What part of you is ready to be remembered?

What might awaken when you allow a sacred land to hold you?

How would it feel to give back to the land that welcomes you?

The Spirit of the Land in Oaxaca showers the culture, cuisine and artisan scenes with a palpable frequency of prosperity. Whether it be through harvesting and indulging in the locally grown, luxurious cacao…or the discovery of the nixtamalization of corn into edible masa…or the exuberant tastes and types of flavors infused into the traditional moles…or the robust colors of the woven artisanal creations…or the vibrant Day of the Dead celebration every October…the energy in Oaxaca lives and breathes a sense of plenty through an honor and livelihood for all.

Cultivate a firsthand connection to the Oaxacan essence of prosperity, vitality, creativity and alchemy through one or two distinct landscapes and ecosystems, existing within hours of each other.

With daily curated yoga, meditation and ceremonial practices designed for all levels of experience ~ Your journey is crafted to inspire real and lasting transformation. Through directly experiencing Oaxaca’s radiance and sacredness, you’ll foster an authentic relationship with the land, culture, community and yourself, while digesting Oaxaca at a pace that allows for genuine presence, engagement and appreciation.

Each Spirit of Alchemy retreat gives back directly to nature and the local communities ~ Your visit supports the indigenous people and contributes to many conservation of nature efforts. This is made possible in partnership with Fondo de Conservación El Triunfo (FONCET) ~ a Chiapas-based conservation organization whose work protects the cloud forests, watersheds, and communities of Southern Mexico. Each day of this retreat connects to their mission, and a portion of your financial investment directly supports their work. The land you will touch belongs to one of the most biodiverse and most threatened regions in the Americas ~ and the communities who steward it will be our guides.

We will immerse ourselves in Oaxaca City ~ a UNESCO World Heritage center alive with Zapotec history, traditional cuisine, sacred cacao, artisanal goods and ancient lands.

The Spirit of Oaxaca gives life to this retreat ~ She is the essence behind this experience! Rooted in the heart of the Central Valleys, we will move with awareness and intention to truly receive her ~ walking her colorful streets, experiencing her innate wildness, learning about her rich culture and tasting the living traditions that have nourished her people for millennia.

We will begin by immersing ourselves in Oaxaca City ~ a UNESCO World Heritage center alive with Zapotec history, traditional cuisine, sacred cacao, artisanal goods and ancient lands.

Then we will descend to the Pacific coast at Huatulco ~ one of Mexico’s most protected coastlines ~ where turquoise bays, golden sands and coral reefs invite us to soften, settle and release what we no longer need.

The Spirit of Oaxaca gives life to this retreat ~ She is the essence behind this experience! From the heart of the Central Valleys to the sun-kissed seashores of the Pacific, we will move with awareness and intention to truly receive her ~ walking her colorful streets, experiencing her innate wildness, learning about her rich culture, tasting the living traditions that have nourished her people for millennia and restoring at her coastline.

The Spirit of the Land in Oaxaca called to me long before I was able to plant my feet on her rich, biodiverse soil. She enticed me with her welcoming arms and gently nudged me to lean in.

Through her, I discovered a newfound appreciation for living fully, and new ways to express it. I first came to her feeling “hungry for more” ... joy, laughter, pleasure, satiation ... and I leave each visit filled with contentment, nourishment and gratitude for how she pours into me. I’m drawn back again and again and again!

I’m honored to guide you and other like-hearted souls through a diverse spread of nature-based and cultural activities throughout this retreat. You can expect to bathe in the Oaxacan essence of beauty and bounty through experience, intention and practice. Daily wellness practices are curated for all levels of experience and include a variety of yoga styles, guided meditations, breathwork exercises and journaling prompts ~ enhanced by energetic, somatic and shamanic healing techniques.

Mark and I would absolutely love to have you join us in September 2027!

Please don't hesitate to reach out to us with any questions you may have.

With Love,

Shanin Weisberg, Your Retreat Leader

Shanin Weisberg is a healer, teacher, coach and wellness entrepreneur whose practice spans the full spectrum of integrative, soul-inspired healing ~ spirit healing, energy work, shamanic healing, Reiki, trauma-informed yoga, somatic coherence and intuitive coaching. She is the founder of Surrender to Soul Healing & Wellness, serving clients and students locally in Boulder County and internationally.

At Spirit of Alchemy, Shanin designs and facilitates the healing containers that make our retreats transformational ~ ceremony, somatic integration, shamanic journeying, meditation and soul-level shifts that go much deeper than conventional wellness travel. She teaches weekly yoga at Soul Tree Yoga in Lafayette, CO, and leads her flagship Portal of Light practitioner training, along with other workshops and classes in Colorado and online. Her work draws on deep training and initiation across yogic, somatic, energetic and shamanic traditions ~ and her gift is creating the conditions in which real transformation of the soul becomes possible.

She brings to every retreat the same essence that guides Spirit of Alchemy: when we move through sacred places with intention, reverence, practice and reflection, something in us shifts ~ and that shift is palpable, lasting and genuine.

For more than three decades, Mark Wilhun has walked through some of the most extraordinary places on Earth ~ cloud forests veiled in mist, ancient desert landscapes shaped by wind and time, and coastal wetlands alive with the wingbeats of countless migrating birds. His life’s work has been protecting these places. Now, he is devoted to sharing what they can do for the human spirit.

At Spirit of Alchemy, Mark brings his conservation experience into a new context: small-group retreats that invite people to slow down, move through sacred landscapes, and let nature do what it has always done ~ heal, clarify and transform. His focus is on making Shinrin-Yoku (forest bathing), desert immersion and cloud forest wandering accessible to all, weaving them together with yoga and contemplative practice.

Mark currently serves as Executive Director of the Alianza Mesoamericana de Ecoturismo (AME), a Boulder-based 501(c)(3) with a network spanning eight countries across Mesoamerica. He holds a BS in Forestry from Colorado State University and an MBA from San Francisco State University.

What drives him is the conviction that the most powerful thing conservation can do is let people truly feel these places. That is the alchemy Spirit of Alchemy is after.

Oaxaca City is one of the cultural and culinary capitals of Latin America — a living museum of Zapotec civilization, colonial architecture, vibrant markets, and extraordinary food. Allow the city to land in your senses — the smoke of copal on the air, the colors of the textiles, the sound of the zócalo (central square) at dusk. Today is about landing in your body in Oaxaca, meeting your fellow travelers and feeling the city welcome you wholeheartedly.

Arrival

*Airport transfer to Casa Divina Boutique Hotel — Transportation included

*Early Arrival Sensory Orientation Walk to El Centro + Mercado

5:00 - 6:00 PM

Opening Circle @ Casa Divina Terrace

6:30 – 8:00 PM

Walk to Welcome Dinner @ Casa Taviche Restaurant

8:15 – 9:00 PM

Yin Yoga + Yoga Nidra Guided Meditation @ Casa Divina Terrace

During our first full day, we drop into movement, reverence and somatic experience before rooting ourselves in the living food traditions of Oaxaca — traditions inseparable from the land. Quinta Bravo is a working organic farm where heirloom corn, chiles, and herbs grow as they have for generations, connecting modern cuisine to ancient Mesoamerican foodways.

7:00 AM

Coffee, Tea + Snacks Available @ Casa Divina Terrace

*Fruit, yogurt, granola, pan dulce/pastries

7:30 – 9:00 AM

Morning Yoga Flow @ Casa Divina Terrace

9:15 – 10:00 AM

Breakfast @ Casa Divina Restaurant

10:30 AM – 2:30 PM

FREE TIME — Walk, Explore, Eat, Shop, Rest

*Optional guided orientation walk to Mercado or El Centro.

*Lunch on your own (cost not included).

2:30 – 3:00 PM

Transfer to Quinta Bravo Organic Farm

3:00 – 5:00 PM

Cooking Class: Salsas, Masa, Tortillas, Empanadas + Mole Tasting

*Quinta Bravo grows its own ingredients using traditional Zapotec farming practices. As you cook, you will learn how these flavors connect Oaxacan cuisine to the ecology of this region.

5:00 – 5:30 PM

Hora de Feliz — Fresh Juices and/or Mezcal

5:30 – 7:00 PM

Dinner @ Quinta Bravo

Green + Yellow Mole (Chicken + Vegetarian option).

7:00 – 8:00 PM

Community Firepit — Dessert + Hot Cacao

8:00 – 8:30 PM

Transfer back to Casa Divina

FONCET Focus: Sustainable Production

FONCET supports smallholder farmers in the communities surrounding El Triunfo Biosphere Reserve to transition to sustainable production methods — establishing apiculture programs that support both honey production, crop pollination and promoting conservation agriculture in the lowlands. By making sustainable farming economically viable, FONCET reduces pressure on the forests from the outside in.

Today we rise early to climb to Monte Albán, the ancient Zapotec city resting on a mountaintop above the valley. As the morning light spreads across the grand plaza, we wander among stones aligned with the sun and stars and pause in silent meditation, feeling ourselves as part of something far older than our own stories. After an open afternoon to rest and explore, we close the day with an evening of Oaxacan chocolate, tasting how this sacred forest plant weaves together ceremony, community and care for the land.

6:00 – 7:00 AM

Coffee/Tea + Light Snacks @ Casa Divina Terrace

7:00 – 7:30 AM

Transfer to Monte Albán Trailhead

*Option to skip the hike and be dropped at the site entrance.

7:30 – 8:00 AM

Hike to Monte Albán Archaeological Site

*Approx. 1 mile / 300 ft elevation gain

8:00 – 10:00 AM

Free Exploration of Monte Albán

9:00 – 9:30 AM

*Optional: Silent Group Meditation at the Summit

10:30 – 11:00 AM

Return to Casa Divina

11:00 AM – 4:30 PM

FREE TIME — Explore, Eat, Rest, Shop

*Lunch on your own (cost not included).

4:45 – 6:00 PM

Walk to Dinner @ Mayordomo

6:15 – 8:00 PM

Oaxacan Chocolate Experience + Tasting @ Chimalapa Cacao con Origen

*Chimalapa works with indigenous cacao farmers in the Sierra de Santa Catarina Chimalapa — one of the last great intact tropical forests in Mexico.

8:00 – 8:15 PM

Walk back to Casa Divina

FONCET Focus: Conservation & Species Protection

El Triunfo Biosphere Reserve in Chiapas harbors one of Mexico's last populations of the Horned Guan — a spectacular, turkey-sized bird found nowhere else on Earth — along with jaguars, tapirs, spider monkeys, and hundreds of migratory and endemic bird species. FONCET's park ranger program places trained guardaparques in the reserve to monitor wildlife, prevent illegal logging and species trafficking, and respond to forest fires.

Today is an invitation to cleanse and renew. After a morning practice and breakfast, we take turns in small groups to enter the temazcal, a traditional herbal steam bath used for healing and purification across Mesoamerica for centuries. Surrounded by warmth, plant medicine and ancestral ritual, you can sweat away what you no longer need and come out feeling softened and renewed. We close the evening with a farewell dinner for our short track companions, celebrating all we’ve shared together.

7:00 – 7:30 AM

Coffee/Tea + Light Snacks @ Casa Divina Terrace

7:30 – 9:00 AM

Morning Yoga Flow @ Casa Divina Terrace

9:00 AM - 10:00 AM

Breakfast @ Casa Divina Restaurant

GROUP 1

10:00 - 10:30 AM

Transfer to Temescal

10:30 AM - 12:30 PM

Traditional Temescal Herbal Steam Bath

12:30 - 1:00 PM

Transfer to Casa Divina

1:00 - 4:30 PM

FREE TIME — Walk, Explore, Eat, Shop, Rest

*Lunch on your own (cost not included).

GROUP 2

10:00 AM - 1:00 PM

FREE TIME — Walk, Explore, Eat, Shop, Rest

*Lunch on your own (cost not included).

1:00 - 1:30 PM

Transfer to Temescal

1:30 - 3:30 PM

Traditional Temescal Herbal Steam Bath

3:30 - 4:00 PM

Transfer to Casa Divina

4:00 - 4:45 PM

FREE TIME — Shower, Rest, Etc.

4:45 - 5:00 PM

Walk to Dinner

5:00 - 7:00 PM

Dinner + Short Track Farewell @ Tierra Del Sol

7:00 - 7:15 PM

Return to Casa Divina

Today marks a threshold. After a morning practice and closing circle, we lovingly send off our short track companions and begin our journey toward the sea. As we leave the valley and wind down to the Pacific coast, the warm salt air of Huatulco welcomes us. We settle in with time to rest or take a first swim before sharing in a dinner by the ocean.

8:00 - 9:00 AM

Coffee/Tea + Breakfast @ Casa Divina Restaurant

9:30 - 11:00 AM

Morning Yoga + Short Track Closing Circle

Short Track Transfer to Airport

11:30 AM - 12:30 PM

Lunch @ Casa Taviche

1:00 - 5:00 PM

Transfer to Huatulco

5:00 - 5:30 PM

Room Check In

5:30 - 7:00 PM

FREE TIME — Rest, Swim, Etc.

7:00 - 8:00 PM

Dinner @ Camino Real

FONCET Focus: Social Development & Community Wellbeing

FONCET's Social Development work recognizes that conservation only succeeds when the communities living alongside protected areas can thrive economically. Their CPS (Prosperous and Sustainable Communities) program provides small grants and technical support to local entrepreneurs developing livelihoods that depend on — and therefore protect — intact ecosystems. Nature-based tourism in places like Huatulco is exactly this model at scale: when a coastline's economic value comes from its beauty and biodiversity rather than from its exploitation, conservation and community wellbeing align.

We greet the day with sunrise yoga by the sea before setting out by boat to explore the protected bays of Huatulco National Park. Guided by a local naturalist, we explore the coral reefs alive with fish and sea turtles. After a fresh seafood lunch on the beach, the afternoon is yours to rest or swim before meeting again for dinner.

7:00 – 8:00 AM

Sunrise Yoga Flow + Guided Meditation @ Beachside Outdoor Studio

8:00 – 9:00 AM

Coffee/Tea + Breakfast @ Camino Real Buffet

9:00 - 9:30 PM

Prepare for National Park

9:30 – 10:00 AM

Transfer to Boat Harbor @ Huatulco National Park

10:00 AM – 1:00 PM

Coastal Exploration +/or Snorkeling in Huatulco National Park

1:00 – 2:30 PM

Seafood Lunch @ Beachside Restaurant

*Supporting local fishermen who work within the national park's sustainable regulations.

2:30 – 3:00 PM

Return to Camino Real

3:00 – 7:00 PM

FREE TIME — Rest, Lounge, Beach, Swim, Etc.

7:00 –8:00 PM

Dinner @ Camino Real

Our final full day is about reciprocity. After a morning practice by the sea, we join the local community for a hands-on give-back experience and then share a meal together, offering our gratitude to the people and land that have held us. The afternoon is open for one last soak in the sun and salt water before we gather for a farewell dinner to celebrate and reflect on our journey from valley to shore.

7:00 - 8:00 AM

Breakfast @ Casa Divina

8:30 - 10:00 AM

Morning Yoga Flow @ Beachside Outdoor Studio

10:30 AM - 11:00 AM

Transfer to Community Give Back

11:00 AM -1:00 PM

Community Give Back Activity - TBD

1:00 - 2:00 PM

Community Lunch

2:00 - 2:30 PM

Return to Camino Real

2:30 - 6:00 PM

FREE TIME — Rest, Lounge, Beach, Swim, Etc.

6:00 - 8:00 PM

Farewell Dinner + Closing Circle @ Camino Real

We close with celebration and reflection. A guided conversation will draw together the threads of the journey: What has each landscape in Oaxaca revealed to you? How does wellness inspire your path forward? And what is one thing you will carry home — a practice, a commitment, a changed relationship to the natural world?  We will introduce FONCET's current conservation priorities in Chiapas and share how participants can stay connected after returning home — whether through donation, advocacy, or simply telling the story of what you witnessed here.

Our final morning together is a gentle one. We gather for a last breakfast by the sea, share our goodbyes, and send you home with full hearts and the Spirit of Oaxaca living within you.

Breakfast

Departures

Transportation included to Airport (HUX)