In the Company of Women

These yoga retreats cater exclusively to women's unique physical and emotional needs.

By Di Rowling

I was sitting with six other women, talking away another cup of Balinese coffee after our morning yoga when we heard the echoes floating through the valley—a blend of haunting chants from a nearby mosque and screeches of bright birds greeting the early light. We enveloped the moment in silence.

I have visited yoga retreats in the past, but this one, nestled in the northern mountains of Bali, was my first women-only venture. I have nothing against men—heck, I've been with my partner, Ron, for 20 years—but there's something about being in the company of women for a length of time and sharing a love of yoga that you can't find any place else.

Most retreat organizers and teachers agree that the popularity of women-only yoga experiences has steadily grown alongside traditional yoga vacations. The reasons, say many teachers and participants, are manifold: the opportunity to practice yoga geared specifically toward women's needs; a chance to share experiences on a deeper level; and, of course, time to enjoy extracurricular activities in scenic or exotic locations.

Body Language

It's no surprise that all-girl groups are in such demand, considering approximately 80 percent of Western yoga practitioners are women—a far cry from yoga's early history in the East, when it was an exclusively male activity. Retreats vary from weekend getaways in an isolated setting to one- or two-week ventures in places you need an atlas to find. The formats are also diverse—from intensive yoga-only experiences to structured programs that incorporate yoga into a range of healing, self-development, and experiential activities.

Most retreats encourage women to deeply explore their bodies. The yoga here is often taught from the perspective that women should focus their practices around their individual needs. This was certainly true at the Bali retreat I attended. Our instructor, Caroline Coggins, taught us to be more aware of our internal organs (something never addressed in the mixed classes I attend regularly). "It's important for all women—regardless of experience level—to relate to their bodies," says Coggins. "This means balancing the pushing, hard way of working with a deeper understanding of the female body and its special needs."

She also explained that gaining an understanding of "women's yoga" means rethinking traditional instructions. Even for me—a midrange practitioner—much of the yoga we practiced involved "unlearning" and refocusing the asanas to specifically relate to my body. And it worked. I gained insight into how to work with my body as a woman, rather than against it, and the experience gave me invaluable tools to incorporate into my own practice.

Anne Horsley, who teaches women's weekend residentials in Australia, encourages her participants to develop their yoga to specifically work with their internal cycles—both monthly and life. "So-called 'women's work' in yoga really has to do with approaching the practice armed with an understanding of your body and its specific needs during the transitional periods of a woman's life," says Horsley, adding that these include such cycles and milestones as menstruation, menopause, pregnancy, and even the act of gracefully aging. "This is why I emphasize teaching a restorative practice women can use when these changes occur."

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