Do you want to begin planning a yoga retreat, but not sure where to start?
You are not alone. When we started planning retreats many years ago, we had no idea how to begin. We stumbled along the way trying to figure out what steps to take in order to create successful retreats.
Timeline planning • Selecting your venue • Itinerary & program design • Sustainability considerations • Marketing • Financials & profitability • Legal forms & liabilities • Insurance
But after lots of experimenting (both wins and mistakes), we created a roadmap for planning amazing and profitable yoga retreats. It’s called the Retreat Design Map™. This roadmap begins by setting the foundation for your retreat BEFORE you jump into the planning all the fun details, (i.e. accommodations, food, class plans, etc.)
And what is the foundation of retreat planning? Connecting to your purpose and knowing your students. Having this foundation when you're planning a yoga retreat will give you so much clarity for every decision you make throughout your retreat planning journey.
What happens when you skip the step of creating a foundation for your retreat? What if you aren’t clear on WHY you want to host a retreat? And what if you don’t really know what your students want and need?
This is the key to any big decision. Why do you want to lead a yoga retreat? Before focusing on whether to go to Mexico or Italy, or do a yoga/surf or yoga and wine tasting retreat, it’s always important to get clear on your WHY.
Getting clear on your WHY will make all the other decisions in your retreat planning process so much easier. And it will help you stay grounded and connected to your bigger purpose, even in the midst of some of the not-as-fun tasks (i.e. budgeting, marketing, etc.)
Some ways to connect with your WHY for planning a yoga retreat are journaling, meditation, or talking it out with a friend. Once you’re super clear on your WHY, write it down to help you stay connected and aligned with your bigger purpose.
After getting clear on your WHY, take some time to think about WHO you envision at your retreat.
Since you’re planning a yoga retreat FOR YOUR STUDENTS, you want to offer something your students actually want, need or desire. You want to offer something that truly resonates with your students and that will get them to sign up for your retreat in a heartbeat.
Think about some of your favorite yoga students:
You may be thinking “But my students are all SO different.” Of course that’s true, but you can always pick out some similarities between them. Remember that they are all attracted to you as their teacher for a reason AND they may have more things in common than you think.
There are several creative ways learn more about your students. You can ask them out for coffee or tea. You can send an online survey to ask what they’d really want in a retreat experience. And you can simply take time to chat with students after class.
In addition to thinking about your existing students, think about the students you would like to attract to your retreat. Try to envision your dream tribe, what does it look like?
By keeping the needs and desires of your ideal students in mind, you can create a retreat that will really resonate with them + something they actually want and need.
Getting clear on WHY you want to lead a retreat + knowing your students is the foundation for the entire retreat planning process.
Whether you’re deciding on when to host your retreat, what type of yoga to offer, what kind of food to have, or what fun activities to include, always reflect back to this foundation.
Every decision you make needs to align with your WHY and your students.
For example, when choosing a date for your retreat, think about what time frame works best for you AND for your students. When considering your retreat location, consider not only where YOU would like to go, but also where YOUR STUDENTS would like to go.
And remember that connecting to your WHY + your students is a practice. Continue to reflect back on your purpose and what your students want/need with every decision you make in your retreat planning journey.
Finally, remember the bigger picture of the whole retreat experience. How do you want your retreat to impact the lives of your students?
Think of ways you can help your students to bring the retreat experiences home.
As for you, how do you want your retreat to impact your own life? Do you want to step into your role as a retreat leader in order to be a better, more confident teacher?
Do you want to be re-inspired in your own practice so that you have more energy to give back to your students? Do you want to continue leading more retreats, and if so, what will that give you? Remember your bigger purpose for leading a yoga retreat.
Maybe you want to lead retreats in order to bring in more income and give you financial freedom. Maybe you want to teach less weekly classes and find more balance in your life.
Always come back to your WHY and remember what you’d like to manifest out of this whole experience.
Renee and Paloma help yoga teachers to plan + lead successful dream retreats so that they can travel, teach, and thrive. Through their online trainings at Rock Your Yoga Retreat, they help yoga teachers to transform their careers from teaching too many classes and living paycheck to paycheck, to having more profitable, sustainable, and inspired yoga businesses.
Learn more HERE about their online yoga teacher training, the Retreat Design Map™. If you found this helpful and are looking for more tips on how to plan your dream yoga retreat, we have a free 60 Day Yoga Retreat Planner HERE.