Retreats
Retreat Into Practice, Beauty,
and Relationship
The retreat pathways of the Shamanic Yoga Institute open spaces of restoration, pilgrimage, ceremony, and meaningful connection. Some unfold as destination retreats, some through hosted wisdom keepers, and some through place-based immersion. Whether you already know where you want to go or are simply feeling the call toward retreat, this is a clear place to begin.
Founder-Led School | Retreat + Pilgrimage Pathways | Practice, Place, and Renewal
Place-based immersions at the school often unfold on Chá7elkwnech (Gambier Island) in Átl’ḵa7tsem (Howe Sound), named here in the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh language
Overview
Retreat is one of the ways the work is lived at the school: through practice, ceremony, beauty, rest, and relationship with land and community. Over time, that field has been shaped through destination retreats, place-based immersion, pilgrimage to source lands, and hosted gatherings with wisdom keepers. This page gathers the pathways that continue to carry that work forward.
Current Retreats
Current retreats invite students into deeper time with the work: time to practice, restore, study, and step into a more held rhythm of attention. Some are restorative and destination-based, some are explicitly pilgrim in nature, and some arrive as seasonal offerings shaped by place, timing, and relationship.
Sayulita, Mexico
Deep practice. Warmth. Life by the sea.
An enduring retreat relationship shaped by Shamanic Yoga, textual study, satsang, White Global Mesa work, and temazcal. Held within the beauty and shared life of Sayulita, it offers a rare balance of depth, play, and restoration
Pilgrimage Journeys
For students called toward source lands.
These retreats move beyond restoration into pilgrimage: sacred landscapes, trusted source relationships, and experiences shaped by devotion, place, and transmission. Designed for those seeking depth through direct encounter with the path.
Seasonal Offerings
Shorter openings into the retreat field.
Timely, intimate, and sometimes local, these offerings create accessible ways to enter the work through seasonal rhythm, relational gathering, and carefully held immersion. A simple way to stay connected between larger retreats and pilgrimages.
Pilgrimage and Place-Based Work
Some pathways within the retreat field move beyond restoration into pilgrimage. These experiences are shaped by relationship with sacred landscapes, source teachers, and lands that carry transmission. They invite students into a deeper encounter with practice through place.
Chá7elkwnech and the Okanagan
Place-based retreat work has unfolded on Chá7elkwnech in Átl’ḵa7tsem through community retreats, Black Stone Mesa gatherings, ceremony, expressive arts, and the Healer’s Cosmology in retreat form. This current has also extended into the Okanagan through mastery-level land work in the Healer’s Cosmology and Black Stone Mesa, supporting deeper relationship with place and the activation of practice within a new regional field.
Peru and India
The school’s pilgrimage pathways have also included Peru through time in Jaén with Cristina Mendoza and pilgrimage to Ausangate with Tupaq, alongside pilgrimage relationship in India through Santosh Puri Ashram, the Ma Ganga River, and the Himalayan mountains. Together, these journeys extend the retreat field into source lands, mountain teachings, and sacred geography.
Guest Teachers & Wisdom Keepers
Alongside retreats and pilgrimages, the school hosts medicine carriers, wisdom keepers, and lineage-based teachers from Peru, Mexico, India, and beyond. These gatherings allow students to encounter living traditions through direct study, ceremony, song, and respectful hosting, widening the retreat field beyond destination alone and deepening the school’s global field of relationship
Community Events
Community Events are the school’s more local and accessible offerings: song circles, fire ceremonies, despacho ceremonies, kirtan, yoga, and pilgrimage up Siyám Smánit. Often offered on a sliding scale or by donation, they create a welcoming threshold into the work for local community and returning students alike, and a meaningful way to stay connected between retreats, trainings, and deeper commitments
Closing
Some retreat pathways are restorative. Some are devotional. Some are initiatory. Some are explicitly pilgrim in nature. Together they form a living field of practice and relationship shaped through destination retreat, land-based immersion, hosted teaching, and source-land pilgrimage.
Join the Next Retreat, Pilgrimage, or Gathering
If you feel called toward retreat, the best next step is to join the mailing list or request guidance from the school. You will be the first to hear about Sayulita, future pilgrimages, hosted wisdom keepers, and local ceremonial offerings — and if you are unsure where to begin, we can help direct you toward the right retreat pathway.
Retreats FAQ
The school offers a range of retreat experiences, including destination retreats, place-based immersions, pilgrimage journeys to sacred lands, and seasonal or local gatherings. Each retreat is designed to support practice, restoration, ceremony, and meaningful connection with land and community.
Some retreats are restorative and accessible, while others are more devotional or pilgrimage-based, designed for deeper immersion and commitment. If you’re unsure where to begin, you can request guidance to find the retreat pathway that best matches your readiness, intention, and level of experience.
Retreats often focus on rest, practice, and renewal in a supportive environment, while pilgrimages involve traveling to sacred or source lands for deeper spiritual engagement. Pilgrimage journeys are typically shaped by relationship with place, lineage, and direct transmission from teachers and traditions.
Retreats and immersions are held in a variety of locations, including Sayulita, Mexico; Chá7elkwnech (Gambier Island) in Howe Sound; the Okanagan; and international pilgrimage destinations such as Peru and India. Each location is chosen for its connection to practice, beauty, and sacred geography.
You can explore current retreats, join the mailing list to receive updates on upcoming gatherings, or request retreat guidance if you’d like help choosing the right experience. This ensures you stay connected to new opportunities, including pilgrimages, guest teachers, and community events.
