Hands & Heart Andean Healing + Art Retreat

Otavalo & Mindo, Ecuador
November 14–23, 2025

Step into the sacred lands of the Ecuadorian Andes and cloud forest for a 9-day women’s retreat woven with ceremony, art, healing, and deep connection to nature. Guided by three powerful women — Michelle Reyna (Florida-based artist & healer with Ecuadorian roots), Katie of Allpa Mama Healing (shamanic guide & healer), and Mama Mercedes (beloved Otavalo curandera, midwife, and keeper of Andean healing traditions) — this retreat is a journey of remembrance through your hands and opening through your heart.

What You’ll Experience

🌿 Traditional Andean Healing Practices
Receive limpias (energetic cleansings), herbal medicines, womb healing, and sacred rituals passed down through generations. Mama Mercedes will guide us in connecting with the powerful energies of the Apus (mountains) and sacred waters.

🌊 Nature Immersions

• Cuicocha Crater Lagoon – Hike & pray along her sacred shores.

• Peguche Waterfall – Receive a water blessing and visit the ceremonial caves.

• Mojanda Lagoon – Evening ritual of purification and renewal.

• Mindo Cloud Forest – Explore lush waterfalls, cacao farms, and world-renowned birdwatching.

🎨 Art & Creativity

• Ceramic Workshop in Ibarra – Create your own ocarina with master ceramicist Jorge Farinango.

• Beadwork with Katie & Michelle – Learn the art of beaded earrings, a meditative ancestral practice.

💆 Healing & Bodywork
Enjoy self-massage workshops, traditional massage with Michelle & Mercedes, and practices to restore your nervous system and bring you back into balance.

🍫 Sacred Cacao Ceremony
In the cloud forest of Mindo, experience cacao in its purest form — from bean to cup — followed by a heart-opening cacao ceremony.

Not included:
- Airfare

- Travel insurance

- Transportation to/from retreat (can be arranged for you)

Katie:  

Founder of this center, a spiritual medicine guide, and ceremonialist of Wachuma, San Pedro. Born in the US, she has been walking the spiritual path for 8 years and holding space in ceremonies and retreats for 6 years. She has studied under the guidance of her partner Miguel, a mestizo shaman in Andean + Shuar lineage, as well working with Mama Mercedes, an indigenous Kichwa Andean healer and midwife. Her role at the healing center is to lead, guide, and empower people to reconnect with themselves, Spirit and Mother Earth.

In addition to healing work, she also is a bead artist! (you can see her art at @earthweavings on instagram)

Michelle Reyna: 

 Michelle is a licensed massage therapist with six years of experience, specializing in Shiatsu, somatic therapy, and myofascial release. Her practice has recently deepened through the integration of Vedic Thai massage and Sarga. Her approach is rooted in conscious touch- a practice that invites stillness, vulnerability, and deep reconnection. In addition to bodywork, she is the artist behind Wild Mar, a devotional beadwork practice rooted in earth connection and ancestral memory. Her pieces are handcrafted slowly, with care and intention. Beadwork for Michelle, is not just a craft- it's a meditative act of embodiment, a way of listening with the hands, and a prayerful return to what is sacred.  

Mama Mercedes:

Mama Mercedes is an indigenous ancestral medicine healer from Imbabura Province, near Otavalo. Since she was a young girl, she began working with her special gifts, learning from her grandmother how to work with herbal medicines, traditional midwifery, and energy healing. She has the unique ability to be able to see the problems and illnesses of others, and cures these issues with plants, massage, and energy cleansings and ritual baths. She was elected president of the traditional midwifery organization of Otavalo and is a leader in the indigenous community. She is a woman of wisdom with a big heart and a great laugh. 

We are going to be up in the Andes mountains where there is sunshine and occasionally rain. It gets chilly at night, so bring pants, a sweater, and a jacket. Bring sweat pants and something warm to sleep in at night. During the day, a t-shirt is usually good to wear and pants. 

Bring hiking boots for our walks and swim suit for our ritual in Mojanda and waterfalls in Mindo.

In Ecuador people mainly just accept cash; rarely you will use a card, however bring a debit or credit card to take out money from ATMs. Small change is good to have on hand. 

 Travel info:

- Upon entry to Ecuador, you will automatically receive a 90 day tourist visa, but please confirm your visa requirements prior to booking your flight

- You must possess a valid passport that does not expire within 6 months of entry to Ecuador

Payment:

- The deposit is non-refundable. Payment of the deposit we request through the Wetravel platform by credit or debit card. After the deposit, we can also accept Paypal, Venmo, or bank transfer.  

Cancellations:

60+ days notice – refund minus the deposit, which can be applied to a future retreat

59-30 days notice – full balance can be applied to a future retreat

30 days notice – only your deposit may be applied to a future retreat

If Allpa Mama Healing cancels the retreat:

- If we must cancel a retreat for any reason (with the exception of rare major national emergencies) prior to the retreat date, you may transfer your full retreat payment to another retreat, or you may request a full refund.

We are not responsible for your expenses incurred in preparation for any cancelled retreat, such as airline tickets, loss of work, and/or other costs associated with preparing for your trip. We highly recommend you purchase trip insurance or the option to change your flight dates when booking your flight.

Please be kind and respectful. If we see you are being disrespectful to us or other guests, we will ask you to leave without refund. This has never happened, but please be aware that we ask all guests to be kind and respectful. 

- Arrive around 2 pm

- Snack, welcome

- Cleansing ritual + ceremony for Pachamama with Mama Mercedes

- Dinner

- Fire at night to open retreat

-Morning meditation

- Breakfast

-Visit Artisan Market in Otavalo

- Lunch

- Learn to make ceramic art: create a copalera for smudging cleansing herbs/palo santo, and/or ocarina musical instrument

-Dinner

-Massages with Michelle

Meditation & yoga

Breakfast

Explore Laguna Cuicocha & Cotacachi

Lunch 

Bodywork sessions with Michelle

Herbal Medicines with Mama Mercedes

Dinner

-Morning meditation

-Massages with Michelle

- Breakfast

-Visit Peguche Waterfall and explore the sacred caves

-Lunch

-Workshop about mind, body & spirit healing with Katie

- Dinner

- Morning meditation

- Breakfast

- Workshop: Self-massage

- Lunch

- Ceremony in Laguna Mojanda for healing

- Dinner

- Breakfast

- Travel to Mindo

- Visit a Cacao farm and see how this sacred plant is produced

- Cacao ceremony at night with Katie

- Morning meditation

- Breakfast

- Hike to waterfalls in Mindo

- Lunch in town

- Beading workshop with Katie + Michelle

- Rest + restore

- Dinner

• Early morning

• Birdwatching tour + hike

• Lunch

• Rest + reflect on retreat

• Dinner

• Ritual to close retreat

• Morning meditation

• Breakfast

• Depart by 10am