Bhakti Yoga California Retreat With Kirtan & Meditation in Mendocino County
On the redwood-lined coast of Northern California, the Mendocino Bhakti & Kirtan Retreat at Spirit Camp offers a Bhakti Yoga California immersion shaped by song, stillness, and community. From Friday, May 22 through Monday, May 25, 2026, you’re invited into three nights and four days of yoga, chanting, meditation, and nature time in the Mendocino redwoods. You can explore the full schedule, lodging options, and pricing for the Mendocino Bhakti & Kirtan Retreat—and read more about this transformative retreat—on its dedicated Spirit Camp page here: Mendocino Bhakti & Kirtan Retreat.
If you’re browsing different dates or themes for a Bhakti yoga retreat in California, you can also see the full Spirit Camp calendar of forest-and-ocean offerings here: Spirit Camp Retreats, which highlights additional yoga, meditation, and nature-based retreats in Mendocino County, California throughout the year.
A Bhakti Yoga California Retreat for Devotional Practice and Community
This Memorial Day weekend is designed as a Bhakti Yoga California immersion: a chance to step away from everyday busyness and step into a village of devotional practice held in the trees. Across the long weekend, you’ll move through a rhythm of morning meditation and flow, afternoon restorative or dharma-rich sessions, nightly kirtan, and time on the land. The overall tone is heart-centered—rooted in devotion, gratitude, and a deep respect for community.
As a Bhakti Yoga Retreat Mendocino experience, the schedule includes twice-daily yoga, accessible meditation, and plenty of chanting. Mornings begin with mantra and breath, easing into an all-levels practice that helps you arrive fully in your body. Afternoons offer softer sessions—restorative postures, guided relaxation, and reflections on how to carry Bhakti into the ordinary moments of life. Evenings gather everyone in the Sanctuary for kirtan, where call-and-response singing becomes a shared prayer.
You’ll be nourished by hearty, vegetarian meals prepared with care and served family-style, so conversation and connection are part of every plate. Spirit Camp’s “summer camp for spiritual adults” atmosphere keeps things grounded and real: cozy cabins, glamping tents, and a nostalgic bunkhouse; forest paths and meadows; starlit skies; and a sober, body-positive environment that welcomes all beings.
Taken together, these elements create a California Bhakti yoga and meditation retreat that feels intimate yet spacious—structured enough to hold you, open enough to let your own devotional expression emerge.
Understanding Bhakti Yoga as Love in Action
At the heart of this weekend is Bhakti—the yoga of devotion. In many contemporary teachings, Bhakti yoga is described as a path of love and relationship: to self, to community, to the natural world, and to whatever each person understands as the divine. Rather than focusing solely on physical postures or intellectual study, Bhakti invites you to engage your heart, your emotions, and your capacity for gratitude and wonder.(Yoga Basics)
During this Bhakti yoga Northern California retreat, Bhakti shows up in simple, approachable ways. Morning meditation might center on a short phrase of thanks or a gentle mantra. Asana sequences may weave in themes like trust, surrender, or compassion, encouraging you to notice not just how a pose looks, but how it feels to inhabit it with tenderness. At the end of practice, a brief chant or shared reflection can turn the closing moments into a quiet offering rather than a rush toward the next thing.
Bhakti is often called “love in action” because it’s less about belief and more about how you move through the world. In this context, that might mean how you show up to wash your mug after tea, how you listen when someone in the circle shares something vulnerable, or how you place a small flower or stone on an altar in the Sanctuary. Devotion can be overt—voices raised in kirtan—or subtle, like remembering to pause and breathe before you respond to your own inner critic.
Mantra and chanting are key threads in this Bhakti Yoga Retreat in Mendocino County. Repeating a simple sound or phrase can help quiet mental noise and open a sense of connection that’s hard to access through thinking alone. Contemporary writers on Bhakti emphasize that practices like mantra, prayer, and heartfelt service can soften the heart, reduce anxiety, and foster a sense of connection with something larger than oneself—whether you name that “Spirit,” “Love,” “Nature,” or something else entirely. (Yoga Zeta)
If you’d like an accessible written introduction to this devotional path, you might explore a resource like this overview of Bhakti as the yoga of love and devotion: Bhakti Yoga: The Yoga of Devotion. (Yoga Basics)
Throughout the weekend, the intention is not to impose a particular belief system, but to create a Bhakti yoga retreat in California environment where love, gratitude, and sincere practice are welcome in whatever form feels authentic to you.
Photo of Deer Haven, one of the our many unique cabin spaces. This cabin has three beds. Cabins have between 1 to 8 beds each and provide several different sleeping arrangements for Bhakti Yoga California. All cabin spaces are included in California Bhakti yoga and meditation retreat.
Photo of Group Glamping Tents Setup in Sunset Meadow. We have 10 Glamping Structures that can be added with 1to 3 beds each. This can increase bed capacity of campus to 50 guests across 20 unique accommodation spaces.
Nat Kendall’s Bhakti Yoga Teaching in California
Guiding this Bhakti Yoga California weekend is Nat Kendall, a San Francisco–based yoga teacher and acclaimed world music recording artist whose offerings are steeped in Bhakti and kirtan. Nat’s classes and retreats are known for their warmth and sincerity: grounded sequences, accessible philosophy, and a musicality that threads through everything he shares. (PATH OF YOGI)
As a Bhakti teacher, Nat integrates mantra, storytelling, and live music into practice in ways that feel organic rather than theatrical. You might hear a myth or parable woven into a dharma talk, only to realize later that it speaks directly to something tender in your own life. In asana, he offers clear alignment cues and plenty of modifications, creating space for both beginners and long-time practitioners to find their edge without pressure.
In kirtan, Nat’s experience as a world music recording artist really comes alive. His harmonium lines, rhythmic sensibility, and devotional voice help build chant experiences that are both spacious and intimate. Yet no matter how beautiful the sound, the focus always returns to the heart of Bhakti: sincere connection. This is not performance; it is shared practice. Every voice is welcome, and silence is welcome too.
Central to his teaching is a simple mission: to share the sanctuary of yogic teachings that helped him come home to himself. In his own words, he feels indebted to the teachers and lineages that opened the path for him, and he sees retreats like this Bhakti Yoga Retreat Mendocino as a way to pass that sanctuary forward—offering people a place to remember their own inner wisdom and belonging. (PATH OF YOGI)
Bhakti Yoga Held by a Redwood Retreat Sanctuary
The land and buildings of Spirit Camp are a quiet co-teacher in this Bhakti yoga Northern California immersion. Set on 27 acres of redwood forest in Mendocino County, the retreat center holds a constellation of spaces that naturally support devotional practice, altar building, and contemplation.(Mendocino Land Trust)
The Sanctuary is the heart of many Bhakti moments. With its tall windows, central skylight, cushions, and cozy woodstove, it feels like a luminous forest chapel. This is where you may sit in meditation as the morning light filters through branches, or gather at night for kirtan as candlelight flickers and voices rise under the roof. It’s also where impromptu altars often emerge: a small cluster of flowers, a stone from the trail, handwritten notes of gratitude.
The Redwood Lodge, built from local redwood and filled with plants, long tables, and warm light, holds communal meals and some practices as well. It’s easy to imagine it as a living room for your Bhakti Yoga Retreat in Mendocino County—a place to sip tea, share stories, and pause between sessions. When the weather cooperates, doors and windows open to let forest air move through the space.
Magic Meadow and other outdoor circles are ideal for walking meditations, quiet mantra repetitions, or simple sky-gazing. During a break, you might bring your journal to the meadow and write a few lines of thanks, or sit at the edge of the trees and let the rhythm of your breath become a private chant. Fire circles at night, with stars overhead and redwood silhouettes all around, often feel like natural extensions of the day’s Bhakti practices.
All of this unfolds in a queer-owned, sober, body-positive environment where playfulness and reverence live side by side. To get a fuller sense of this Bhakti-friendly retreat sanctuary in Northern California, you can visit Spirit Camp.
Bhakti Yoga in Mendocino County on the Northern California Coast
Geography is part of what makes this Bhakti yoga retreat in California so special. Spirit Camp is located within Mendocino County, California, on the Northern California coast, just a short drive from the town of Mendocino and only about a mile inland from the Pacific Ocean. (Great Runs) Here, redwood forest, estuary, and ocean air meet in a way that naturally supports the contemplative, heart-centered tone of the weekend.
For those traveling from urban hubs, the drive is typically two to three hours north of places like San Francisco, Oakland, and much of Sonoma County, depending on your exact starting point and route. As you leave the freeways behind, the road begins to wind through vineyards, river canyons, and finally coastal cliffs, giving you time to shed layers of busyness before you arrive at this Bhakti Yoga Retreat in Mendocino County. (Mendocino Land Trust)
Spirit Camp is also accessible from major Northern California airports: San Francisco International (SFO) and Oakland International (OAK) are generally around three hours away by car, while the Santa Rosa airport is often closer to two. From camp, it’s just a short drive into Mendocino village for coffee, groceries, or a post-retreat wander through art galleries and ocean overlooks.
If you’re comparing different dates and themes for a Bhakti Yoga Retreat Mendocino or other forest-and-ocean offerings, you can see the full list on the Spirit Camp calendar: Spirit Camp Retreats.
FAQs for a Bhakti Yoga Retreat in California
Is this Bhakti Yoga California retreat religious, or can I attend if I’m spiritually curious but not tied to a tradition?
This Bhakti Yoga California weekend is devotional, but not dogmatic. Practices draw from yogic traditions—especially mantra, kirtan, and heart-centered reflection—but you are not asked to adopt a particular belief system. People attend from many backgrounds: some identify with specific spiritual paths, others consider themselves “spiritual but not religious,” and others simply feel curious about Bhakti’s emphasis on love and connection. The invitation is to participate in the practices in whatever way feels authentic for you.How much of the weekend is physical yoga versus chanting or meditation?
This California Bhakti yoga and meditation retreat tends to include two yoga sessions on the full days: a morning flow that integrates mantra and meditation, and an afternoon session that leans more into restorative poses or dharma-rich exploration. Evenings are anchored by kirtan, and there are sprinkled moments of seated meditation, journaling, and contemplation throughout. In other words, it’s a balance—enough asana to feel embodied and alive, enough stillness and song to let your heart and nervous system truly rest.Are there options for more private lodging if I prefer quiet evenings?
Yes. While the bunkhouse and shared cabins support the “campy” side of this Bhakti Yoga Retreat in Mendocino County, Spirit Camp also offers private cabins and, in some seasons, glamping tents that can be reserved for those who prefer more solitude. All lodging options share the communal bathhouse, but your sleeping space can be as quiet and private as you wish. Many guests who choose private rooms still enjoy the communal aspects—meals, fire circles, and kirtan—knowing they can retreat to their own space at the end of the day.
Two Bhakti-Friendly Nature Pilgrimages Nearby
If you’re able to arrive early or stay after your Bhakti yoga Northern California retreat, the Mendocino coast offers countless ways to integrate your experience. Two particularly sweet options are nearby walks that lend themselves beautifully to mantra, journaling, or quiet contemplation.
Quiet Walk at Big River Beach
Just below the village of Mendocino, Big River Beach stretches along the river mouth where Big River meets the Pacific Ocean. Described as a wide, sandy expanse beside a beautiful estuary, it can often feel surprisingly spacious and uncrowded, with room to wander, sit, or simply watch the changing light. (Meet Mendocino)
After a Bhakti Yoga Retreat Mendocino, you might treat Big River Beach as a kind of outdoor temple. You could sit where fresh water and salt water mingle, journal about what shifted for you over the weekend, or quietly repeat a mantra as you walk along the water’s edge. The gentle meeting of river and sea becomes a natural metaphor for Bhakti itself: inner and outer, self and world, devotion and everyday life flowing into one another.
Mendocino Headlands Cliff Path as Moving Meditation
Encircling the village on three sides, Mendocino Headlands State Park offers miles of bluff-top trails with panoramic views of the ocean, sea arches, and hidden coves. Guides describe the headlands paths as gentle routes along dramatic coastal cliffs, with side trails leading to more exposed viewpoints and secluded nooks—it’s a classic Mendocino experience, beloved for sunsets and storm watching alike. (AllTrails.com)
Walking the cliff path after your Bhakti Yoga Retreat in Mendocino County can become a moving meditation. With each step, you might quietly repeat a phrase of gratitude or a simple mantra from the weekend. Waves crash below, wind moves across your skin, and sky opens in every direction. It’s easy to feel as though you’re walking along the edge of the continent with your devotion spread out in front of you—vast, open, and alive.
Step Into Your Bhakti Yoga California Journey in the Redwoods
If something in you has been longing for more than just another yoga class—if you’ve been craving a space where practice feels like love in action—this Bhakti Yoga California weekend in Mendocino County may be the next step on your path. Over one long, spacious weekend, you’ll be invited to sing, move, rest, listen, and remember what it’s like to be held by both community and the land.
You’re warmly invited to treat this as your Bhakti Yoga Retreat Mendocino anchor—a touchstone you can return to in memory, mantra, and movement whenever life feels too fast. Learn more and book your spot for the Mendocino Bhakti & Kirtan Retreat on Nat’s retreat page here: Learn more and book your spot for the Mendocino Bhakti & Kirtan Retreat.
To explore other Bhakti yoga retreat in California and nature-focused offerings at this redwood sanctuary, including additional Bhakti Yoga Retreat in Mendocino County experiences, you can also see all upcoming retreats at Spirit Camp here: Spirit Camp Retreats.
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