We all want connection.  We know how valuable love is.  We’re grateful we have a partner in these days of separation.  Yet we acknowledge that we aren’t reaching our potential as a couple.  

It’s not because we’re not smart.  It’s not because we don’t have tools.  

It may be because we enact patterns of behavior we’ve learned, for valid reasons, that are now coming between us; holding us back from where we want to be.

This retreat is about identifying those patterns, really seeing ourselves through the eyes of compassion, and making new connections with our partners.   Our focus here is authenticity… which naturally leads to deepened love.

We’ll have the help of Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, Prudence Tippins, a herd of wise and intuitive horses who know all about authentic connection, Master Equine Facilitated Coach Sally Nilsson and Mindfulness Teacher & Equine Coach, Eric Kolesar.

Powerful Modality - We’ll have unique ways of exploring our potential from the perspective of Internal Family Systems (IFS), including movement, sculpting, enactment, play, and reflective time for ourselves and with each other. Read more about IFS below.

Horses as guides - They have 56 million years of wisdom to share - to find out more about how horses support our internal self-discovery and ability to connect with others, visit the Tula Vida website.

Location - Tula Vida is surrounded by nature as far as the eye can see. It’s like stepping back in time, where everything feels simpler, nourishing and restorative…the ideal place to retreat and feel safe to explore.

Facilitators - the team brings many years of experience to create a supportive space for self-discovery, authentic connection and mindful exploration.  Prudence, together with Sally & Eric, will share knowledge and tools to take home and apply to your everyday life together. 

Prudence Tippins, LMFT is a systemic therapist trained in Internal Family Systems (IFS), Intimacy from the Inside Out (IFIO), and several other therapeutic modalities, including EMDR, MBSR, DBT, TRE, and neurofeedback/biofeedback.  She has also explored and been trained in many adjunct therapies, including Family Constellations, the Enneagram, Authentic Movement, and bibliotherapy.  She is a lifelong meditator, yoga practitioner, and natural food enthusiast who stays curious about herself, others, and our world.  You’ll often find Prudence outdoors with her husband of three decades, Steve, their furry friends, and perhaps a grandchild or two.

Many of us spend our time surviving or on cruise control rather than thriving.  Working alone rather than working in harmony together.

There is so much uncertainty out there, yet nature continues to grow and flourish in its magnificence. It is the ideal place for us to calm our spirits and soothe our bodies and minds.  

With relaxed and supported internal nervous systems, we feel more safe and able to explore our internal landscapes together and find the deep connection we are longing for.

Internal Family Systems (IFS), known as "parts work” works with the natural subdivisions, or parts, of the human mind. There are wounded parts who hold painful emotions such as anger and shame, and parts that try to protect us from the pain by controlling or reacting to the external world. 

IFS focuses on connecting each of these parts with Self, the confident, compassionate, whole person that is the core of every individual, thereby creating secure internal attachment.  Exploring our parts with our partner leads to a whole different level of empathy, compassion and understanding for each other, and a new way of communicating and connecting that creates a foundation of true, stable partnership.

Horses magnify and support our internal access to Self energy, the foundation for our exploration and healing.

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·  Explore creating relationship and connection with a horse, who can share wisdom from living together in harmony with their herd, their environment and the constantly changing world.

·  Learn tools to communicate and support each other, and practice these in activities with the horses.

·  Let the horses support you in uncovering any blocks to feeling more connection, joy, purpose or fulfilment.

·  Nourish your body with healthy food, gentle movement designed to get your energy flowing, beautiful natural surroundings, and healing massage. 

·  Feel the positive energy of your partnership re-emerge little by little…

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"The level of connection that I experienced with the horses gave me a sense of peace that I will never forget. I have never felt so present in a moment.  It felt like they allowed me to explore concepts in a safe manner…" -CB

"Tula Vida helped me experience in so many different ways throughout my retreat to listen and believe in myself. Until you walk beside and feel the heartbeat of the horses yourself you cannot realize how life-changing it really is.” -DC

"If anyone is interested in exploring a deeper relationship with themselves, I highly recommend this retreat.” -AB

Experience and Nature are the Best Teachers

The good news is that the horses and the natural world have the secrets of “going back to grazing” or “growing through” whatever comes up, living fully present, relaxed, alert and connected. And Costa Rica - with its vibrant, abundant delights for the senses all around - is the ideal place to learn.

Tula Vida Magic

Tula Vida Ranch is a 80-acre natural oasis, designed to bring everything back into balance just by being here. Expansive views, solid retreat spaces, vibrant nature, pure air and water, rainforest soundtracks, natural light and the presence of the horse herd all speak at a deep level to your whole system – supporting you to feel truly present, supported and alive. 

Horse and Nature Experiences

This retreat will include guided nature and horse experiences, communication tools, mindful movement, IFS coaching, play and fun, as well as space and support for your reflection, discussions and connection together in beautiful spaces. 

Other things the horses model and teach us:

-  Being rather than just Doing

-  Becoming truly present and mindful amidst distractions

-  Noticing and processing stress and discomfort

-  Emotional and social intelligence

-  Non-verbal communication

-  Cultivating presence and positive, inspiring energy

-  Belonging in the herd, connected and supported

**No prior horse experience is necessary – all levels are welcome.  All horse activities will be mainly on the ground.**

A Sense of Home

Tula Vida guests often comment how quickly they feel like they belong here, with welcoming humans, animals and the land itself. 

Our rooms are designed as a retreat from the wilds of nature - calming, comfortable spaces where you can relax and rest well as you process your insights and connect deeper with yourself and your partner. Meals are healthy, delicious and made with love so your whole body feels nourished along the way.

We are here to support you.

Away from the sights and sounds of busy human life, we have created an oasis for both humans and horses. Every time we step onto the land we feel the power of the natural world to soothe, nourish and restore us. 

Tula Vida Ranch

Tula Vida Ranch is surrounded by 3 volcanos, an expansive sunset view and pristine rainforest, with rivers, springs and ponds - the horses roam freely in this stunning environment where you will find you can breathe more deeply and re-discover your flow.

Accommodation

Our rooms are beautiful and comfortable with a terrace and individual bathrooms.  

Our communal lodge is where we share meals, practice yoga and is a safe, comfortable space to rest. 

Nourishment

Meals are home-cooked with love, using fresh local ingredients.  Our water comes from our abundant natural springs and we have air fresh from the trees to breathe - everything is designed to be in harmony with the surroundings and support your mind, body and spirit to rest, re-energize and renew.

Environment and Herd

We are 100% off-the-grid with our own solar power and fresh spring water living in harmony with nature while remaining a safe, comfortable human retreat. We even have good internet!

We have planted 1000s of trees and plants already, including a food forest and a nursery for endangered trees, to encourage the forest to regenerate and give wildlife corridors to pass through the neighboring national parks.  It is a true sanctuary for all visitors, which includes shy tapirs, rare bell-birds and plenty of toucans, sloths and monkeys.

We spend a lot of time out on the stunning 80 acre property - with trails, rivers, waterfalls, valleys, primary rainforest and abundant wildlife - truly accessible nature.  

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Tula Vida Foundation is a 501c charity registered in the US with a mission to rescue horses in Costa Rica and sponsor people to come for transformational horse experiences and retreats.

A visit to us supports not just yourself but also the natural environment, the rescue horses, the local community who work with us and people without the means to have these kind of experiences.

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