Did you know that 33% of Americans identify as spiritual?

At the same time, the wellness industry is estimated at $450 billion in the United States — a growth of 5% annually.

That’s a market you need to tap into!

How? 

With a spiritual retreat that leaves your guests rejuvenated and provides a safe space to step away from life’s stresses.

Eventbrite is the digital home to many spiritual events all over the world. We’ve learned a lot from the talented creators on the Eventbrite platform — and we want to share our experience with you.

This guide covers ideas for spiritual activities to help elevate your next event, and bonus: You get to make a difference in how people feel about themselves along the way.

Table of contents 

Spiritual retreat basics

How do you run a spiritual retreat?

What kinds of retreats are there?

Ideas for retreat activities

Sample program for a spiritual retreat

People at a yoga session
Trap Yoga Bae / Trap Day / LA, USA

Spiritual retreat basics and why event organizers should consider them

What is a spiritual retreat, exactly? The term can include religious retreats, meditation retreats, and even general health and wellness retreats — all are centered around providing a haven for people to feel at one with themselves. 

In any case, spiritual retreats should be safe places to rest, recharge, and explore spirituality in all its forms. They can be a one-day event or last over several days or even months, packed with activities to focus on attendees’ mental well-being and overall wellness. 

A spiritual retreat is likely to include physical movement practices, like yoga or Tai Chi. You can also expect wellness to be a priority when it comes to food and drink trends

Make sure your spiritual retreat activities and event catering ideas align with this theme of health and wellness! Burgers and fries are a no-no, but herbal teas and fresh fruit and vegetables perfectly align with people’s values at a wellness event.  

For event organizers, spiritual retreats offer a ton of potential:

  • Running spiritual events has the power to significantly impact the lives of attendees for the better
  • Multiday retreats often have high ticket price points, leaving creators with a substantial event budget to host a great event
  • You have the opportunity for add-ons, such as bringing in a life coach to offer 1:1 services or pop-up vendors on the event day/weekend

Interested in planning your own spiritual retreat? Keep reading to learn actionable tips and spiritual retreat ideas to elevate your next event. 

Steps to plan a spiritual retreat

How do you run a spiritual retreat?

Running a spiritual retreat is similar to running any event. You’ll choose a theme, reserve a venue, select talent (like a spiritual leader), and sell tickets. 

But planning spiritual events requires a thoughtful approach to craft a meaningful experience for your attendees. Here’s what to consider when planning a spiritual retreat:

1. Choose a theme

Your event theme should reflect your target audience’s desires, interests, and goals. Maybe you’re hosting a religious retreat focused on reflection and prayer. Or maybe you’re hosting a multi-day meditation retreat, like Palelai Buddhist Temple

Or perhaps your retreats are focused on movement, sisterhood, and healing like Eventbrite super-creator Trap Yoga Bae.

This passionate Vinyasa Yoga instructor spotted an opportunity to help people of color and others who felt ostracized from the wellness industry find their place. She hosted high-energy yoga events and retreats, offering a combination of in-person and virtual events, and has now taught yoga to more than 2.8 million people worldwide.

💡Pro tip: The changing of the seasons presents a good opportunity for spiritual event themes. For instance, you could host a spring event focused on renewal and rebirth, drawing on spiritual themes to help attendees recenter and rejuvenate. New Year’s events and gatherings based around lunar phases can also be popular.

2. Reserve a venue

Focus on finding an event venue that fits the theme and vibe of your event. For most spiritual events, the ideal venue will be quiet, peaceful, and spacious. If you’re hosting a multi-day event, you may also want to book a venue with on-site accommodations. 

💡Pro tip: Since venue costs can be significant, you’ll want to decide on a venue early on in the planning process. This will help you start filling in your event budget template and will influence your ticket pricing strategy

Make sure your venue matches the activities and environment of your event. For instance, venues with outdoor space can help attendees feel connected with nature.

3. Invite special guests

Spiritual retreats can benefit from an honored guest (or several!) This could be a spiritual leader, a yoga instructor, a meditation expert, or an inspiring speaker. If you’re organizing an event on behalf of a church or spiritual organization, recruiting from within makes sense. 

💡Pro tip: Your special guests should fit well with the spiritual focus and schedule of your event. Remember that your special guests can also help promote your event to their own communities via social media and email. 

People doing a yoga session outdoors
Outdoor Yoga SF / Spring Equinox Yoga + Dance Celebration / SF, CA

4. Plan retreat logistics

A spiritual retreat has many logistical components, such as transportation, lodging, and refreshments — just to name a few. Event logistics planning should cover all the key components of your event. You should plan this out several months before the retreat date. 

💡Pro tip: If you’re booking a venue, reach out to them first to see if they have a venue logistics plan in place. Some rental venues will have documents already prepared that go over key details, like the selection of equipment on site. 

5. Estimate costs

Costs for a spiritual retreat can quickly add up with hiring experts to host. It’s crucial to plan your event budget early so that you can have a better idea of the ticket price. Here’s what to budget for:

  • Venue
  • Food and drink
  • Entertainers, speakers, and hosts
  • Marketing and promotion
  • Staff
  • Technology
  • Signage and branding
  • Transportation

It’s also a good idea to put a “miscellaneous” line item into your budget so you can prepare for the inevitable surprise expense. 

💡Pro tip: Low-cost technology solutions can help you sell more tickets without straining your budget. Eventbrite offers the simplest way to list your event online and sell tickets to attendees

6. Assemble a team

You may need some helping hands and hearts to run your spiritual retreat. These could be volunteers, paid staff, or a mix. If you’re on a tight budget, it’s helpful to focus first on recruiting volunteers to help out. 

💡Pro tip: Recruit volunteers by offering perks like free attendance and free food. You can also use volunteer matching sites like JustServe and VolunteerMatch

Plan your perfect retreat with Eventbrite

People sitting in a garden together

7. Promote your event

Once you’ve planned your retreat, it’s time to start marketing the event! Your goal should be to reach people who may be interested in attending and who could benefit from a rejuvenating retreat. 

You can start by reaching out to people who attended your past events or followed your page on social media. Local spiritual groups, churches, and organizations can also prove helpful.

💡Pro tip: Cross-promote your event with speakers, special guests, and spiritual influencers. If you hire experts to speak at your event, you can ask them to help promote the event to their own communities. 

A group of people in a yoga class
Grace Cathedral / Yoga on the Labyrinth / San Francisco, CA

What kinds of retreats are there?

Retreats aren’t one-type-fits-all programs. The type of retreat determines what type of audience you’ll reach and what activities you offer. Some common types of spiritual retreats include:

  • Mindfulness retreats focusing on mindfulness and physical harmony
  • Religious retreats bringing attendees closer to their beliefs
  • Nature retreats reminding participants of nature’s beauty 
  • Youth retreats focusing on helping young people become responsible and caring adults
  • Yoga retreats emphasizing both physical and spiritual expansion
  • Wellness retreats centering on health, nutrition, and rest
  • Detox retreats devoted to treating addiction or boosting your physical, mental, and emotional clarity 
  • Silent retreats providing an intensely personal spiritual journey

If you have an existing audience or spiritual community, start by planning a retreat that fits their interests and beliefs. If you don’t yet have an audience, start with the type of retreat you want to host and provide offerings based on your audience’s preferences and requirements. 

List of activities for a spiritual retreat

Ideas for retreat activities 

Here are some spiritual retreat activity ideas to inspire and engage attendees at your next event. 

1. Mindfulness meditation

Mindfulness is all about being engaged with the present moment. Breathing exercises and guided visualizations allow participants to relax both mentally and physically.

Meditation can be an activity at any spiritual event, with both individual and group practice available. It can even be the primary focus of a retreat. For example, The Meditation Studio in Ohio hosts relaxing half-day mindfulness meditation retreats that feature both sitting and walking meditation sessions.

💡Pro tip: Your event attendees will have different levels of experience with meditation. To accommodate this, consider setting up multiple meditation sessions throughout the day’s event. Provide a quiet place for guests to meditate and designate 10- to 30-minute sessions in your event schedule.

2. Physical activities

Active spiritual activities stimulate both body and mind. Yoga and Pilates are popular and accessible choices. These classes combine rhythmic breathing with exercises that strengthen and tone muscles. Best of all, they can be adapted to almost any skill and fitness level. 

💡Pro tip: Yoga workshops can be scalable to most event sizes. For larger crowds, outdoor practices allow attendees to spread out. If you’re hiring a yoga instructor (or several), ensure you’ve provided them with an appropriate stage and audiovisual equipment so everybody can hear and see them.

Event attendees holding up their art
Half the Story / Screen Free Weekends / New York, NY

3. Arts and crafts

There’s no shortage of fun spiritual workshop ideas incorporating arts and crafts.

For a sustainable activity with a purpose, gather unused yarn from local crafts stores. Then, host a knitting class to make scarves for people in need.

Painting is another fun activity that aligns with spiritual mindfulness. To increase participation, have group projects and an art show at the end of the program. Step-by-step art lessons could also be something attendees enjoy.

Take inspiration from Mystic Maker Retreats, who hosted an Art, Crafts & Magic Weekend Retreat for Women. The event features beginner-friendly arts and crafts classes, plus cooking classes with a private chef. 

💡Pro tip: Bring in qualified experts to run arts and crafts workshops at your next event. To reduce your expenses, consider offering your artistic experts a hybrid compensation package with a small stipend plus event perks (like free passes for their friends and family). You can also help promote the artists’ own businesses to sweeten the deal for them. 

4. Journaling exercises

Structured journaling lets attendees examine their innermost feelings in a safe, private environment. It’s an activity that allows individuals to explore old and new aspects of their spirituality. 

Start by having attendees write down why they’re at your event — a simple prompt like this can help get the words flowing. Then, provide some intentional prompts to help attendees start journaling with intention. Start with these journal prompts for self-discovery.

Let attendees know from the outset that they should pack journals and pens. This can help attendees prepare mentally for the activity. 

💡Pro tip: Consider hosting a group journaling workshop at your event. For example, look at Metromonk’s “Create Space” journaling workshop. The workshop was led by experienced facilitators to guide attendees and focused on creating space for self-expression and self-discovery. 

5. Music class or performance

Keep attendees entertained between spiritual activities with performances, music, and shows. 

Bringing in a local music group is one way to get attendees relaxed and ready to engage. Music can also serve as a tool for guided meditation. Offer attendees the option to learn a chant or self-affirmations set to music. 

Other ideas could include music classes with an instructor or an open mic session for attendees to share their thoughts, poetry, or songs. 

💡Pro tip: Not every component of your retreat needs to be spiritual. It’s completely okay to host a music performance just for the fun of it! In fact, having a break from heavier spiritual activities can be a welcome change of pace. 

People sitting outside at an event
Garden for the Environment / Intro to Beekeeping / San Francisco, CA

6. Nature immersion

Humans are largely disconnected from nature in the modern world. Spending even a brief period in nature can be a powerful way to recharge. 

Nature immersion can be as simple as a brief nature walk, ideally without technology. If the terrain allows it, encouraging guests to go barefoot can help increase the immersive feeling.

Another fun approach could be an outdoor scavenger hunt for attendees. You should consider the accessibility of nature when making your venue selection. 

💡Pro tip: A beautiful venue with close access to nature makes all the difference. For example, look to the Contemplative Weekend for Young Adults event hosted by The Episcopal Diocese of Olympia. The retreat center is hosted on a beachfront bluff overlooking Puget Sound and surrounded by 39 acres of secluded forest. 

7. Small group discussions

Encourage attendees to break into small groups to share and communicate. People are often more reserved in large-group gatherings, so smaller groups enable greater intimacy.

Both indoor and outdoor settings work well for small groups. You could even combine discussions with nature immersion by encouraging guests to talk while taking a stroll through the woods. 

Arrange seating in circles to emphasize equality and connectedness, and offer a prompt or theme related to your event theme to spark conversations. 

💡Pro tip: To scale your spiritual event while retaining a sense of intimacy and peace, consider using more breakout sessions within your schedule. For example, you might have both a quiet meditation session and an active group discussion going on at the same time in separate spaces.

8. Cooking and nutrition sessions

A healthy body and mind are essential parts of spiritual practices and enhanced well-being. Sharing recipes and cooking techniques is a fun way to remind attendees of the importance of good nutrition.

💡Pro tip: Many folks have a poor opinion of “healthy” food because they think it’s bland. Make healthy food fun by cooking with plenty of spices and fresh ingredients if you provide a buffet style, or hire a professional chef to share their healthy kitchen habits. Take inspiration from Christopher Kimball’s Milk Street, which offered a fun workshop on how to use spices with vegetarian meals.

Event attendees in a commercial kitchen
La Cocina / Women in Food / Emeryville, CA

9. Sound healing

Bathe attendees with the rejuvenating sounds of crystal quartz, Himalayan bowls, Koshi chimes, tongue drums, and other sacred instruments. Guests can cover their eyes or immerse themselves in darkness to heighten the effect of the sounds.

💡Pro tip: Make the environment as relaxing as possible to boost the positive effects of sound healing. Take inspiration from Jamie Nicole, who hosts breathwork and sound healing events where guests lie prone in hammocks. This helps attendees float peacefully, enhancing the effect of the sounds on the mind and body.

10. Hypnotherapy

Change your guests’ mindsets by inducing hypnosis to improve motivation and reduce anxiety. Some states have mandatory licensing requirements for hypnotherapists, so check your local regulations.

Recognize that hypnotherapy isn’t for everyone and that some people will be hesitant to try it. Though hypnotherapy has been proven effective for anxiety and other ailments, it remains a controversial topic that can make some people uncomfortable.

💡Pro tip: Provide other breakout activities at the same time as hypnotherapy sessions to give guests more options and to maintain an intimate environment for hypnosis. Yoga, meditation, or breathwork sessions can all be good options. 

11. Spiritual leadership 

Help your guests find inspiration and alignment with powerful spiritual activities. This could come in the form of sermons, readings, or keynote speeches from community members. 

You can also host ceremonies that align with your guests’ interests and beliefs. Cacao ceremonies, for example, combine the ceremonial drinking of cacao beverages with intention setting, mindfulness, and meditation. 

💡Pro tip: Consider your plans for activities when selecting speakers, hosts, and special guests. The right spiritual leader at your event could potentially serve multiple roles, acting as both a speaker and an event emcee. Having the primary guest speaker serve as the main emcee frees up your time to handle event logistics. 

Women at a plus size wellness retreat
Power Plus Wellness / Free Your Mind: An Immersive, Plus Size Wellness Experience / New York, NY

Sample retreat program for a spiritual retreat

Regardless of the type of spiritual retreat you choose to host, having a published retreat program is important, particularly if you have multiple activities planned. Here’s a sample program designed for an overnight spiritual retreat. With a few changes, it can work for almost any type you want to create.

Day 1

  • 9am: Welcome breakfast
  • 10:30am: Getting-to-know-you activities
  • 11:30am: Short talk about mindfulness
  • 12pm: 30-minute guided meditation
  • 12:30pm: Lunch
  • 2:30pm: Guided nature walk (optional)
  • 4pm: Deep breathing techniques
  • 6pm: Dinner
  • 8pm: Musical entertainment

Day 2

  • 9am: Grab-and-go breakfast
  • 10am: Group yoga
  • 11am: Journaling techniques class
  • 12pm: Individual activities selection
  • 1pm: Lunch
  • 3pm: Spiritual teachings workshop 
  • 4:30pm: Afternoon guided meditation
  • 6pm: Dinner
  • 8pm: Musical meditation workshop

Day 3

  • 9am: Grab-and-go breakfast
  • 10am: Group art project (collage)
  • 11am: Yoga workshop
  • 12:30pm: Lunch
  • 2:30pm: Group meditation
  • 3:30pm: Nutrition and cooking class
  • 5pm: Event survey/feedback
  • 6pm: Closing dinner/banquet activities

Plan your perfect spiritual retreat

With the right spiritual activities, your retreat will succeed and provide a space for attendees to relax, recharge, and explore their spirituality. Remember that you can mix and match spiritual event activities from the list above. Many are also flexible in their timing and scalability — for instance, a journaling activity could be a quick 15-minute break or an entire half-day workshop.  

Ready to get to work planning the perfect spiritual retreat? Eventbrite has all the tools you need to plan, manage, and promote your next event.