Meditation Retreats in USA

The U.S. Meditation Retreat Guide covers five notable meditation retreats in the USA: the Art of Living Retreat Center in Boone, North Carolina; the Insight Meditation Society in Barre, Massachusetts; Spirit Rock in West Marin County and Vajrapani Institute in the Santa Cruz Mountains, both in California; and ten-day Vipassana courses at centers across the country.

For the full order and reasons, see the main guide to the best meditation retreats in the US.

Goenka Vipassana courses run at many U.S. centers. Path of Sincerity reports 12, including four in California and others in Washington, Illinois, Wisconsin, Idaho, Texas, Georgia, Delaware and Massachusetts. Check dhamma.org for the current list.

Five broad types appear among U.S. centers. Breathwork and meditation retreats, such as those at the Art of Living Retreat Center, pair guided breathing with sitting practice and silence. Insight (vipassana) retreats at Spirit Rock and IMS build mindfulness and lovingkindness, often in silence. Tibetan Buddhist retreats at Vajrapani follow the FPMT tradition. Ten-day Goenka Vipassana courses follow one fixed format everywhere. Private retreats, like Vajrapani's cabins, let you set your own schedule.

Goenka Vipassana courses are the most affordable option in this guide: there are no charges for the course, food or lodging, and costs are met by donations from past students. Spirit Rock offers financial assistance or scholarships for people for whom cost is an obstacle. The Art of Living Retreat Center lists a Midweek Reset offer, stay three nights and pay for two. Prices for paid programs change, so this guide does not quote them.

If you want yoga alongside meditation, the Art of Living Retreat Center is the clearest fit among these five: it describes its offerings as meditation, yoga and Ayurveda, and runs an Ayurveda spa and an 8-day Panchakarma cleanse. Andrew Keaveney, who publishes this guide, studied yoga, meditation and Sanskrit for four years at an ashram in India before teaching.

Large listing sites show how many short retreats exist beyond the five centers here. Retreat.gurutitles its U.S. page "90+ Best Mindfulness Retreats in United States 2027" and lists programs such as a 4 Day Solo Digital Detox Retreat in Mount Shasta, California. Tripaneer lists short programs such as a 3 Day Meditation, Living with Purpose, and Yoga Retreat in the Catskills, New York, and a 3 Day Spiritual Retreat with A Day of Silence in Woodinville, Washington. These listings change often; check each source directly.

Andrew Keaveney wrote this page and publishes this site. Centers were selected and described using the same criteria as the main ranking: practice style, length range, beginner support, cost access and setting. See the methodology.

What types of meditation retreats are there in the US?

Common types include breathwork and meditation retreats, Insight or vipassana retreats, Tibetan Buddhist retreats, fixed-format ten-day Vipassana courses, private solo retreats and wellness retreats that add yoga or spa care. This guide compares one notable example of several of these types.

Which are the best meditation retreats in California?

Two California centers appear in this guide. Spirit Rock sits on 411 acres in West Marin County and offers retreats from one day to two months. Vajrapani Institute is in the Santa Cruz Mountains redwoods and offers group retreats and private retreat cabins. Path of Sincerity also reports four Goenka Vipassana centers in California.

What are the best meditation retreats on the East Coast?

In this guide, the Insight Meditation Society in Barre, Massachusetts, offers silent courses from a weekend to three months on almost 400 wooded acres. Farther south, the Art of Living Retreat Center sits on 380 acres in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina.

What are affordable meditation retreats in the USA?

The most affordable option in this guide is a Goenka Vipassana course, which has no charge for course, food or lodging. Spirit Rock offers financial assistance or scholarships for people for whom cost is an obstacle. The Art of Living Retreat Center lists a Midweek Reset offer: stay three nights and pay for two.

Are there secular mindfulness retreats in the US?

Yes, though most long-running centers teach within a tradition. Insight retreats at Spirit Rock and IMS are Buddhist in context but focus on practice rather than belief. Check each program description; many say whether talks include religious teachings. Listing sites such as Retreat.guru publish large directories of U.S. mindfulness retreats to compare.

Do I have to be religious to go on a meditation retreat?

Usually not. Many centers welcome people of any background. Spirit Rock and IMS teach in a Buddhist context, and IMS says the practices themselves are universal. The Art of Living Retreat Center describes its programs as meditation, yoga and Ayurveda. Read each center’s program page to see how much tradition is included.

Read all 45 meditation retreat questions and answers

• Best meditation retreats in the USRanked guide to five notable U.S. meditation retreat centers, with a comparison table and selection method.
• Meditation Retreat for Beginners: How to ChooseHow a beginner should choose a first meditation retreat, with a fit table for each ranked center.
• Weekend Meditation Retreat Guide (US)Short and weekend meditation retreat options in the U.S. and how to plan one.
• Breathwork Retreat and Workshop GuideBreathwork retreats compared with workshops and online classes, plus Andrew Keaveney’s residential programs.
• Best Silent Meditation Retreats in the USSilent meditation retreats in the U.S., their lengths and what to expect.
• Meditation Retreats by the NumbersSourced statistics on meditation retreat outcomes, lengths and centers.