9 Holistic Retreats Made For And By Women Of Color

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Physical, mental and spiritual health are the focus of several national and international retreats created especially for women of color by women of color, or taught by Black women.  Wellness travel, as it is often referred to, is the perfect blend of fun, relaxation, connection and self-discovery.  Whether you’re new to yoga or are an experienced, practicing yogi, or you are interested in healthier living and ways to implement holistic wellness into your daily life, these workshops and retreats offer something for everyone.  With so many activities and events on their itineraries, they will surely help you follow your bliss.

Madame Noire’s managing editor Brande Victorian shared her recent week-long experience at HolistiCityLyfe in Costa Rica.  If you haven’t already checked it out, you can read her piece here.  The following are a few additional holistic and yoga retreats worth checking out – some fairly new, others well established.  If you choose to partake in any of these inspiring, sisterhood retreats, hopefully your journey will renew and refresh your body, mind and spirit.

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Yoga Retreat for Women of Color

Maya Breuer, a Kripalu yoga instructor, founded the Yoga Retreat for Women of Color.  The weekend retreat focuses on ways you can implement yoga in your daily life, teaches you stress-fighting holistic tools, and “how to focus on yourself and rediscover who you are.”

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OYA Retreats

Founded by certified Hatha yoga instructor Staci CC Graham, OYA Retreats offer women of color renewal, self-care, and self-practice retreats for the body, mind and spirit.  Their upcoming retreats, all UK-based, include: Recalling the Elements – Fire and Wind, A Time to Harvest and New Me in an Old World.

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The Travel Yogi

Dianne Bondy, founder of Yogasteya, which focuses on yoga for all shapes, sizes and abilities, will be teaching the Y.E.S. Yoga Retreat next March in the Mayan Riviera via The Travel Yogi.  Y.E.S. stands for yoga, empowerment and self-love, and that’s exactly what you can expect from her week-long retreat.

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Happy Black Woman Empowerment Retreat

Taking place in Tampa, Florida next January, Rosetta Thurman’s Happy Black Woman Empowerment Retreat dedicates time to yoga, meditation, journaling, and reflection.  Day one of the retreat focuses on discovering your purpose and day two is all about manifesting your vision.

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Deep Roots Retreat

Taking place in Austin, Texas this August, the LGBTQ-friendly Deep Roots Retreat focuses on meditation and movement, and is designed for “Black-identified, women-identified seekers on the holistic path.”

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Women of Color Healing Retreats

Located in Puerto Viego, Costa Rica, the Women of Color Healing Retreats are a week of healing and community building.  The retreats includes waterfall hikes, meditation, decolonizing yoga, a self-love workshop, and an Afro-Costa Rican cooking class.  It also makes room to discuss the issue of colorism, and much more.

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Black Girl In Om

Black Girl In Om held their first mini, day-long retreat in Chicago in May.  The event included a manifestation and visioning workshop, as well as a creative wellness workshop, yoga session, and Thai massage workshop.  A holistic wellness and inner beauty lifestyle resource, Black Girl In Om was founded by Lauren Ash, who sought to create a “space for women of color to breathe easy.”  Check out their website for events as they arise and tune into Black Girl In Om’s podcast.

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SERENE Social

Reiki healer Millana Snow is one of three co-founders of SERENE Social, a wellness community for women that hosts meditation and yoga classes and events in Los Angeles, New York City and London.