How to Retreat

Find peace and reconnect with yourself by creating solo retreats in everyday life for an hour, a day, or longer

Yoga overlooking pristine blue waters, hours of meditation, full-body detoxes—these are the commercialized images often associated with the word “retreat.” The centuries-old practice of retreating, however, is rooted in a person’s inner life and belongs to everyone. In How to Retreat, you will discover that retreating is a lifelong process, something to build into your everyday life at home, that will allow you to find rest, solitude, inspiration, and strength through all of life’s seasons.

Caroline Sylge, co-director of The Global Retreat Company, draws on thirty years of retreat experience to rediscover this practice as an accessible, personal experience that is available year-round. How to Retreat walks you through eight themes to show you how to build retreats that last an hour, a day, or longer. Each theme is connected to natural cycles of growth, rest, and transformation, and offers three options inspired by the techniques used in formal retreats but tweaked and tailored to fit into your everyday life. You are invited to follow the themes over the course of a year, or dip in and out according to your needs.

Through personal experiences, expert insights, and journaling prompts, this book empowers you to discover a healing space of solitude and inspiration. Whether it’s resting deeply, cultivating creativity, discovering beauty, or building community, How to Retreat offers a practical yet flexible roadmap for restoration and rejuvenation