We're back from our tropical retreat and landing in northwestern springtime.
We went from Rufus-billed Chachalacas to red-breasted Robins!
And, we're wondering...
Are you the kind of person that likes to know what something is like, before you jump in?
It makes sense if you are. Nervous systems feel pretty, well... nervous around uncertainty!
So here's the deal. You didn't get to come on retreat with us. But we'll tell you exactly what it was like.
That way you can:
find out what the heck a neuroscience-based manifestation retreat is actually like
live vicariously
determine for yourself if this is the kind of just-right adventure for you
Ready?
The number one question we get asked is:
How many people were on retreat?
There were ten of us this time.
We like to curate a bespoke experience and a more intimate group size means that each person gets tended in just the right way for them. Having a group around this size means everyone gets to receive Reiki, Watsu, or massage if they like, everyone gets to share their insights, and everyone gets the support they deserve.
[Imagine a group photo here. Ten of us grinning our faces off with ocean waves lapping behind us. You'll have to imagine it because to preserve the emotional safety of all we do not share any photos without permission, and we do not take any photos during the workshops.]
Where was it?
In Yelapa, Mexico!
A tiny indigenous-held village only accessible by boat.
Tucked into a little cove inside the Bay of Banderas.
We land in Puerto Vallarta and then take a private boat down the coastline. Tourists, hotels, and cars drop away as the protected indigenous land begins.
We are welcomed with fresh juice, a frozen cloth to cool our brow, and absolutely stunning views.
Are there bugs?
Sure. It's the jungle after all. And, we always pick our retreat dates to coincide with the dry season so that mosquitoes are minimal.
There are also geckos, and iguanas, and hummingbirds, and bats, and the dulcet car-crash-sounding Chachalacas, among other wildlife.
Some of us select open-air rooms so that we can hear the ocean while we sleep. We slip onto our organic mattresses and tuck the mosquito netting in around us so that the Praying Mantis blessing us with it's presence respects our sleeping space. :)
Others prefer a fully-enclosed room with air-conditioning.
It's important to pick the just-right-room for you – a powerful act of self-love.
What do you do there?
Let's just give you the full itinerary, shall we?
7am
Keep sleeping! Or take a morning dip in the cove, the oceanwater pool, or the hot tub.
(This is a great time to get some extra attention from Natalie and/or Nathan – workshopping a piece of your personal internal landscape.)
8am
Mosey over to the juice bar for fresh green juice (apples, celery, spinach, and ginger), and a fruit platter (with mangos, blueberries, papaya, etc.).
This juice bar is open all day. So anytime you want a cacao smoothie, a latte, or other healthy snacks – you got it!
8:45am
Breakfast!
Moving upward through the retreat center to the tippy top, we gather around the table to enjoy incredible 270-degree views and an organic meal prepared by Yelapa matriarchs Lupita and Becky.
We pass the feelings chart around to name some emotions while enjoying agua fresca, handmade tortillas, and other morning delights.
10am
Workshop!
We start by getting comfortable in the meeting space.
Then Nathan leads a guided journey.
Then we discuss the topic of the day with prompts, journal writing, and sharing.
The content is focused on helping our selves shift into a brain state that supports both reaching our goals, but also enjoying ourselves along the way.
1pm
Lunch!
All that personal development works up an appetite!
Luckily while we've been exploring our own internal landscape the chefs have been laying out a gorgeous spread. Once again we name some feelings, we laugh, and we fill our bellies.
2pm
3 hours of free time.
We consider the in-between times just as important as the focused-time. If we want our system to integrate new ways of reacting, being, and thinking, we have to make it safe to lay down those new neural pathways.
A good stretch of time to self-nourish each day is key.
Some folks nap, others get a spa treatment, some explore town, others snorkel.
5pm
Facilitated manifestation process!
We walk you step-by-step through our neuroscience-backed manifestation method. We retrain the nervous system to associate your personal vision with safety, optimism, and probability.
It's actual magic.
Real-life magic.
6pm
Integration and Practice at Receiving.
The work for the day is done.
Now is the time to lean into the Earth, lean into support, and trust that the magic is unfolding.
We move to the epic yoga deck for a Restorative Yoga pose selected for its manifestational support.
7pm
Another delicious, homemade, vegetable-rich meal to languidly enjoy, along with some discussion of the day's insights and naming more feelings.
We finish this meal with a nervous system regulation and connection practice to cap off the work of the day, and layer in more integration support.
When the sun goes down...
It's time for sweet sleep.
Or a nighttime swim under the stars.
Does it make a big impact?
Yes.
You will not be the same after retreat.
Your self-knowing, self-love, and self-nourishment is at an all-time high.
Your sense of not just possibility, but probability is unshakeable.
Your nervous system begins it's re-wiring, and continues to re-wire even after you return home.
Your dreams begin to unfold before your very eyes.
When is the next one?
REAL-LIFE MAGIC
Neuroscience-based Manifestation Retreat
April 18 - 24, 2027
Where Law of Attraction meets Emotional Sovereignty.
There are ten spots available.
(Placing a deposit saves your spot.)
We truly had the best time.
The next retreat will be our sixth one and honestly they just keep getting better and better.
We hope you enjoyed this report from the field.
And if it's right for you, we'll see you next April!