Welcome to a new, yet ancient, way of moving forward inspired by the powerful energy of the horse. 

Tula Vida Ranch was born from a dream to create a sanctuary where humans, horses, and nature could thrive together. Nestled within a lush volcanic valley, Tula Vida’s free-roaming horses are wise and experienced teachers of mindfulness, natural balance, and self-discovery. Founders Sally Nilsson and Eric Kolesar invited Emily and Dan to co-create a retreat experience that brings together Seeing with Your Heart Constellations with the magic of Tula Vida’s herd and landscape. 

In the Chinese Zodiac, each year is represented by an animal guide, and 2026/7 is the Year of the Fire Horse. A creature of extraordinary sensitivity and strength, the horse invites us to return to  rhythm through movement, instinct, and embodiment. This year, the majestic Fire Horse comes to carry us on its back toward the Mystery, where our heart finds its greatest expression of freedom an love. 

Together, through our signature Alchemical Constellations, we’ll gather to explore what becomes possible when we loosen the reins on inherited beliefs and burdens and allow life to move us in new and uplifting ways. This work invites us into direct relationship with ancestral patterns, family systems, and hidden loyalties that shape how love, vitality, and purpose flow through our lives. Supported by the jungle, the land, the horses, and our Seeing With Your Heart community of like minded seekers, we will canter into an energetic field where ancestral patterns can soften, clarity can emerge, and dormant momentum can be restored.

This retreat is an invitation to listen beneath the noise of the mind and into the intelligence of the body, where the horse teaches us how to trust timing, direction, and connection. Guided by instinct, we’ll move together in the field to remember what it feels like to belong to ourselves, to the herd, to the land, and to a lineage that is ready to run freer through us.

Together, let’s drop the reins, lean into rhythm, and embody our freedom.

This retreat is for those who crave a meaningful connection to nature, the magic of 4-legged guides, and a community who can mirror your capacity for depth, transformation, and systemic expansion.

This retreat is for you if:

• You’re ready to go to the next level of manifesting your dreams and intentions - no stalling at the jump. 

• You’re looking to tend and uplevel your relationship to love, life and your purpose-led body of work. 

• You want to make a difference, have an impact and rise into influence to share your incredible gifts.

• You know it’s time to get on the back of the horse and ride beyond your imagination.

• You are ready to release the imprints and challenges so you can run with the herd in cadence with your own rhythmic gallop. 

• You are looking for a circle to hold the depth, support and inspiration that you desire.

The Gift of Horse Energy in Healing Constellations

Horses meet us beyond language, beyond story, and directly within the energetic field. They are exquisitely attuned participants, responding to what is genuinely present in the body, nervous systems, and relational dynamics within the systemic constellation. As representatives within constellations, the herd supports regulation through relationship, providing a living mirror that reflects our truth without judgment. Their grounded sensitivity creates a field where safety and vitality coexist, allowing long held patterns to soften organically. Facilitating alongside horses restores our trust in our primordial instinct, natural timing, and the organic intelligence of our inner oracle that already knows how to move and awaits our arrival with courage. 

Their sensitivity is not only energetic, but physiological. Horses possess an extraordinarily large heart relative to their body size and have evolved for stamina, responsiveness, and relational attunement. In equine science, this is sometimes referred to as the X factor heart, and it’s something we’ll explore as we facilitate with the herd.  

In the presence of a horse, without words, the body remembers the truth.

We are so excited to gather in Costa Rica with you and the magic of horses!

Away from the sights and sounds of busy human life, Tula Vida Ranch is an oasis for both humans and horses. Every step on the land restores the power of the natural world to soothe, nourish and restore us. The nature, the weather and all the wildlife are a big part of any teaching, healing and experiences you have here.   

Set on 85 acres of green, 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

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

The Villas have double rooms with private bathrooms and a stunning terrace. The Lodge has private rooms next to the dining area and below the rooftop yoga deck.

Nourishment

Meals are home-cooked with love, using fresh local ingredients.  Water comes direct from an abundant natural springs and the air is 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-energise and renew.

Environment and Herd

Tula Vida Ranch is 100% off-the-grid with its own solar power and fresh spring water living in harmony with nature while remaining a safe, comfortable human retreat. There is even good internet.

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

The herd of 15 rescue horses roam the land in freedom, gifted teachers, facilitators and constellatory.

You are invited to spend time on the stunning 85 acre property - with trails, rivers, waterfalls, valleys, primary rainforest and abundant wildlife - truly accessible nature.  

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 supports not just yourself but also the natural environment, the rescue horses, the local community who work together and also extending to people without the means to have these kind of experiences otherwise.

Emily Blefeld, LICSW, is an internationally recognized Systemic Family Constellations trainer, facilitator, and psychotherapist. With more than two decades of experience, she specializes in supporting change-makers, healers, and entrepreneurs to dismantle outdated paradigms, ancestral narratives, and ancient codes that limit their growth. Known for her extraordinary intuitive gifts and ability to commune with the ancestral realm, Emily skillfully attunes to the subtle dimensions of consciousness to help individuals release intergenerational trauma and live with greater authenticity, express their love more fully, and align with their life’s purpose. 

Emily’s professional approach integrates psychotherapy, coaching, and mentoring with advanced methods in Systemic Family Constellations, Core Energetics, Compassionate Spirit Release, and Women’s Mystery Traditions. She holds a Master’s of Social Work from the University of Minnesota and is certified in a range of therapeutic modalities that support holistic healing and transformation. Emily has presented at premier institutions including the Omega Institute, Kripalu, and the North American Systemic Constellations Conference, and served on the faculty of the North American Constellation Intensive. In addition to her private practice, she leads trainings and workshops across the U.S. and internationally in countries including Ireland, Scotland, Norway, Sweden, Hungary, New Zealand, Australia, Canada, Brazil, Bali, Germany, and Africa.

When she’s not guiding clients or leading workshops, Emily walks the ocean shore of Aquinnah, where she resides—gathering inspiration from the tides and the whispers of the land. She receives nourishment from ritual, gratitude, and the simple act of greeting each new day with movement under the rising sun, offering thanks for the unseen worlds that shape her path. Rooted in reverence and alive with boundless energy, Emily is frequently found in heartfelt gatherings with friends and family or joyfully supporting the creative visions of others. A natural night owl, Emily does some of her most inspired work under moonlight, when the veils are thin and her love of the liminal hums with possibility. Whether guiding a constellation or shaping magazine cuttings into soulful vision, Emily brings deep presence, mythic insight, and wild reverence for the mystery that connects us all. Her artistry bridges healing and imagination, inviting others to join her in the sacred dance between worlds.

Dan Cohen, PhD specializes in helping individuals, couples, and families heal the effects of inherited trauma and fulfill their deepest longings for love, connection, and meaningful impact. He has a particular passion for addressing generational trauma passed down through war, genocide, and the legacy of slavery. Blending a near-encyclopedic knowledge of world history, mythology, and culture with an uncanny psychic awareness, Dan offers profound, transformative healing that restores peace of mind and expands new possibilities for life’s flourishing.

Before earning his PhD in psychology and training directly with Bert Hellinger as a Constellations facilitator, Dan was internationally recognized for his work in violence prevention and conflict resolution. As a former Strategic Planning consultant to the Director of the Los Alamos Laboratory, he pivoted away from national security to become a founding member of the City of Cambridge(MA) Peace Commission in 1981. For over four decades, he has devoted himself to understanding the violent and hostile urges that shadow the human heart.

Since 2000, Dan has been a leading voice in integrating personal, ancestral, and spirit consciousness into therapeutic practice. He holds a PhD in psychology from Saybrook University and an MBA from Boston University. Dan is the author of I Carry Your Heart in My Heart: Family Constellations in Prison and numerous scholarly articles and book chapters. He has led Seeing with Your Heart workshops and training courses across 19 countries in Europe, Asia, Australia/New Zealand, South America, Africa, and throughout the United States.

When he’s not with clients or teaching, Dan can be found writing reflections on a recent class, chasing the latest theories on consciousness, or reading scientific research most people wouldn’t touch without a glossary. He walks daily along the shore of Martha’s Vineyard with his dog Ruby, listening for eternal truths in the ocean wind—and occasionally offering dry commentary in return.

A devoted father, partner, and adoring grandfather, Dan lights up most when his family and dear friends are near. In his world, brilliance and humility walk side by side—stalking wise words and wisecracks in equal measure. A longtime Red Sox fan, he’s intimately acquainted with hope and heartbreak—and still shows up to every season with unwavering enthusiasm tempered by just the right amount of irony.

The Tula Vida Team

With a shared passion for facilitating profound personal growth and a deep trust in the wisdom of horses and the healing rhythms of nature, Eric Kolesar and Sally Nilsson created Tula Vida Ranch on 85 acres of ancient, off-grid land in a remote corner of Costa Rica—surrounded by volcanoes, lush rainforest, and abundant wildlife.  

Running on pure spring water and nature's rhythm, this living sanctuary is where wild beauty meets deep comfort, and where their herd of 15 free-roaming rescue horses invite profound connection and transformation.

Certified equine experiential facilitator and coach, Eric has been guiding transformation in the wellness space for decades, from yoga studios to adventure retreats to horse pastures. His work—rooted in mindfulness, breath awareness, and the body's wisdom—helps people balance mind and body and step into their most authentic expression.

Sally's journey from corporate lawyer to certified life coach and equine experiential facilitator was guided by a golden thread—her profound connection with horses. Her work invites people into authentic self-discovery, where the horses reveal what's ready to be seen and released.

Grounded in science yet exploring the frontiers of self-realization - often in collaboration with other leading voices in their field - Eric, Sally and the wise Tula Vida horses guide immersive retreat experiences where horse-led experiences, constellations, nervous system regulation, and transformative nature-based practices converge to support authentic self-discovery and lasting change.

Eric Kolesar is a Certified Equine Experiential Learning Facilitator in the Eponaquest model, a Masterson Equine Specialist, an Equine Facilitated Sand Play Practitioner, a Constellations with Horses Facilitator, a Certified Professional Life Coach, a 500-hour Certified Yoga Instructor, a Reiki Master, a Certified Paddleboarding Instructor and trained in multiple modalities of energy work.

Sally Nilsson is an Advanced Certified Equine Experiential Learning Facilitator in the Eponaquest model, Certified Polyvagal Equine Institute Professional, a Certified Professional Life Coach through the Institute of Professional Excellence in Coaching (IPEC), a Constellations with Horses Facilitator, an Equine Facilitated Sand Play Practitioner and co-creator of the Equine Facilitated Sand Play modality.

For more information, please visit www.tulavida.com  

Meet your group transfer at Liberia Airport (LIR), Costa Rica and enjoy a 90 minute scenic drive through the dry forest to the green Costa Rica hills.

Arrive at Tula Vida Ranch and settle into your accommodations surrounded by the pristine beauty of Costa Rica's rainforest. Take a little time to orient yourself to the land, meet the herd of rescue horses, and gather with the group for a welcome circle. The evening includes a nourishing dinner and an opening experience where Emily and Dan introduce constellation work ahead, support you to set intentions for the transformative days to come, and multidimensionally prepare for an awakened sensory experience beyond your imagination.

The first full day of constellation work begins after breakfast, guided by Emily and Dan alongside Eric and Sally and the Tula Vida horses.

Through horse-led experiences and systemic constellation processes, you'll begin to attune to the subtle realms of ancestral consciousness and explore what patterns are ready to be seen and released. The horses act as mirrors and guides, revealing hidden dynamics with remarkable clarity.

The day unfolds with breaks for reflection and time in nature, closing with dinner and systemic integration.

Building on the foundations of Day 2, today's constellation sessions go deeper into personal and generational healing.

With the horses as co-facilitators and Emily and Dan holding the field with their intuitive gifts and decades of experience, you'll have the opportunity to witness and participate in profound shifts, both your own and those of fellow participants.

The rhythm of the day honors both active engagement and restorative pauses, allowing the nervous system to regulate and insights to land.

Today the work moves with its own intelligence, following the threads that have been revealing themselves over the past days.

With the container of trust now deeply established, the horses and the facilitators guide you into the subtler layers — the patterns that live beneath words, the ancestral whispers that have been waiting to be heard, the callings that are ready to emerge.

Emily and Dan work with what is alive in the field, allowing each constellation to unfold organically and completely. There is room today for both depth and spaciousness, for powerful breakthroughs and gentle unravelings, as the work continues to integrate into your body and nervous system.

The final day of constellation work focuses on honoring the journey you've taken together.

In the afternoon, the group gathers for a closing constellation circle and evening process to share gratitudes, insights, and intentions for carrying this work forward.

Savor the last sunset at Tula Vida, walk the land, and rest in the quiet knowing of what has moved through you.

After a final breakfast together, you'll say goodbye to the horses, the land, and your fellow travelers, departing with a renewed sense of connection to yourself, your lineage, and your path forward.