a Body Balance Retreat in the Dominican Republic

May 27 - June 3 2017

Join us for a week in Caribbean Paradise with Purpose! Come to retreat from the everyday hustle & focus on SELF. Chill out beachside, poolside, with old friends & new. Eat clean and tap into the nutritional desires that truly feed your body. Play as much as you like & relax as much as you need!

We are super excited to announce our Spring 2017 retreat in partnership with Hotel Villa Taina in Cabarete, Dominican Republic!! We want to welcome you to what has become a second home for us. The Beautiful Beaches, Welcoming Caribbean Culture, Ocean Sports Playground, Delicious Local Fruits & Vegetables, and Tranquila Atmosphere make this destination a must visit. With our combined knowledge and training, we have created for you, an unforgettable experience where you will not only walk away feeling refreshed and rejuvenated, but also with a deeper understanding of Self. You will go home with the tools you gather here to create the life you desire back at home.

Shall we go on this journey together??!!

We will be staying at the Beautiful, Hotel Villa Taina

Situated right on the beach in the heart of Cabarete, Dominican Republic. The setting is breathtaking, the rooms are delightful, and the service goes unmatched. We strive to provide each and every one of our guests with a top notch experience. So, whether you came to take advantage of the everlasting wind, surf the spectacular waves, or relax and soak up the sunshine, your vacation is in good hands with us.

More info: http://villataina.com/

Sample Daily Schedule:

6:30am - Sunrise Meditation & Group Reflections - Journaling

7:30am - Tea & Juice Break

8:00am - Yoga Flow

9:30am - BREAKFAST

11:00am - Nutrition Discussion & Strategy

1:00pm - LUNCH & Free Chill Time

4:30pm - Afternoon Movement Session & Handstands

6:30pm - Community DINNER

8:30pm - Optional Group Activities: Sunset SUP, Bachata, Thai Massage

Meet your Instructors: 

Kathy Gade

Thai Massage, Group Nutrition discussions & Individualized planning

Born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, Kathy grew up with an active spirit and a heart for teaching. Shortly after becoming a certified Vinyasa Yoga Instructor in 2007 she discovered AcroYoga and was blown away by the trust and community that can be cultivated in just one short class session! Soon after, Kathy began to study Thai Massage and Nutrition Education, and the pieces of the Body Balance puzzle began to take form. Driven by a spirit of collaboration and play, she has dedicated herself to building and sustaining community through Nutrition Education, AcroYoga and Thai Massage. Healing clients, community, family and friends from the inside out. With opportunities to travel, teach, and experience different cultures around the world her eyes have been opened to the greater global community that exists and connects us all together. A global community that she is committed to contributing to through whole body healing and play!

Crystal Hatzimichael

Yoga Flow & Massage

 Crystal found her passion for healing arts at a very young age, as inspired by her massage therapist parents. In 2003, still a senior in high school, she became a certified massage therapist and started her practice full time. She found her career and she loved being of service. In 2006, Crystal and her lifelong friend Kathy Gade began practicing Vinyasa Yoga, and they were immediately hooked! In January, 2008, in the middle of their yoga teacher training, they stumbled upon what would become their new passion, path & love; AcroYoga. The 3 elements that make up AcroYoga - Yoga, Acrobatics, and Healing Arts - inspired Crystal by showing her that therapeutic connection can come in many different forms. Like nothing else she has experienced, AcroYoga has the ability to transform lives in a matter of moments. It can free ones' playful spirit, build trust, create community and space for clear communication. After becoming certified as an AYI teacher in 2012, Crystal has been teaching ongoing classes, workshops, intensives and retreats locally & internationally. As a Massage Therapist, AcroYoga and Yoga instructor Crystal aims to bring the joy, deep knowledge / experience and the healing energy that these practices brought into her life, into others.

Rachel Baker

Explorative Body Aware Movement & Handstands

Rachel Baker, known to friends & family as Chachi, is commonly found signing to her current favorite song, twerking in a handstand, dancing solo; with a friend or a stranger, stitching a head wound or a sliced finger, all while maintaining a huge grin on her face that we have all come to recognize and love. Fed and inspired by the creativity of her Athletic Playground community where she has been teaching Monkey Conditioning, Handstands & Thai Massage since 2008. Her constant drive for helping others and love of play have enhanced her journey as a mover, dancer, hand balancer, and Thai body worker.

Having studied with hand balancers from all over the world, Chachi has a deep understanding and appreciation of the basic foundations from which you build a handstand. She incorporates this in her teaching with clear instruction to insure all students find success at their level of practice.

Since 1996, Chachi has trained in many different dance modalities from modern dance & hip-hop, to lindy hop & blues. More recently inspired by Axis syllabus, contact improv, and Tango. Movement exploration and body awareness are her lifelines.

When not following her passion of movement, Chachi is busy saving lives in the hospital as a PA in Emergency Medicine. We believe there is nothing Chachi can’t do, although the search continues!

* Beach side accommodation at Villa Taina Hotel
* Transfers to and from Puerto Plata (POP) International Airport
* 3 delicious chef prepared meals per day @Serenade Restaurant
* Daily sunrise meditation & Dharma talks
* Morning Yoga flow class
* Daily Nutrition discussions & Individualized health planning
* Explorative body aware movement & Handstand classes
* Thai Massage, Slack-lining, AcroYoga, Core conditioning
* Bachata Lessons, Basic conversational Spanish classes, Beach Volleyball
* Connection to community of like-minded individuals

* Additional Massage Therapy sessions & Private classes
* In house Tranquila Spa Services
* Tours & Excursions: Canyoning, Catamaran Tours, Hiking, Horseback riding, Rafting, Surfing, Kite Boarding, Mountain Biking

HOW TO GET HERE

There are 3 main airlines that fly into Puerto Plata International Airport (POP):

American Airlines – Connects in Miami Florida

United Airlines – Connects in Newark New Jersey

Jet Blue Airlines – Connects in JFK New York

**I HIGHLY highly recommend flying into POP airport as opposed to one of the other options – Santo Domingo (SDQ) or Santiago (STI) – Sometimes you will find cheaper flights into these airports but they require expensive long taxi rides along slow windy roads. Please contact us for additional info if you decide to fly into one of these alternative airports.

**Please wait to purchase your plane ticket until the retreat is confirmed.

PASSPORT & ENTRY INFORMATION

*You WILL need a passport to travel to the Dominican Republic. Make sure to double-check the expiration date on your passport BEFORE purchasing your plane ticket. Some airlines will ask for your passport number in order to purchase your flight.

*AFTER you arrive in Puerto Plata Airport you will be required to purchase a ‘Visitor Visa’ that costs $10 (US) and allows you 30 days in the country. It is best to have exact change, so make arrangements for this before you leave home.

MONEY — DINERO

*The Dominican Peso (DOP) is the national currency in the Dominican Republic. While it is best to have/use Pesos while here, US $ and Credit Cards are also accepted in some places. Exchange rates fluctuate throughout the year but are generally around 45 Pesos to the Dollar.

*It is wise NOT to exchange your $$ at the airport, as you will get the worst exchange rates. There is a bank directly across the street from our hotel making ATM withdrawls & exchange very easy!

LANGUAGE

*Spanish is the national language here in the Dominican Republic, although because this is a tourist destination, you will find that some locals also speak English, French, &/or German!

*We are lucky to have local friends here who are happy to help us learn / brush up on the language here, and classes on basic Spanish to help you get around are included in the cost of the retreat!

CULTURAL & CLIMATE CONSIDERATIONS

*The Dominican Republic is considered a ‘developing country’ and like other developing countries, wearing flashy expensive clothes and jewelry can attract the wrong kind of attention. That being said, one of the main reasons we keep coming back to Cabarete is because we feel safe and welcomed here.

*Dominicans pride themselves on their hospitality. When someone visits, Dominicans go out of their way to make their guests feel welcome and comfortable. 

*When asking someone here, ‘how they are doing’, the most common answer you will receive is “Tranquilo”. There is no better way to describe the atmosphere here than this word, translated as “Chill”.

*Cabarete is a small beach town in the Caribbean that stays pretty warm and humid throughout the year, mid 80’s – low 90’s. Loose shorts, pants, tank tops and loose fitting shirts will be most comfortable.