*** This retreat is hosted by True Nature Travels. To learn more about the specifics, policies and to book your spot, please visit their website here:
About the Retreat:
Let’s get away & unwind together in paradise. Imagine a week where each day begins and ends on your mat with a view of the Pacific Ocean. Maria & Richard are delighted to offer this 7-day experience to help awaken your spirit. Our home for the week will be the beautiful Mar de Jade-Retreat & Wellness Resort, located at the edge of the tropical jungle on the pristine sandy beach of Chacala, Mexico.
Immerse yourself in a transformative week where we embrace the rejuvenating power of mindfulness practices. Our daily rituals will include yoga, meditation, and breathwork, serving as gateways to a realm of profound well-being. Our yoga will include active practices of vinyasa & hatha, as well as the more grounding experiences of meditation, restorative & gentle yoga. Throughout this journey, we will delve into the essence of mindfulness, exploring its potential to bring healing and boundless joy into our lives.
You will have plenty of leisure time to visit the spa, read & relax, go snorkeling, take a jungle hike, tour the farm, detox in Aztec Sweat Lodge, swim in the pools, and play in the ocean! One very special aspect of this retreat is our designated service project, where we dedicate time to giving back to the local community.
Together, we will embark on an extraordinary exploration of these ancient practices to unlock profound healing and awaken our spirit. Our intention is to step away from the chaos and frenzy of daily life and into this peaceful haven . . . reclaiming the innate joy & deep sense of peace within, as we immerse ourselves in the essence of mindfulness.
What’s Included:
6 nights accommodations
3 meals per day (excluding alcoholic beverages) starting with dinner on the first night and ending with breakfast on the last day
Group Ground Transportation to/from Gustavo Diaz Ordaz International Airport (PVR) Airport to Retreat Center
Daily yoga practices
Personal retreat time (having time to nap, explore, walk, read, and just be)
Accommodations:
Welcome to Chacala, the crown jewel of the Riviera Nayarit. Nestled in a pristine bay, this coastal paradise enchants with golden sands, turquoise waters, and lush beauty. Just 90 minutes south of Puerto Vallarta Airport, it feels worlds away. Discover the town’s charm, from relaxed living to thrilling activities like hiking and boating. Unwind on the beach, embraced by coconut trees and palapa restaurants. Immerse yourself in Chacala’s warm and welcoming spirit for an idyllic travel experience.
Tuition:
Standard Rates:
Triple Shared Accommodations – $3,195 USD
Standard Shared Accommodations – $3,295 USD
Garden Shared Accommodations – $3,495 USD
Deluxe Shared Accommodations – $3,595 USD
Standard Single Accommodations – $3,795 USD
Garden Single Accommodations – $4,095 USD
***Paying an initial non-refundable deposit of $350 and $35 Payment Processing Fee (added to the tuition rate upon registration) will lock in your tuition rate and hold your space for the trip.
Your Leaders:
Maria Bliss:
Maria is a passionate yoga teacher and has enjoyed owning a yoga studio in the Seattle area for over 20 years: Yogabliss.org. She holds numerous certifications in the yoga world and has relished mentoring many newer yoga teachers on their own paths. Maria’s love for movement began as a young dancer when she experienced a sense of physical freedom, self-expression and deep discipline that fed her soul. Her desire to share this passion led her to realize her gifts as a teacher of dance, fitness, and many other physical modalities as the years unfolded.
While dancing in a regional ballet company, Maria was introduced to yoga for strengthening, stretching and healing. Yoga soon became a form of self-study and life practice for her. Years later as a young wife and mother, her weekly yoga class became a dedicated and grounding practice that helped her navigate the beauty and challenges of life.
A deep curiosity for spiritual exploration and personal growth brought Maria to meditation nearly 30 years ago. Her path of practice led her to study Mindfulness Meditation with many of the great modern teachers. The late Michael Stone helped Maria establish the personal practice that inspired her to embark on the two-year Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Certification offered by esteemed teachers Jack Kornfield and Tara Brach.
Currently, Maria finds her deepest calling as a both student and teacher of Mindfulness. Her classes focus on the breath as an anchor for fluid movement that is steady without rushing. Maria is known for skillful alignment-based instruction and intelligent functional movement sequences that offer students the freedom to listen, explore and enjoy! Whether on the mat or on the cushion, Maria brings her vast understanding of the practices, her own lived experience and her sweet sense of humor to each practice. She encourages going deep and getting juicy when it feels right, slowing down and backing off when it doesn’t. Always allowing time for noticing, resting, and connecting.
Maria teaches weekly yoga and meditation classes, extended practices & workshops and is delighted to lead retreats so that she can share these powerful practices more broadly.
Richard Guevara:
Richard is known for his authentic, non-judgmental teaching style and compassion-centered philosophy. His classes are playful and begin with and build upon the fundamentals as he believes it takes time to truly learn something well. With that, you can expect to move at a smooth pace that doesn’t feel rushed and gives you time to find what is exactly right.
Richard is a local Seattle teacher and known for his accessibility, humor, and ability to empower his students through one of yoga’s oldest messages, “compassion first.” Richard is always seeking more knowledge, which led him to San Francisco to train with his beloved teacher, Annie Carpenter, of Smart Flow Yoga. Smart Flow is a methodology that focuses on alignment of the shoulder girdle and pelvis to bring balance to the body, mind and spirit. With over a decade of experience in his field, Richard continues to bring change to his students and his community through love and compassion one student at a time.
You can expect joyful playfulness in Richard’s classes, as well as movement, sweat and breath. He often fuses classical Hatha style with strong Vinyasa flow.
