractions Phones, schedules, chores, obligations fall away. Without the usual “noise,” you can be more present with each other. Conversations flow more freely. Moments of silence are more peaceful. Laughter comes easier.
More joy in the simple things Sharing cozy moments: sitting by a fire, walking in snow, watching sunrise, discovering new places together, these become shared stories you’ll reminisce over for years to come.
Better value & memories Very often yoga retreats offer shared-room options or special pricing when more than one attends. Plus, memories of experiences, especially transformative or nature-immersed ones, stay vivid and meaningful when you have someone who’ll remember with you.
Kind Words from previous yoga retreats
“The retreat provides a place and particularly time to focus on each other. No distractions,obligations,appointments….. We can share in the yoga experience and concentrate on being with each other. “ Karen Conoley
“I attended a retreat with Joanna in Mexico with 3 of my sisters. It was a wonderful time to connect to my breath and yoga practice, but also a great chance to connect to my sisters. We are already the best of friends, but being in the environment that Joanna creates gives you the opportunity to be with siblings in a more intimate setting.” - Odette Bulmer
Retreats that Make Sharing Special
Here are two retreats that are ideal for coming together:
Awakening The Senses: Yoga Retreat Bali
Dates: November 1st - November 8th 2026 (tentative)
You’ll practice yoga and meditation in the stunning natural setting of East Bali (Sidemen area), surrounded by lush landscapes, waterfalls, and palm trees — combining spiritual nourishment with beautiful scenery
Salt Spring Island / Stowel Lake Farm “Rest & Reset” Retreat — British Columbia
Set on an organic farm, surrounded by gardens, wild areas, orchards, and beautiful views. Accommodations range from private suites to shared rooms, yurts, even camping
Days include twice daily yoga & meditation, farm-to-table vegetarian meals, creative time (art, journaling, music), optional silent periods, lots of space to wander or simply be still.
For couples or friends: you get the balance of togetherness + personal space. There are communal moments, but also quiet corners where each person can reflect alone. And when you reconnect after a day of silence, there’s something powerful in shared presence.
How to Make the Most of Retreating Together
Talk about expectations ahead of time. What does “rest” look like for each of you? How much adventure do you want vs quiet? Setting shared intentions helps avoid tension. How do you navigate the journey to the retreat - you can read more HERE about embracing the journey as part of the overall yoga retreat experience.
Balance together time and personal time. Even on retreat, we need some solitude. Make space for your own practices, walks, or journalling, and respect your partner/friend doing the same.
Explore together. Whether it’s a snowy trail in Methow, a garden walk in Salt Spring, or simply sharing a moment curled up by the fire, doing things together deepens the bond.
Capture but let go. Take photos, write, share but don’t let capturing moments distract you from living them. Shared silence and shared presence matter more than the perfect Instagram shot.
Bring kindness & flexibility. Retreats can challenge us emotionally, physically. Support each other. Maybe one wants to skip a workshop, another wants to dive in, that’s okay. Respect the rhythm.
A yoga retreat is a chance to slow, to heal, to rethink what matters. And when you share the journey with someone you love - friend, partner, family member - the small awakenings become deeper, the breath more shared, the laughter more resonant.
Joanna Dunn is an experienced yoga teacher in Washington State. Joanna offers retreats in the pacific northwest and beyond as well as online yoga classes.