Ignatian Yoga & Contemplative Prayer Weekend Retreat

Ignatian Spirituality & Yoga grew out of its founders' own experience of practising both the Ignatian and the yoga traditions at the same time. The organisation is explicit that it tries to keep the integrity of each tradition intact while exploring where the two genuinely overlap, rather than blending them into something vague. On a retreat weekend, that shows up as sessions that hold a theme from the Spiritual Exercises — discernment, freedom, finding God in all things — next to a yoga practice, with discussion in between.

A typical weekend runs across two or three days and includes five ISY sessions. Each session integrates a theme from the Spiritual Exercises with yoga. The rest of the timetable is built from spiritual conversation with the retreat directors, periods of silent reflection, small group sharing, and morning and evening meditations. Retreat directors are available for one-to-one conversation, which is a core part of the Ignatian method — you talk through what's coming up for you rather than just attending talks.

The retreat is run at host venues rather than at a property the organisation owns. Upcoming weekends include Bellarmine Jesuit Retreat House in Barrington, Illinois, and Wisdom House in Litchfield, Connecticut. There are also shorter Saturday morning retreats in Detroit, held from 10:00 am to 12:30 pm at the Pope Francis Bridge Housing Campus. Because venues vary by date, the accommodation, grounds and food differ from one weekend to the next.

The teaching draws on the Ignatian idea that nothing is outside the scope of spiritual life — your work, your relationships, your ordinary day — and the classical yoga aim of settling the movements of the mind. In practice, that means the weekend isn't only about stillness. It's also about what you go back to afterwards. The organisation frames its purpose as supporting people towards interior freedom and compassionate action in the world, in the Ignatian phrase ad majorem Dei gloriam.

It's a small, structured, mostly quiet weekend with a clear schedule. If you want a retreat where you're left entirely alone, this isn't quite it — there's group sharing and conversation built in. If you've never done anything like this before, the organisers specifically say you can opt in and out of as much as you like.

What's included

- Overnight stay at the host retreat venue (weekend retreats) - Five guided ISY sessions integrating the Spiritual Exercises with yoga - Morning and evening meditations - One-to-one spiritual conversation with retreat directors - Small group sharing sessions - Silent reflection time - Communal meals at the host venue (weekend retreats)

What's not included

- Travel to and from the retreat venue - Travel insurance - Personal expenses - Books, journals or yoga equipment you may want to bring - Any additional nights before or after the retreat