The position of the woman has been changing drastically in the last decades. This is a good thing as awareness is coming that women are equal to men. We still have a long road to go, but I hope I will live to see the day that all over the world all women are equal.
That said I’m not here to talk about women, but I want to talk about us men. This change in mentality also influences us. Because where does that leave us? For centuries, we have been made to believe that we have to be the provider of the family, the tough guy, the rational one, etc. But truth is, that we have a long way to go as well to even be equal to women in all kinds of aspects.
This is the reason why I’ve been looking at some yoga retreats just for men! To provide a space for some masculine sacredness and for men doing yoga. A safe space where men can discover who they are and what this new change of position might mean to them.
Mixed vs. Men’s Retreats
You might wonder now what the difference is between men and mixed retreats. The big difference here is that it’s not only about self-development as a person, it’s also about self-development as a man.
Women and men are facing different challenges when it comes down to spirituality. As you already know, we have both a male and a female part inside of us (energetically). This means that women mostly need to get in touch with their male side (rationality, strength, …). And that men, in general, have to get in touch with their female side (emotion, empathy, …).
This is not something very static of course. Everyone is different and it’s more about developing the aspects within you that you’d like to work on.
I would even suggest men to go on a men’s retreat first. This is because you’ll get in touch with your emotional side, and when you are with women you might still feel then need to hold back. This comes from the conditioning within men that we have to be strong against women
Qigong and Yoga retreat for men bali
Art of Life Retreats
Prices start at $1,150
Various dates available
This retreat for men will be 5 days long and you’ll be staying here for 4 nights. Bali has a lot to offer besides the retreat, so it’s easy (and not that expensive) to extend your stay a little bit if you’d like. It might also be nice to do this retreat when you are traveling through Bali and you’d like to have a little intermezzo.
Within those five days, the program is quite intensive, but that’s what I like about a retreat. You won’t only do yoga, but you’ll also do Qigong, martial arts and some excursions! What I love about this small retreat is that they go deep. You won’t only do the classes, but you’ll also have some guidance during your stay. And I say guidance here rather than talks as guidance is going way deeper than just having a chat.
Images by Art of Life Retreats on BookYogaRetreats
Retreats for men in France
Yoga 4 Men
Prices start from £550
May 2022
May is an amazing month to go to France. There won’t be so much rain anymore and temperatures will be rising. But not too hot, so it’s still enjoyable.
At this retreat the alignment of the male body within the yoga poses is key. During a three day yoga program you’ll be invited to deepen your practice. Within a group of men you’ll be able to exchange experiences of your life as a yogi, or just in daily life in general.
Not just that, but you can also bond with each other over the things that are bothering you within society, in a very yogic way of course.
Even when you reach this site after May 2022, this studio offers a Men’s only retreat every year! And if they haven’t planned anything yet, make sure to check there page for available men’s only classes.
These pictures are from a previous retreat in Greece found on BookYogaRetreats.com by Yoga 4 Men
stiff dudes yoga retreat portugal
Casa Rosa Villa
Prices start from US$ 1,378
Various dates available
This retreat has a bit of everything. It isn’t too focused on bonding or sharing, but it’s really about the physical aspect.
During 7 days you won’t only be doing some vigorous yoga sessions, you’ll also be attending some functional and Calisthenics training classes.
This way you’ll be able to get your body working again after sitting behind a desk for hours and hours.
Another thing to add is that you won’t just be doing training and exercising, you’ll also be going on a couple of trips. In the Algarve you’ll be finding a couple of island that are really worthwhile visiting.
These retreats are always a bit out of the season, which makes it perfect to attend. It won’t be too busy in the streets just yet, but there’s already some action going on.
Pictures by Casa Rosa Villa on BookYogaRetreats.com
Nude and tantra yoga retreat for men in spain
ONEstudio
Prices start from US$ 1,181
August
If it can all be a bit deeper and if you want to go back to your true, raw nature, this retreat might be something for you. During this retreat you won’t be needing a lot of clothes, but it might be good to bring a couple of outfits for when you are going on excursions;
This retreat might go very deep and you might discover a lot of things about yourself. So be prepared to go into a lot of depths! Are you ready for it?
During this retreat you’ll also be learning some massage skills. Which might be a great reason for your partner to let you participate!
Pictures by ONEstudio at BookRetreats.com
Men's weekend UK
Old Lan Farmhouse
Prices start from $718
November
If you aren’t looking forward to bromance over a full week of activities, you can still decide to go for just a weekend.
This weekend retreat is amazing as it’s packed with some amazing activities, but without being pretentious and too long.
These activities are going to a shooting range, golfing and riding a quad. What would you want to have more? This retreat is just great because every type of man will find something to enjoy. And if not, you can still just join for the yoga.
Not your typical yoga retreat, but who says it always have to be about emotions and bonding with other men?
Pictures by Old Lan Farmhouse on BookRetreats.com
Gay Retreats
All the retreats above are for all men! So even gay people should feel welcome entering one of those retreats. If you do feel more comfortable as a gay guy to go on a yoga retreat for gay people, there are also some options. I’ll review one of them here, but you can also go to this page where you’ll find a list specifically for you.
I just want you to know, that whether you are gay, this doesn’t change anything about your gender. You are a man too and you should be able to go to any of those retreats that I’ve listed above! If not, please let me know and I will delete them immediately! In this blog, there is no space for hate or intolerance.
Gay retreat mykonos greece
Mykonos Active Gay Retreats
Prices start from US$1,647
Various dates available
Mykonos has been a very popular destination for gay people for quite a while now, so no wonder the organizers choose this location.
This retreat is not only focusing on yoga, but also Pilates. There are 2 sessions per day. You’ll also be doing some yoga on the beach and there are also some extra activities that you’ll be doing. Like a gay beach club tour, going to a typical Greek taverna, and more.
Conclusion
That was it, for now, there are some really good yoga retreats for men out there to do some male bonding, even over a pint of beer. So if you are looking for some male connections on your yoga journey, check it out if it’s something for you!
And as always, if you have some questions, or if you’d like to share some experiences, let me know in the comment section below!
Nama-stay wonderful!
Wow! I did not really know such retreats existed not to even know that some are gender based. This is totally awesome considering that I just started yoga back some few months ago and going for a retreat as this would boost my self confidence back into yoga and getting to interact with others who are engaged in yoga too would really be great. I think the one at Bali seems more visible to me. Thanks
Hi Shelley, thank you for your comment. There are a lot more specific retreats going on, I’ll be reviewing them in the future, so stay tuned on those new post coming soon!
Oh wow, this is a very good one and I have to agree that the men’s retreat will bring out an. Emotional aspect. I think that it’s also a good way to meat new people from different world of life. This is a very good post and I have to share this out to my male friends who have grown a big liking for yoga. Good information here.
Hi Henderson, thank you for your comment and that you will share this information with your friends! I think it’s a good thing that there male yogi’s are doing a bit of bonding themselves to share their experiences with each other!
Hi,
I am YAO. Your posts are creative .Nobody told me this idea, you are the first one.You remind me to concerned about mans.Thanks a lot.Keep going.
YAO.
Hi YAO, thank you for your comment! I’m always glad that people are liking my content! Stay tuned in for some more articles coming soon!
I’ve once been on a personal group retreat with my yoga coach sometimes last month but it was really limited to only people under his guidance. The retreats you talked about here are the big ones where we can get to meet people from other countries too. This would be really massive to explore and coupled with the fact that, we get to be under the very best in the yoga world, that seems like awesome to me. Thumbs up!
Hi Shelley, it’s always nice to meet and bond with people from other cultures and countries, so I always recommend doing some retreats that you haven’t been on to mix it up a little 🙂
I like how specific this niche is! You stayed on the topic and provided more sensitive information and your declaration of being welcoming to everyone on your site. That’s great to hear.
I like the retreat in Spain a lot – it’d be cool to climb all those mountains and relax for some time. Thanks for including the prices of each retreat. It helps us see how worth it they rebased on the prices.
Hi Evelin, Yoga is not just about feeling good yourself but also about respecting others, so within my website there is no place for people who think otherwise. Of course I’d always like to open the discussion to see where they are coming from and why they are thinking that way, but I like my page to be an open platform for everyone.
It’s true that the ladies are beginning to take a stand on equality and things are beginning to change. I believe that it’s a very good thing and I hope that it will change totally. I have been thinking of going to Ibiza sometime soon and since there’s a yoga retreat there, it’ll just be splendid. This is very good and I’m happy you could come up with some good retreat for men. I have a few gay friends too. Maybe they’ll want to tag along.
Hi John, thank you for your comment and I agree with you on the good change of women taking a stand on equality! Let me know how it was if you decide to go on the retreat!
Take care!
Thank you very much for such a wonderful write up, I think men also has to improve on some aspects like you rightly said so that they can be on par with women too, men bonding at times is very neccesary, from the retreats you have mentioned above, I think I prefer Ibiza, I can’t wait to be there during my next vacation.
I Charles, I think Ibiza will be the perfect place for you if you’d like to do some male bonding! Enjoy the retreat and let me know how it was!