Your joy is your sorrow unmasked...

When you are joyous, look deep into your heart and you shall find it is only that which has given you sorrow that is giving you joy.

     When you are sorrowful look again in your heart, and you shall see that in truth you are weeping for that which has been your delight...

Verily you are suspended like scales between your sorrow and your joy.

     Only when you are empty are you at standstill and balanced.

                                                                                -Kahlil Gibran

(Scroll all the way down for Pricing & Booking info)

As we reel from the dizzying effects of a global pandemic, the confrontation of generations of racial injustice, the degradation of our earth, and the personal traumas we have all undergone, I am left curious about the joy that persists among us as individuals and as a community. I have been pondering the interrelation between our joy and our grief. And this is hard work, folks. 

Which is why, it is with overflowing JOY that I invite you to join me for a nourishing week of yoga, sunshine, and rest at the beautiful Mar de Jade on the Riviera Nayarit. I invite you into embodied presence. 

This retreat is about taking the time to nourish YOU, because this is how we are able to show up fully for the people and causes we love. I will offer yoga classes every morning, but the majority of the day will be open for you to do you. Opportunities abound for adventure, healing, and rest. 

I am so grateful to have found this beautiful retreat center, nestled between the lush jungle and the lapping waves of the Pacific Ocean on the outskirts of the fishing village of Chacala. The grounds are dreamy and luxurious. We will practice yoga in breathtaking studios with the sounds, smells, and sight of the ocean. Whether you wish to relax in a hammock, go whale watching, surfing, or horseback riding, Mar de Jade makes it easy to experience the retreat you desire. 

Mar de Jade offers a variety of luxurious rooms at a range of budgets. (Please disregard the prices listed on their site. As my retreat participant, you will receive discounted rates listed below.) Prices include three delicious meals per day and use of the retreat facilities. These prices do not include my fee as the retreat organizer, spa treatments, or additional excursions. In order reserve your spot and to access the group discounted prices listed below, you will need to pay the organizer fee first.  

• Quad Dorm: $990 (available as all women/femme identifying or co-ed depending on availability)
• Guest Room:
  • Double Occupancy: $1200/person
  • Single Occupancy: $1750
• Garden Room:
  • Double Occupancy: $1450/person
  • Single Occupancy: $2050
• Ocean Room:
  • Double Occupancy: $1550/person
  • Single Occupancy: $2350

*Children age 6 and under are free; 7-12 are welcome for $40/day.

**If there are 3 people wanting a Double Room of any type, the 3rd person would be an additional $790.

***If  you wish to bring children, a partner, a babysitter, etc. who do not wish to participate in the retreat, they can pay the accommodation fee listed above without paying my organizer fee. (Limited slots for this option.) 

Mar de Jade serves three vibrantly delicious buffet-style meals everyday, using fresh ingredients from their 17-acre organic farm. Meals feature vegetarian dishes, as well as fresh fish and chicken, and the kitchen is happy to accommodate dietary restrictions and allergies. In addition to meal times, you can visit the snack bar anytime to enjoy complimentary coffee, tea, fruit, bread, and their homemade organic peanut butter and mango marmalade. I promise, you will not go hungry! Or thirsty...

Stop by La Palapa Bar to enjoy original & delicious cocktails (extra cost) made with fresh ingredients, a selection of wine, local artisanal beer, and spirits. Non alcoholic smoothies, juices, cocktails, and fresh coconuts are also available. 

 Each morning I will offer alignment-based Vinyasa classes with an elemental flavor. Vinyasa is defined as  “breath-synchronized movement,” which can mean flowing rather quickly  between postures; however, my classes have a strong alignment component, so there is a lot of emphasis placed on pausing to fine-tune postures to best serve individual bodies. I draw inspiration from the energetic elements of my surroundings, and I incorporate this awareness into movement practice. This is an invitation into embodied presence. 

Yoga poses are an excuse to  become curious not only about how your body moves, but about your internal reactions to what is happening. Your practice on the mat serves to guide your life off the mat, whether that is finding strength, balance, and flexibility, or in becoming more present and observant of your thoughts. I weave pranayama (breath work), meditation, singing, mudra (hand  gestures), and yogic philosophy and mythology into my classes. I take inspiration from poetry, other styles of yoga, as well as the natural rhythms of our seasons, bodies, and development.

All bodies and levels of experience welcome!

I attended my first yoga class at the age of six and spent some formative years living in ashrams in India and Portland. These experiences of being surrounded by people on the yogic path have colored my life. I attended a yoga teacher training in Brazil and received my 200-hour Yoga Alliance Certificate from Find Balance Yoga in March 2011.  Since then I have been teaching in Oregon. I live in Corbett, where I homestead and raise two children, while pursuing my Master's in Counseling. I continue to learn from a variety of teachers and find inspiration from the yogic path.