Six Benefits of Attending a Writing Retreat

Nothing is as powerful as walking away from our daily lives to enter a safe, sacred environment solely focused on enhancing and supporting our creativity. Here’s why.

1. Writing retreats lead to deep transformative experiences, cracking us open and awakening us to new possibilities. One of the things I love most about retreats is seeing peoples’ faces change from the first day to the last. They often look scared and defended and uncertain on the first day—but by the end of the retreat, their faces are gleaming with love, connection, and openness.

2. You leave behind all the things that distract you from your writing. When you are freed from your to-do lists and the relentless pressure of the “undone,” you are free to focus on your heart’s desire: connecting with the deep place the truest writing comes from.

3. You leave behind your excuses. Making a conscious choice to commit to your writing for an intensive period of time focuses the mind and leads to breakthroughs in your work—and in your life.

4. You clear the decks of the routines and obligations that weigh you down and lead you to crave escape, rather than vibrant engagement in life. Escaping the habitual opens the doors to awakening and creativity. When you put yourself in a beautiful place where the conditions are designed specifically to support and nurture you, and free you from daily tasks, you hone your focus toward what you really want—a deep dive into yourself and your creativity. 

5. Living, eating, and sharing with other writers quickly create an intimate writing community. When you write intimately with other writers, you are deeply inspired by their stories. When another writer in the group is gifted at dialogue, is able to evoke a vivid setting or a memorable character, or is particularly brave about putting herself on the page, you learn to do the same through osmosis and example.

6. The new habits and friends you make at a writing retreat enrich your life for months and years to come. Students at writing retreats share a profound, life-changing experience. The bonding that happens at a retreat leads to lifelong friendships. People return home feeling refreshed, renewed, and deeply connected—to themselves and to an amazing creative community.

Find out about upcoming writing programs at Kripalu with Laura Davis and other presenters.