Over the past few years, we have seen a huge increase in the popularity of yoga and meditation in the world. For various reasons, more and more people are aware of the great mental and physical health benefits of those practices and have started to implement them in their daily life. Without a doubt, one of the best ways to push it forward and deepen your practice is setting some time off for a wellness retreat, in which you can focus completely on yourself, learn valuable tools, and come out a better person. Thanks to a few big communities that revolve around yoga and meditation in Israel, it is certainly one of the best places in the world for a retreat of such kind. Here, we have made our list of some of the most highly recommended wellness retreats in Israel, for a unique and empowering experience during your Israel trip.
Unique meditation centers in Israel
Meshiv Nefesh center
Meshiv Nefesh Center, located in the unique village of Klil in the Galilee, is the center of a spiritual community that leads a mostly Buddhist way of life and conducts retreats and workshops alongside the practice of meditation and conscious living.
The center includes activities like Dharma study by experienced teachers as part of weekend, retreats as well as courses and practice groups, discussion, and inquiry during the week. The center is open throughout the year for both short and long personal retreats, in which you can receive inspiration and learn from the teachers and the community through participation in the various activities.
The spiritual practice and daily activities in the place are intended to cultivate qualities of the heart such as generosity, caring, and friendship, and encourage social involvement in the wider community. The center is a simple and modest place, immersed in the beautiful nature of the Galilee. It is conducted with an ecological approach and provides only basic conditions, and staying here allows direct contact and connection with the surrounding nature.
Meshiv Nefesh is a non-profit organization, and most of the activities at the center are carried out on the basis of donations from the participants.
Lev Hamidbar
The Lev Hamidbar Center, located in the village of Tzukim in the Arava, hosts dozens of workshops such as yoga, vipassana, female empowerment, painting, writing, psychotherapy, and more. This great center, which is considered to be one of the best mindfulness centers in Israel, offers relatively comfortable conditions, with accommodation in impressive domes, with a spectacular view of the desert, and is a wonderful place for those looking to get away and take some time for themselves in a remote place in the Negev.
Dhamma Pamoda Vipassana Meditation Centre
This center is located near Kibbutz Degania Beit, next to the Yardenit Baptism Site and the Sea of Galilee, surrounded by a nature reserve and palm trees. The center covers quite a large area, in a quiet and peaceful location, with walking paths and rest areas overlooking the open view of the Jordan River Valley.
The Dhamma Pamoda Vipassana Meditation Centre is one of the dozens of centers around the world where Vipassana courses are held using the method of S.N. Goenka, who was an extremely influential Vipassana teacher. The center conducts several different courses, the main one of which is a 10-day silent meditation course.
The center works on the basis of donations only, and it is important to register months in advance for the courses here, as they get filled up very quickly.
Here and Now center
The “Here and Now” center is a space for self-awareness, meditation, and workshops that support a conscious lifestyle and self-learning.
The center is located in a quiet and pastoral area in the city of Gedera and was established by a big community of locals who lead a life that is focuses on developing self-awareness, self-learning, and growth at a personal pace.
The center brings values of giving without return, mutual support and help, taking responsibility and maturity, and seeing reality from a sober point of view. These values are reflected in the center’s activities, most of which take place free of charge. where you can find daily meditations, personal meetings, weekly sharing evenings, and more. In addition, the center holds a great variety of experiential daily workshops.
In addition to the variety of activities, it is possible to come here and make a customized retreat plan, in which you will be staying in the center for a specific period of time.
Yoga retreats in Israel
Ne’ot Semadar
Ne’ot semadar is an oasis located in the south of the Negev Mountains, in a secluded and quiet area overlooking the magnificent Arava region and Gilead mountains. This small community village offers a unique retreat experience that combines yoga with sustainable living.
During your time here, you will stay in eco-friendly cabins and practice yoga in an amazing desert landscape. The retreats held here often also incorporate meditation and mindfulness practices, as well as visits to the unique sites of the village, which leads to an extremely unique communal way of life.
Selina in Beit Oren
A rural accommodation hotel located in Kibbutz Beit Oren which is located only 20 minutes from Haifa, right next to the Mount Carmel nature reserve. The hotel hosts several kinds of retreats throughout the year, which focus on a healthy lifestyle and offer a unique retreat experience with daily yoga and meditation classes, healthy vegetarian meals, and a perfect and well-equipped yoga studio.
