Last year, fellow writer-yogi Kate Marolt and I spent 7 days with a small group at a beautiful eco-resort where the beach met the rainforest in Central America for yoga, journaling, farm-to-table organic meals, relaxation, and adventure.
It was simple. It was a “vacation with purpose.”
In 2018, we’re upping the ante.
From Jan 27 – Feb 3, 2018, we’re retreating to the Sacred Valley in the heart of Peru. It’s called PERSONAL MYTH, MINDFULNESS, MACHU PICCHU. You’ll experience ancient rituals. Incan culture. A simpler way of life. Near-extinct language. Communion with the natural world. And llamas. Lots of llamas.
It’s time to catalyze the story of your life, and reap transformation for years to come…
After our last retreat, our guests told us things like,
“Paradise. It was paradise. And I don’t just meant the PLACE. It was the feeling. Our retreat, our family, was pure paradise.” – KP
“Warmth, growth, peace, friendship… It was wonderful spending time with new friends off the grid and a world away. A true gift!” – CM
“I still get emotional when thinking back … it all felt so welcoming and comforting and accepting.” – NT
…all that, just from daily yoga, journaling, and pool time!
As we welcome the New Year in Peru in 2018, we’re taking our retreat guests on a deeper dive into their “personal mythology” – the unique tales, experiences, stories and narratives that have defined our relationships, work, and self-knowledge across the years.
Through a gentle blend of mindfulness practices (daily meditation, yoga, and journaling sessions) and a heart-opening exploration of a unique ancient culture, its nature-reverence, and open-minded spirituality, this retreat will effortlessly open you up to the story that you want, need, and deserve to embody in this lifetime.
Because that’s what happens when you escape your comfort zone and invest in the very best, highest version of yourself!
Registration is open now, and we’d love for you to join us there.
Personal Myth, Mindfulness, Machu Picchu
Jan 27 – Feb 3, 2018
Spend 8 days and 7 nights in the heart of the ancient Incan empire. You’ll fall in love with a simpler way of life lived off the grid, full of bright tapestries, ancient ruins, communion with nature, lush green valleys, maize for days, and more llamas than you can count.
There, we’ll parse away the unnecessary anxieties of life back at home; we’ll get back to our true nature through breath, movement and reverence for life; and begin to till the life-stories that our souls demand we embody.
WHERE + HOW
We’re staying at a private, family owned yoga shala in the Sacred Valley of the Inca, Peru. You’ll fly into Cusco (CUZ), the old capital of the Incan Empire, on Saturday, January 27th – any time before 5PM. Depart any time on February 3rd (or, stay longer in Cusco or Lima if you can!).
HOW MUCH
Tickets start at $2,200 until July 31*, and include everything except your airfare: room accommodations, local ground transportation, daily farm-to-table meals, yoga, meditation, journaling, countryside adventures, and a bucket list journey to Machu Picchu.
A $500 deposit is all you need to reserve your space now. Payment plans established thereafter. Register here.
* After July 31, $2,400; after September 31, $2,600.
WHAT YOU’LL DO
Your 8-day retreat is conscientiously designed to provide a nourishing, immersive experience in this unique landscape. But everything is optional, and choice is encouraged: your days are built to contain space to relax, unwind, explore, and just “be.”
After all, part of what we’re practicing in Peru is self-knowledge and intentionality!
– Silent Guided Journaling Sessions. Every morning, you’ll find a new miniature lesson in creative self-expression to read and explore in your journal. Enjoy the space of silent mornings, and reflect on your journey, goals, dreams, and story.
– Group Meditation / Pranayama. Light meditation sessions right before yoga cleanses your mental slate. You’ll be given a breathing exercise (pranayama) to try, and learn how each technique helps you personally manipulate your own energy and heart rate to create a desired inner feeling state (calmness, vigor, balance, etc).
– All-Levels Vinyasa Yoga. Kate and I co-teach, then alternate days, to provide you with double the depth of voices and perspectives – plus, double the fun poses to play in! Simple classes are designed to help you feel stronger and healthier – no experience is required, and this is a 100% judgment free zone.
– Breakfast, lunch and dinner. Our yoga shala prepares fresh Peruvian cuisine daily, with organic veggies from their garden and organic farms in the area. We’ll be eating mostly vegetarian, as that is the local tradition, and special dietary requests are easily honored. Look forward to the veggie lasagna, hand-made breads, quiche, and home-made desserts!
– Countryside cultural adventures. Selfie atop Machu Picchu. Sound-bath in an ancient amphitheater. And sip ice cold chicha morada in a generations’ old local marketplace – maybe while shopping for a few authentic souvenirs while you’re at it! Plus, you might add on extra excursions like stand-up paddleboarding, massages or spa treatments, or other adventures – whatever your heart demands!
– Stay in touch long afterward. Our private Facebook group keeps the dialogue, learning, and camaraderie alive long after our week together ends. Our Costa Rica group is still chatting and supporting one another, a year and a half later!
What Kate and I discovered in our last retreat was that the ingredients of a simple “vacation with purpose” are also the perfect recipe for shaping the inner transformation that one has experiencing back at home.
That’s why, on this retreat, we’re going deeper.
Our focus on personal mythology will help you uncover the epic story of life that your soul demands you live in this lifetime – thanks, in large part, to the magic of Peru as one of the world’s most unique cultural and historical backdrops.
The combination of travel, new friends, unique settings and outside-your-comfort-zone exploration will illuminate what shadow-habits, stuckness, frustrations, hesitations or fear-points may be holding you back from feeling fully alive, on-purpose, and fulfilled back at home.
As we adventure across Peru together, we’ll learn how to master transformation, re-invent ourselves, and take a new inner strength home with us… for months and months to come.
“I realized in the week we were all together that I’ve held up a shield for 24 years for fear that others would not accept me. You all did. So, after 24 years, I’m lowering that shield. This is empowering for me. I couldn’t have done it without feeling so accepted by you all, each so unique, and confident. I LOVED it.” – SM
“My time with all of you beautiful people changed my life. Is that dramatic? I don’t know, but I really believe the tone of our retreat really helped guide me to where I am now.” – CH
“I can truly say I am the happiest I’ve ever been.” – TN
Most of our guests – who ranged from part-time yogis to full-time moms, students, bartenders and servers, young-to-mid-level professionals, budding artists, and more – told us that our time together catalyzed transformation in their lives.
More than spending an amazing week on vacation with us, our retreat illuminated personal growth and evolution that they had been experiencing for years.
New supportive friends, daily wellness practices, deep personal reflection, and joyful indulgence for the lives we live… launched them into brand new beginnings at home.
We’re all seeking transformation — sometimes, that’s easier said than done.
Because transformation can mean things like change and uncertainty, rebirth and renewal, and not being sure exactly what is awaiting you on the “other side.”
Which is why a retreat like PERSONAL MYTH, MINDFULNESS, MACHU PICCHU is so perfect. This adventure pulls you out of the doldrums of the everyday and into a magnificent countryside surrounded by cool, conscientious, supportive people. Less aloneness, more play and joy.
We’d like to usher you into the transformation you’ve already been experiencing – by way of deep, total wonder for the world, and a big booster-shot of soulful Self-Love.
Full event details are here, or register directly here.
If you’re still reading, but have some hesitations…
You’re not alone.
Here are a couple worries that our guests expressed before coming – and, the result of having conquered their fears:
“I worried that once I arrived I would feel out of place among the others who chose to attend. What I found was the exact opposite of that! I miss our group almost daily!” – KP
“I was worried about what other people would think of me at the retreat, how I’d compare to them in terms of yoga and writing skills, and whether or not I’d fit in. I was also worried about money. I’ve never spent so much money on myself before, but it turned out to be the best thing I could’ve ever done for myself.” – NT
Yes to conquering fear.
Yes to joy.
Yes to play.
Yes to adventure!
Join us in Peru – and kick off your 2018 on the highest of high notes.
Register here.
PS – Can’t make this retreat, but know someone who may? Your referral would mean the world. Forward this message to her or him!
PPS – Can’t make this retreat, but want transformation all the same? Try to “retreat at home.” I wrote this blog post for you.
PPPS – My Summer of Writing 2017, a free 8-week writing prompt project on my blog, kicks off this Sunday. Sign up here to play.