Close your eyes, open your mind and get ready to unwind at these gorgeous destinations across the globe.
When you need a break from life’s daily stresses, properties both near and far offer serene settings away from the chaos where you can relax the mind and enjoy the health benefits of meditation. Whether it’s meditation accompanied by singing bowls or yoga, these tranquil and varied retreats around the world are bound to help you find your inner peace.
Sanctuary Camelback Mountain Resort & Spa: Paradise Valley, Arizona
Get your meditation on about 13 miles northeast of Phoenix at this indulgent desert retreat on Camelback Mountain. The centerpiece of the resort’s spa is its Zen meditation garden and reflecting pond, where guests can sit quietly and meditate. For more direction on meditation, the spa offers Guided Imagery Meditation and Labyrinth Walking Meditation treatments daily, as well as meditative stretching and yoga Nidra, a sleep-based meditation technique. Once you’re perfectly relaxed, head to the infinity-edge pool, go for a run on a nearby trail or unwind in one of the resort’s Spa Suites, which feature fireplaces, large patios and fabulous views.
Hurawalhi Island Resort: Lhaviyani Atoll, Maldives
Traditional meditation and yoga activities are not available at this adults-only resort set on a private island in the Maldives. Instead, guests will find the At One With the Ocean program, which features mindful practices, movements and therapies that incorporate the healing power of the ocean. The guided wave meditation treatment lets guests time their breathing to be in sync with the ocean’s waves, while the glass-enclosed studio welcomes yogis to practice poses underwater. Visitors may also want to opt for a Sound Bath on the Beach: an oceanfront meditation option with Himalayan singing bowls.
Four Seasons Resort Oahu at Ko Olina: Kapolei, Hawaii
At the 35,000-square-foot Naupaka Spa & Wellness Centre at the Four Seasons Resort Oahu at Ko Olina, guests can take part in a variety of relaxing and renewing spa treatments, from facials and massages to body treatments and manicures. Many are inspired by ancient Hawaiian healing techniques that use local ingredients like cane sugar and macadamia nuts. Head to Pohaku Point — a quiet area of the resort overlooking a turquoise lagoon — for the Ho’oponopono Guided Meditation, an ancient Hawaiian healing prayer designed to help restore damaged relationships through forgiveness and reconciliation.
The Oberoi Sukhvilas Resort & Spa: New Chandigarh, India
This resort in the Indian state of Punjab is located within 8,000-plus lush acres of protected natural forest at the base of the Himalayas. The property periodically hosts wellness retreats with themes like weight management and mindfulness that incorporate ayurveda, yoga and meditation treatments. It also offers various spa services, such as massages, hydrotherapy and Turkish hammam scrubs. What’s more, travelers can take advantage of a fitness center and swimming pool and choose from rooms, tents and villas with personal butlers. While it’s not required, the resort does request guests put away their tech gadgets to focus on staying silent when visiting.
Vdara Hotel & Spa at ARIA Las Vegas: Las Vegas
Even lively cities like Las Vegas offer quiet spaces to meditate. The coed meditation lounge at the Las Vegas Strip’s Vdara Hotel & Spa invites visitors to relax amidst the chaos outside. Guests can listen to the sound of the lounge’s waterfall wall as they’re guided by spa therapists into a calm state of being. The 18,000-square-foot ESPA spa also features a variety of treatments, including the signature On the Rocks massage with volcanic stones and the Desert Rose massage with a salt scrub.
Banyan Tree Spa Sanctuary: Phuket, Thailand
Travelers staying in the wellness-themed villas at Phuket‘s Banyan Tree Spa Sanctuary can choose from 50 complimentary wellness classes each week through the resort’s Sanctuary Wellbeing program. Guests can opt for one of four wellness tracts, including the Mindful Awareness tract, which focuses on finding inner balance through mindful practices. Classes in this category focus on movement, meditation and breathing exercises, plus all guests receive a daily massage and can participate in a nightly sleep ritual that encourages restful sleep. What’s more, all villas come with private pools.
The Omni Grove Park Inn: Asheville, North Carolina
Surrounded by the Blue Ridge Mountains, visitors staying at The Omni Grove Park Inn in Asheville can retreat to one of the on-site spa’s wellness treatment pods to meditate. Each pod offers infrared heat, a sauna, aromatherapy and colored lights, among other amenities. Guests can pick from several treatments, including an 80-minute Deep Meditation service that features dry body brushing, essential oils and a meditation session accompanied by relaxing and specially designed binaural beats music. The subterranean spa also houses multiple mineral pools surrounded by rock walls.
RISE: Santa Elena de General Viejo, Costa Rica
Located in the foothills of Costa Rica‘s highest mountain, RISE is a wellness retreat that offers daily guided meditation and yoga in open-air spaces, as well as spa services like acupuncture, reiki and shiatsu. Other treatments incorporate Tibetan singing bowls, crystal healing and magnetic therapy. After unwinding, guests can take part in hiking, rock climbing and horseback riding. The retreat’s simple accommodations feature wood and stone accents, as well as communal kitchens with gratitude bars that offer complimentary kombucha, fresh-pressed juice, coffee and snacks.
Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health: Stockbridge, Massachusetts
If you want to enjoy both yoga and meditation, consider visiting the Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health. Situated about 40 miles southeast of Albany, New York, the Center is set on 100 lakefront acres and hosts multiple meditation and mindfulness retreats each year for travelers with varying skill sets. You can also stroll through the Meditation Garden, relax in the sauna and explore area hiking trails. Overnight guests stay in the environmentally friendly Annex, which is covered in wood that was salvaged after Hurricane Katrina.
The American Club: Kohler, Wisconsin
Those looking for a meditation getaway within 60 miles of Milwaukee will find plenty of options at The American Club. For the most comprehensive experience, guests can book the Mindful Journey package, which includes two nights’ accommodations, all meals, a 50-minute spa service, a one-hour horseback riding excursion (during select months) and a private yoga or meditation class at a local yoga studio. Travelers can also consult the resort’s Wellness Concierge to create their own itineraries, choosing from activities like free group meditation classes (on Sundays) and treatments at the Forbes Five Star-awarded Kohler Waters Spa.
Sansara Surf & Yoga Resort: Cambutal, Panama
Meditation enthusiasts who are looking for more than a standard meditation class may want to consider this beachfront resort in southern Panama. During the property’s six-day retreat, travelers learn how to “round,” a combination of meditation, breathwork and yoga. Meditation is held two to three times per day, with additional workshops scheduled throughout the retreat. Visitors will also discover different ways to meditate and determine which method is best for them. Beyond the meditation sessions, retreats include accommodations, yoga classes, daily meals and use of kayaks, bikes and stand-up paddleboards.
The Assemblage John Street Hotel: New York City
Whether you choose to live here or enjoy a short-term stay, The Assemblage John Street Hotel is a prime spot for meditation and wellness. The property, which promotes coworking and balance in the heart of New York City‘s Financial District, boasts several health-focused amenities, including meditation rooms, a yoga studio, a space for tea ceremonies, a cafe with ayurvedic food and drinks and an elixir bar that serves nonalcoholic beverages. After meditating, retreat to your guest room or suite, which comes equipped with a kitchenette and a walk-in shower.
Solage, An Auberge Resort: Calistoga, California
Can you imagine meditating while floating on water? Give it a go at Solage, An Auberge Resort in Napa Valley. The on-site spa’s Private Floating Meditation experience involves laying in a floating hammock on a geothermal pool as you meditate with a guide. Spa Solage also offers Private Mindful Awareness sessions that encourage slowing down and tapping into creativity and positive energy. During your stay, take advantage of the resort’s Bathhouse & Mud Bar, where geothermal pools and mineral mud from area hot springs are available. Don’t forget to save time for a free class at the Wellness Studio.
The Buddhist Retreat Centre: Ixopo, South Africa
Learn ancient Buddhist practices like Vipassana meditation at this property roughly 85 miles southwest of Durban, South Africa. At The Buddhist Retreat Centre, visitors can participate in a variety of retreats covering topics that range from mindfulness and Tibetan medicine to journaling and dance. Additionally, guests may engage in unstructured, self-guided retreats, which are available throughout the year. All retreats are conversation-free to ensure each traveler is capable of connecting with his or her inner self. For meals, visitors will find ovo-lacto vegetarian cuisine served on-site, and lodging options include rooms, suites and cottages.
Hilton Head Health: Hilton Head, South Carolina
At its facility in the oceanfront Shipyard Plantation area of Hilton Head, Hilton Head Health offers guests a chance to quiet their minds. One of several activities available at this resort — which is designed to help guests lose weight, eat healthy and become more fit — is private meditation sessions. Typically hosted in the courtyard, at the on-site Indigo Spa’s relaxation lounge or at the beach during yoga classes, these sessions last 30 minutes. The property also offers two- and three-bedroom villas with shared living spaces and sits close to golf courses, tennis courts and bike paths.
Vidanta Nuevo Vallarta: Nuevo Vallarta, Mexico
Customize your own wellness and meditation retreat at western Mexico’s Vidanta Nuevo Vallarta, a luxury beachside resort complex composed of four properties: Grand Luxxe, The Grand Bliss, The Grand Mayan and Mayan Palace. On the resort grounds, you’ll find three golf courses, 40-plus restaurants, two spas and lots of pools. The complex’s wellness program features spa treatments, fitness classes, nutrition consultations, meditation sessions and other activities designed to enhance well-being, encourage relaxation and promote balance while on vacation. Additional ways to pass the time include hydrotherapy, cooking classes and even Balance of Energy sessions with a shaman on the beach.
The Sanctuary Beach Resort: Marina, California
If you’re looking for some assistance with meditation, travel roughly 10 miles northeast of Monterey, California, to The Sanctuary Beach Resort. This property’s spa offers a custom 50-minute guided meditation service that leads you in selecting a personal mantra or phrase on which to focus. Each guest receives a Bose noise-canceling headset to help improve concentration during the treatment. The spa also features wellness services that promote stillness, as well as private yoga classes, guided nature walks and traditional services like massages, facials and body treatments. Outside the spa, you can enjoy sunset bonfires, walks on the beach and dips in the resort’s pool and Jacuzzi.
The Dolder Grand: Zurich
It’s easy to get into a meditative state at The Dolder Grand‘s indulgent spa in Zurich, Switzerland. Choose the spa’s Relax package for an hourlong meditation session, the self-guided Dolder Grand Detox Relax Ritual, lunch in the spa cafe and time to unwind anywhere in the 4,000-square-foot facility. Another option is the Meditation Walk, which involves following one of three meditation programs in a mirrored cupola room. You can also opt for the Meditation of the Senses treatment, where you’ll focus on consciously experiencing all five senses.
Red Rock Casino Resort & Spa: Las Vegas
Want an out-of-the-box meditation experience within a few miles of the Las Vegas Strip? Try Violin Meditation at Red Rock Casino Resort & Spa’s on-site spa. The vibrations of a violin accompanied by softly spoken visualizations from a violinist in Celine Dion’s orchestra and a member of the Las Vegas Philharmonic promote deep relaxation and mindfulness. Other offerings at the spa include body scrubs and wraps, a purification ritual, acupuncture and cupping.
JW Marriott Venice Resort & Spa: Venice, Italy
Located on a private island in a Venetian lagoon, the JW Marriott Venice Resort & Spa offers meditation and yoga in its gardens and on its wooden parterre at the spa, which is situated inside an early 20th-century building. The spa also features two saunas, a hammam, a fitness center and a heated indoor vitality pool. For additional wellness activities (think: meditation accompanied by singing bowls, family yoga and a meditative Mediterranean barefoot walk in an olive tree grove), visit in September during the resort’s World Wellness Weekend.
Tibetan Mongolian Buddhist Cultural Center: Bloomington, Indiana
About 55 miles southwest of Indianapolis in hilly Bloomington, you’ll find this monastery and center that focuses on preserving Tibetan and Mongolian cultures in the United States, as prescribed by the Dalai Lama. In fact, the leader himself laid the cornerstone of the temple, which was completed in 2003. The center hosts weekly meditation sessions, yoga classes, lectures, kids summer camps and summer retreats, all led by spiritual leaders and Buddhist scholars from around the world. Accommodation options include colorful rooms and cottages, and property highlights range from butter sculptures to a permanent sand mandala.
The Shanghai EDITION: Shanghai
Book a stay at The Shanghai EDITION — an art deco oasis with multiple bars, a nightclub, three restaurants and a rooftop with panoramic city views — to escape the crowded streets of Shanghai. Those who desire an extra dose of peace and quiet should head to the hotel’s gym, which features wellness amenities and a holistic design. On the fitness center’s outdoor terrace, guests can rest, work out, meditate and practice tai chi and yoga while taking in their surroundings. The property also offers a spa with six treatment rooms, a sauna and a spacious relaxation area.
Fairmont Scottsdale Princess: Scottsdale, Arizona
For a unique meditation experience, try “bathing” in sound at the Well & Being Spa in the Fairmont Scottsdale Princess, a Sonoran Desert resort with six pools, two golf courses and a variety of shops. The spa’s Singing Bowl Therapy treatment uses frequencies from gongs and quartz crystal singing bowls to take participants into a deep meditation through music. The bowls are also said to remove energy blockages and activate the chakras. Additional services available at the spa range from reiki and acupressure to craniosacral treatments to aerial hammock yoga.
The St. Regis Bahia Beach Resort: Rio Grande, Puerto Rico
The Remède Spa at The St. Regis Bahia Beach Resort, a high-end property located less than 25 miles southeast of San Juan, Puerto Rico, features a floating pathway that delivers guests to secluded massage villas. In addition to body treatments, the spa offers wellness-focused services like Pilates, meditation, yoga and stretching classes. The resort is the Caribbean’s only Certified Gold Audubon Signature Sanctuary, meaning travelers will find plenty of lush areas to relax. Plus, visitors have access to a pool, a golf course, a beach and three restaurants, including one helmed by world-renowned chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten.
Omni La Costa Resort & Spa: Carlsbad, California
Deepak Chopra is one of the world’s leading experts in Eastern medicine, so it should come as no surprise that his Chopra Center at the Omni La Costa Resort & Spa offers plenty of opportunities for meditation. Choose from morning and evening group meditations on weekdays, a men’s-only meditation group on select Saturdays or an Introduction to Meditation class every weekend, all of which are free. The Omni La Costa Resort & Spa, which sits 30 miles north of San Diego, also has a spa, two golf courses, 17 tennis courts and eight swimming pools to enjoy when you’re not deep in meditation.
1440 Multiversity: Scotts Valley, California
Cozy up in the redwoods 8 miles northeast of Santa Cruz, California, while attending 1440 Multiversity, a property designed to help you engage your mind, body and heart through holistic learning. You’ll have access to a plethora of programs, including retreats focused on meditation, mindfulness and yoga. Accommodations feature natural elements with limited technology perks (aka: shared phones and no TVs), and additional amenities, such as walking trails, an auditorium, an infinity-edge hot tub and decks built around redwood trunks, are available throughout the 75-acre campus.
Canyon Ranch Lenox: Lenox, Massachusetts
Canyon Ranch’s Lenox outpost — which occupies a 19th-century mansion once used as a boarding school and seminary — offers a range of wellness activities, including meditation sessions, fitness classes and spa treatments. The all-inclusive resort hosts 50-minute meditation sessions for groups, couples and individuals. A mind-body instructor leads participants through techniques designed to help them disconnect from daily stresses and be present in the moment. Guests can also join classes that focus on aerial yoga, breathing, qi gong and more.
Skyterra Wellness Retreat & Weight Loss Spa: Lake Toxaway, North Carolina
Skyterra Wellness Retreat & Weight Loss Spa focuses on fitness, weight loss, wellness and stress relief. Located in the Blue Ridge Mountains about 50 miles southwest of Asheville, North Carolina, this all-inclusive retreat offers an assortment of outdoor activities, such as hiking, kayaking, fishing and biking. But the standout amenities here are the property’s wellness lectures and classes. A typical day may include a morning hike, meditation and breathing, workouts, a lecture, healthy meals and evening journaling. Guests stay in lodges and cottages that are set within the trees and equipped with outdoor patios, full kitchens and shared living areas.
Andaz Scottsdale Resort & Spa: Scottsdale, Arizona
Meditate while taking in views of Camelback Mountain at this midcentury modern resort in Scottsdale. In addition to enjoying twice-weekly meditation classes, guests can relax in one of the property’s bungalow-style accommodations or mix and mingle with the current Artist in Residence. Visitors will also find three pools, the Weft & Warp Art Bar + Kitchen and Palo Verde Spa & Apothecary, which features a full hair and nail salon, a relaxation lounge, a fitness center and men’s and women’s steam rooms.
Park Hyatt Aviara Resort, Golf Club & Spa: Carlsbad, California
Venture 32 miles north of San Diego to reach VeraVia, a wellness retreat available at Park Hyatt Aviara Resort, Golf Club & Spa. This all-inclusive experience takes a holistic approach to treat all aspects of an individual’s health. Choose from stays as short as one day or as long as four weeks. No matter how long you visit, you’ll have access to program features like guided meditation sessions, nutrition consultations, educational workshops and fitness classes. If you don’t enroll in a retreat, check out the resort’s other wellness amenities, such as meditation gardens, hiking trails, a golf course, tennis courts and a spa.
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