Every full day on retreat will have at least one yoga class offering; usually there will be two. The style of yoga will vary depending on the style and background of the individual teachers on each retreat. You can read their bios on each retreat page to understand their philosophy and methods of teaching.
Our morning flow (vinyasa or slow flow) will get your body warmed up for the adventures ahead. In a flow style class you will find that the middle section of the sequence will "flow" from pose to pose with a good pace. Our evening classes will be slower yoga modalities such as yin, gentle, restorative yoga or meditation. These styles tend to take place closer to the ground and take less physical effort to participate.
If you only enjoy yoga styles that are more intense (such power yoga), our retreats are likely not the right fit for you.
We get this question all the time! The short answer? Of course not. All yoga classes (and all activities) on the retreat are completely optional. You may participate in as many, or as few, of the yoga classes or mindfulness offerings as you'd like.
Occasionally someone comes on retreat and never attends a yoga class at all. Yes, it's a "yoga retreat," but it's also serving as YOUR vacation. From our side, there is never any obligation or pressure to participate.
Per our philosophy that yoga and yoga retreats should be for everybody in EVERY BODY, all yoga classes and meditation practices will be accessible for beginners, those who might be "out of practice," those who may be active in other ways but find yoga extra challenging, etc.
Our morning flow classes will still be beginner-friendly, but may also offer up challenges for more advanced practitioners. Our evening classes are especially accessible for any level of previous practice. It's important to remember that all yoga and mindfulness work is always a personal practice. All that's required to participate in classes on our retreats is an open mind and a willingness to show up.
If you're totally new to yoga and you'd like to learn the basics before your retreat; our founder has free, beginner-friendly classes on Facebook and YouTube.
Check out a few of our guest testimonials about the yoga on our retreats.
We had never attended an in-person yoga class before this trip and appreciated how accessible and judgment-free Anna’s classes were. We had such an amazing experience that we spent the last night of this trip planning the next Above Yoga retreat that we wanted to go on!
The yoga really helped me take time to think about myself and my needs that I haven’t been granting myself at home over the last couple weeks. It was some healing I didn’t know I needed.
Whether you are a yoga instructor or have never practiced, Anna's retreats are for everyone. Going into it I felt that the retreat was a little out of my comfort zone, but the people that Anna surrounds herself with are just as welcoming as she is.
I was a little nervous heading in since I was such a novice, but Anna put everyone at ease and the classes were so well-prepared that even the master yogis were left sweating while the newbies held their own.
Every detail was perfect, down to having straps on-site for restorative yoga. When I first saw the strap I wasn't sure I'd need it - it became my new favorite piece of exercise equipment. I use it every day, thanks to the incredible classes I took that I normally would gloss over at my home yoga studio.
This was by the far the most I have ever practiced yoga in one week and I LOVED it.
I HAD SO MUCH FUN!! I felt like I grew in my yoga practice, which was my main intention for the trip. I loved the hands on one-on-one teacher experience.
I don’t know if I ever would have traveled to SE Asia if it weren’t for this retreat. I’m a yogi but my husband is not, and we both thoroughly enjoyed the retreat (made for any level of yoga practice).
Anna & Jillian planned out appropriate yoga classes for the group and meditations included in the classes were really nice.
As someone with minimal yoga experience, who joined for the destination, the zero-pressure atmosphere coupled with the fantastic instruction and supportive guests really allowed me to enjoy all aspects of the trip.
Having 2 yoga options a day was amazing - an energetic practice in the morning and gentle in the evening, a variety of teachers, and all beginner friendly. Anna made sure we knew all yoga and activities were optional, so this really took the pressure off and allowed each of us to really make the vacation our own.
Above Yoga has changed my outlook on yoga retreats! Yoga retreats seemed inaccessible to a novice yogi. But that all changed from the moment I learned about the way Anna builds her retreats. There is yoga, and free time built, but also carefully curated excursions. These details truly make it feel like you are on a “vacation with intention”.