Weekend Yoga and Meditation Retreat in the Rocky Mountains, Colorado

A typical day at Shoshoni starts before sunrise if you want it to. At 6am you can join the Shiva Puja and Yajna fire ceremony in the Fire Temple, or the hour-long Guru Gita chant in the Main Temple. Silent meditation follows at 7am, then breakfast at 7:30. There is an art class from 8:45 to 9:45, and hatha yoga from 10:30 to noon. Lunch is at 12pm. On Friday and Saturday afternoons there is another hatha yoga session from 4 to 5pm, dinner at 5pm, and evening meditation at 6:30pm. Sunday finishes with the Medicine Buddha Mantra at 6am, silent meditation, breakfast, art, a final 10:30am yoga class, lunch at noon, and check-out at 1pm.

The yoga here is ShambhavAnanda Yoga Asana, which starts with body awareness and alignment and then moves into pranayama and meditation. Classes are taught in both hatha and vinyasa styles and are open to beginners through advanced practitioners. The evening meditation sessions use a few different approaches — guided meditation, kirtan and arati, and mantra repetition — so you are not doing the same thing every night.

What separates this from a standard yoga retreat is the seva programme. Seva, or karma yoga, is a core practice in the ShambhavAnanda tradition, and guests are strongly encouraged to join from 1 to 2pm. The work is assigned based on what Shoshoni needs that day, not what you would prefer: washing dishes after a meal, cleaning bathrooms and common areas, raking or stocking wood, laundry, weeding and harvesting in the gardens, or chopping vegetables. You also strip your own bed and take linens to the laundry before check-out. It is not for everyone, but it is why the place runs the way it does.

The property sits on almost 250 acres of forest in the Rocky Mountains. There are three temples, indoor and outdoor yoga rooms, quiet spots for contemplation, well-marked hiking trails, a hot tub, a sauna, an art cabin, a sunroom with stocked bookshelves, and hammocks and kayaks by the lake. The nearest town is Nederland, which is where the optional shuttle picks up. Boulder is about an hour away.

Meals are vegetarian and cooked fresh daily, with organic ingredients and produce from the Shoshoni garden. The kitchen accommodates gluten-free, dairy-free, and vegan diets, but you need to tick that option on your reservation form — there is an extra charge for it. The same goes for the shuttle from Nederland. Otherwise, the price of your accommodation covers all classes, meals, and amenities, with no additional fees.

What's included

- Accommodation (two-night minimum) - All hatha yoga classes - Morning and evening meditation sessions - Three vegetarian meals daily - Art classes - Access to hiking trails, hot tub, sauna, lake with kayaks, sunroom, and art supplies - All amenities on the property

What's not included

- Shuttle ride from Nederland (optional, extra charge) - Gluten-free, dairy-free, or vegan meal option (extra charge, must be requested on reservation form) - Travel to and from Shoshoni - Personal expenses