Breathe, Sweat and Glow: Healing & Wellness retreats for women of color

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Set your intentions and pack your yoga mats, it’s your turn to travel to a breathtaking destination in search of healing and rejuvenation for your mind, body and soul.

These curated healing and wellness retreats have been developed for and by women of color who understand the unique challenges African-American women face on the job, at home and in these streets. The retreat organizers recognize that Black women are largely overlooked by the women’s wellness industry and have set out to create unique, sophisticated experiences that feel authentic and well, magical.

The retreats are designed for Black women — of all ages and stages — allowing them to leave a lifetime of responsibilities and distractions at home to bond with sister-friends and get in touch with their true selves.

Here are six noteworthy retreats where women of color are transforming their lives, developing sisterly bonds and sprinkling all kinds of Black girl magic — leaving these awe-inspiring locales better than they found them.

Mind Body Melanin Health and Wellness Retreat

The Art of Living Retreat Center in Boone, North Carolina

Want to stay close to home? Founder and CEO, Keisha Faulkner and her team are hosed the 2nd Annual Mind Body Melanin Health and Wellness Retreat at The Art of Living Retreat Center in Boone, North Carolina. Faulkner is on a mission to empower Black women to prioritize health, wellness, personal growth, and radical self-care. Mind Body Melanin is a judgment-free wellness community, welcoming sisters to come as they are with no pressure to eat kale, hug a tree or become a hipster.

Fee: $699 per person, all inclusive (excluding airfare)

For more Information, visit: https://mindbodymelanin.com/wellness-retreat

OMNoire Glow Up Wellness Retreat

Mount Cinnamon Resort, Grenada

OMNoire founders Christina Rice and Amber Forrester hosted 50 women as they took over the entire Mount Cinnamon Grenada Resort for the Glow Up Wellness Retreat. Rice and Forrestor (whose family hails from Grenada) founded OMNoire and curated their wellness retreats to create an inclusive social wellness community “for women like us, powered by women like us.” “We experience so many unique challenges throughout our lives that only another woman of color could truly understand,” Rice shared.

Fee: Glow Up Packages range from $1400 – $2850 per person, all inclusive (excluding airfare)

For more Information, visit: [https://www.omnoire.com/wellness-retreat/]

Women of Color Healing Retreat

Blessed House, Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica

Nov. 13 – 21, 2017

The Women of Color Healing Retreat created by founder Andrea X, is the first international healing and wellness space for Black women. The retreats connect women with nature and provide a space of learning, healing and nurturing. According to Andrea, “In order to build sustainable communities that value the intersections of cultural identity, women of color must first rediscover who they are outside of a society that wishes to stunt organic spiritual growth and self-love.”

Fee: $2,222 per person, all inclusive (excluding airfare)

For more Information, visit: [http://www.womenofcolorhealingretreats.com/retreats.html]

Holistic City Life Liberation Retreat

Green Roof Inn, Hillsborough on Carriacou Island, Grenada

Nov. 9-14, 2017

Liberation Retreat is an intimate get-away focusing on mental, spiritual and nutritional wellness for women of color. Owner, Leslie Carrington, and her team are proud to meet retreat guests where they are with zero judgement.

Liberation Retreat focuses on supporting sisters in releasing what no longer serves them. They will engage in daily yoga, meditation, rituals, healthy eating (vegan, vegetarian and paleo). They encourage women to love, forgive and accept themselves in order to heal. Grenadian-based yogi Malaika Brooks-Smith-Lowe will lead a healthy eating demonstration and breath-work workshop during one day of the retreat where local women will be invited to join.

Fee: $1,850 per person, all inclusive (excluding airfare)

For more Information, visit: [http://holisticitilyfe.com/travel/]

BEprintTM at The Beach House

Marriott Beach Resort, Grand Cayman

Jan. 25 – 28, 2018

The women of Evók Life by Design, Radiah Rhodes, Dr. Roni Ellington and Tawana Bhagwat will host an intimate BEprintTM at The Beach House experience where guests will do the work to design their personal life BEprintTM, combining spirit, science and reality to discover the personal transformation results many black women are in search of.  

Thirty women will indulge in three days of intentional well-being where they will take to the beach to uncover and release default patterns that keep them stuck in cycles that no longer serve them. Guests will enjoy yoga, life-giving cuisine, spa treatments, aromatherapy, and so much more.

Fee: $3,000 to $3,500, per person, all inclusive (excluding airfare)

For more Information, visit: [https://www.evoklife.com]

Bikini Bootcamp

Amansala Resort

Tulum, Mexico

Remaining 2017 Bikini Bootcamp Dates: Nov. 9 – 15 & Nov. 16 – 22

Looking to curate your own getaway? Amansala Resort is calling your name. You can plan your bikini bootcamp retreat — solo or with your girlfriends — at Amansala, an eco-friendly paradise located on a pristine beach in Tulum, Mexico.

Amansala’s Bikini Bootcamp is designed to help women reconnect with themselves and nature through a combination of exercise, healthy eating, adventure, yoga, relaxation and pampering. Women of color sojourn to Amansala for beach workouts, yoga, healthy eating, relaxing and exploring, leaving them rebalanced and re-energized.

Fee: $2,250 to $3,950, per person, all inclusive (excluding airfare)

For more Information and additional Bootcamp dates, visit: [https://www.bikinibootcamp.com]

Leslie M. Gordon is a writer, communications strategist and creator of Get Your Sol. Follow her on Twitter @LeslieWritesNow