The best thing was a sense of accomplishment by finishing the journey, (and feeling gritty and strong) but it was also the most bittersweet because that meant our time together was coming to an end. And as usual, sleeping by the ocean having just had a delicious meal from Zach — it’s pretty much the top of the world in experiences. 🌍
-Leslie, 2022

There are a million and one yoga retreats out there that you could go on! You could also go to a resort, go camping, or even choose to stay at home. Our guests come from all over the world but a majority are from the USA and Canada. A lot of American workers receive only two weeks annually of time off of work, so why spend your precious vacation time with us? Here we will answer some questions about aspects of our retreats that may be different from others.

Bigger Life Adventures runs alcohol-free yoga retreats and adventure trips.

When we got sober, we didn’t know if traveling would be the same. Spoiler alert – it’s way better!  No hangovers, no lost hours in dark bars, way more energy and presence to enjoy new places! You don’t have to be sober in real life to attend a Bigger Life Adventures retreat, but you do need to be willing to maintain sobriety and support for those in recovery throughout the whole adventure!

Our events are always recovery-focused. Everyone is recovering from something.

We teach yoga, meditation, and healing practices as they relate to the journey of recovery. We are all recovering from something, even if it’s not addiction! The paths to healing are the same for many of us, and we believe that nature, mindfulness, and community can be a few of our biggest healers. All of the tools we teach are presented in a trauma-informed way, with different choices and options so you can do what works best for you! Our hope is that you feel safe to challenge yourself in new ways on our yoga and adventure retreats!

Bigger Life Adventures yoga retreats are affordable.

Guess what? There are a ton of yoga teachers and coaches out there who are CASHING IN on retreats. That’s not us. We try to strike the fine balance between paying ourselves enough while keeping prices affordable to the average American worker. It’s hard, but we do our best! We also offer half-price recovery scholarships for people in recovery (from anything) who cannot afford the full price! Scholarships are half-price instead of free because we believe that having a little bit of money invested will help you feel more committed to attending and getting the most out of your experience!

Bigger Life Adventures yoga retreats are plant-based.

Our retreats are all plant based. We believe in “ahimsa” or non-violence. We make an attempt to never cause harm upon any other living creature. Of course this is impossible, as all life creates death, but we can all do our best to make more conscious choices. All meals cooked on our retreats are plant-based as we believe that a vegan diet is the closest thing to “ahimsa” in most locations of the world. You definitely do not need to be plant-based in real life to attend. Many meat-eaters show up skeptical and are amazed by how nourished and healthy they feel after a few days of Chef Zach’s inventive and protein-rich plant-based cuisine.

Neither alcohol nor meat were traditionally consumed by ancient yogis, so perhaps you should question retreat leaders who are over-consuming either in this day and age.

Anyone can go on a Bigger Life Adventures yoga retreat!

Our yoga retreat groups are usually composed of about 50% new faces and 50% returning guests. We like this ratio and consider it a great compliment that so many guests come back.

Our retreats are curated for deep healing. We hope that they allow people to enhance their recovery, whatever they are recovering from. All gender identities are welcome but we currently get more female guests. Our guests range in age from 20 to 70! They usually range in experience from yoga teachers to people who have never practiced yoga before. Our classes are created with lots of options and variations so they will benefit a diverse group and everyone will feel both challenged and supported!

Bigger Life Adventures retreats teach trauma-informed yoga.

All yoga classes are trauma informed. Carrie has trained with Prison Yoga Project, Yoga Ed, and also guides her own trauma-informed yoga trainings for other yoga teachers.

Bigger Life Adventures yoga retreats are sustainable.

How we travel and spend our money has so much impact on the places we visit. We seek to always do good by supporting local, eco-friendly businesses and tour guides. We find the most unique retreat centers that are doing it right by living in harmony with the natural world. We know we are making a difference by teaching people how to be conscious of their impact while traveling. That being said, our retreats and your travel to join are always going to have an environmental impact, and we realize this. We believe that traveling slowly with eyes wide open, learning about different places and cultures, and learning to live as a conscious yogi every day of your life, hopefully creates more good than harm in the world.

Bigger Life Adventures teaches authentic yoga.

Yoga is not just a workout, a perfect Tree Pose, or an impressive instagram photo (although those feel great)! Yoga is how you approach the world. It’s what you believe about yourself and others. It’s how you find your bliss, your purpose and also opportunities to serve. It’s how you approach scary challenges. We always incorporate yoga philosophy and opportunities to practice “off the mat” into every retreat.

A yoga retreat can be more meaningful than a regular vacation.

A regular vacation can take you to see a location on the surface level. It often doesn’t often allow you to dig deeper into the culture or peel back the layers of yourself. On a vacation you drive around, take pictures, and drink by the pool. We quickly realized that we didn’t like the standard “vacation” experience, and wanted to give people a little bit more. Our yoga retreats are not traditional retreats in the sense that we don’t spend the entire day in meditation. We do our spiritual practices in the morning and evening, then the rest of the day we enjoy ourselves at our retreat location. We do some touring and challenge ourselves with adventures, but also take time to get off our phones, journal, rest, and look inward. And we do it all with a community of like-minded new friends that often keeps in touch for years after the retreat ends!