How I Started Leading Retreats

How It All Started: A Journey to Transformational Retreats

In 2007, just after completing my first yoga teacher training, my husband and I found ourselves in the surf of Sayulita, Mexico. I couldn't help but gaze at the hillside villas along the shore. In that moment, I dreamed of leading a retreat there. I distinctly remember saying to myself, "I will lead a retreat there someday." A seed was planted.

Villa Amor 2018

Fast forward to January 2018, when I hosted my first retreat at that very location, Villa Amor in Sayulita. I fell in love with guiding people on a multi-day immersive yoga journey. It was liberating to be free from cooking, cleaning, and other daily responsibilities. This experience allowed me to tap into creativity, insight, inspiration, and play—qualities often overshadowed by life's challenges.

Discovering Villa Ananda

During my time in Mexico that winter, I stumbled upon Villa Ananda. Located not far from Sayulita, it is a quieter and more luxurious retreat space. Since 2019, Villa Ananda has become the home for my annual retreats. This place is special, often indescribable in its unassuming appearance. It serves as a profound transformational portal, resembling an ashram more than anything else.

At Villa Ananda, the energetic presence of gurus envelops you. It is a sanctuary for spiritual connection and wellness on all levels. The atmosphere feels expansive and ethereal, stretching you physically, emotionally, and spiritually—in positive ways, of course. However, this stretch can sometimes be challenging. Upon arrival, many experience a long exhale, often accompanied by unexplainable tears.

Villa Ananda

I will return to Villa Ananda for a retreat in January 2027.

A New Chapter at Hara Mara

This winter, I will return to the same area but at a new location: Hara Mara. This retreat is intimately connected to the natural elements. Here, the warm embrace of the Earth holds you, rich with shakti—creative manifest energy. The intention is to drop into the soothing vibration of nature and unplug from distractions.

At Hara Mara, we enter through the body and senses, experiencing the Divine and the joy of being alive.

Sunrise Yoga Shala at Hara Mara

On this retreat, we focus on embodying yoga practices rooted in non-dual Tantra philosophy. This perspective teaches us that enlightenment, expanded consciousness, the Divine, or Bliss is experienced through the body and senses.

The Essence of Lila Rasa

The title of this retreat is Lila Rasa. This concept fine-tunes our senses to the environment around us, recognizing it as inseparable from our inner experience. It encourages a continual interaction with the Divine, bringing us into presence and helping us recognize the synchronicities at play in the universe. Ultimately, it is about acknowledging that Divinity exists in all things.

Retreat Dates: February 14-21, 2026

Go HERE to learn more and register.

Future Retreats: Dreaming Big

I am already dreaming and planting seeds for more retreats in the future! Possible locations include Indonesia, Nicaragua, Spain, Italy, Stanley, Idaho, and Morocco.

Where would you love to go?

This journey has been transformative, and I look forward to sharing these experiences with others. Each retreat is an opportunity to connect deeply with oneself and the universe. Join me in this exploration of yoga, nature, and spiritual growth.