5 Best Retreats for Mental & Physical Health in 2025

Updated on February 3, 2025

A retreat is a fantastic opportunity to combine a trip away to a beautiful destination with an experience that focuses on improving your mental and physical health. 

If you’ve never done a retreat before and want to know your options, you’ll find what you need here. This article outlines the best types of retreats for mental and physical health that you should experience at least once in your lifetime. 

Yoga and Meditation Retreats

Starting with a classic that’s bound to appeal to everyone, yoga and meditation retreats will help you reduce stress and teach you mindfulness and overall wellness tips that you’ll take with you back into everyday life. 

You don’t have to be a seasoned yogi to attend those retreats, although being open and willing to get stuck into some moderate exercise and meditation practices is important. These retreats often have expert instructors and are set in peaceful locations, so you can fully immerse yourself in the practices.

Ayahuasca Retreats

From one end of the scale to the other, if you’re ready to dive deep into emotional and spiritual healing, it’s well worth considering an ayahuasca retreat like Etnikas

These retreats, which are often in Peru or Costa Rica, offer guided ceremonies using plant medicine to help you take an emotional journey like no other. A lot of people who have attended ayahuasca retreats report that they’ve had huge revelations, uncovered hidden emotions, gained clarity, or just learned a lot about themselves to embrace massive personal growth. 

That said, ayahuasca retreats aren’t for everyone, and because of the risks involved with misuse, you should always take ayahuasca under the guidance of experienced facilitators.

Fitness Boot Camps

If you’re a die-hard fitness fan or you just want to change your relationship with exercise, you might be interested in a fitness boot camp. 

Fitness retreats offer different packages depending on your goals, from building strength and improving endurance to simply developing healthy habits. Many of these retreats employ professionals who will design personalized workout plans and offer nutrition coaching to support your fitness efforts. 

Digital Detox Retreats

If screen time has prevented you from ever feeling like you can truly switch off, you might find that a digital detox retreat is the answer. 

Digital detox retreats encourage you to put down your devices (you might even have to hand over your phones and laptops to be locked away for the week) and connect with nature and other people. Your retreat will keep you busy with hiking, journaling, and group discussions, making it easy to enjoy your time offline and return home with a better online/offline balance.

Silent Retreats

Finally, if you want to really test yourself on a retreat, consider silent retreats. 

These are exactly how they sound, encouraging you to take a vow of silence for a given time. You may be encouraged not to speak for certain hours in the day, or to spend the whole week in silence. These programs often include guided meditations and mindfulness exercises to learn more about yourself and your thoughts.

Whatever retreat you choose, make sure you commit fully to the experience. This is your chance to invest in yourself and try new things, so you’ll hopefully return home feeling more balanced than ever.

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