CELEBRATE CONNECTION
What do your best moments have in common?
What lights you up like fireflies in summer? Why? Is there a common element?
CONNECTION
Connection to other people, to nature and the world around you, to spirit.
Most of all, connection to yourself and to the sensations in your body.
Have you ever heard someone say, "I felt so disconnected. It was amazing!"? Probably not.
Connection is the magic ingredient that turns a simple walk in the park into the adventure of a lifetime.
So how is true connection formed?
What builds the bridge between you and other people? What's your current relationship to connection?
This retreat invites you to dance with these questions while enjoying connection with like-minded women and celebrating the gift of communion with others, nature, and spirit.
Celebrating the gift of life itself!
Connection with yourself is the foundation.
Women in our classes often struggle with 4 things
for which Qoya is the antidote:
Exhaustion
movement floods your body with oxytocin
while decreasing stress hormones
Isolation
spending time with like-minded people
builds a feeling of connection
Confusion
mental clarity comes from action, not thought,
and working with your body's intuitive guidance
Fear
trusting your body helps you trust yourself
to live into the questions with hope and faith
Connection with yourself helps you choose.
You feel a greater sense of agency
and the ability to direct your energy.
You feel empowered to co-create your experiences
both with other people and the divine.
You meet exhaustion, isolation,
confusion, and fear with compassion
and active nourishment.
You trust that your presence is valuable,
making a positive impact on the world's transformation.
Connection to yourself happens when you connect with your body,
and the easiest way to connect with your body is through movement.
This retreat also celebrates Qoya's 10th Anniversary.
This retreat marks the 10-year anniversary since the first Qoya class on March 1, 2009 in New York City as well as 10 years of Qoya retreats at Blue Spirit!
For the last 10 years, Qoya has invited women to connect with themselves through movement, to have an embodied experience of their essence as wise, wild and free.
Wise: through yoga, meditation, breathing and intention setting, you access your inner wisdom and feel empowered to follow it
Wild: through the authentic expression in dance, you become fluent in the language of your body and express how you feel through movement as if you were talking to a good friend
Free: through sensual, feminine movement, you expand your capacity to enjoy being in your body by focusing less on how your movement looks and more on how it feels
When you feel the physical sensation of truth in your body, you remember your essence.
From this place of connection with yourself, you're more easily able to connect to others, to nature, to spirit, to life itself!
Because of your journey with Qoya, how are you more deeply connected to your body?
How would you like to integrate Qoya in your days, weeks, months, and years to lead a lifestyle of reverence?
What is your current relationship to connection and how can you embody it and celebrate it?
How has Qoya been a part of the emerging consciousness of our individual and collective transformations that honor the interconnection between all of us?
Whether you've been doing our videos online, are a Qoya teacher, attended a retreat, read the book, or feel inspired by a friend's Qoya journey, if you feel the call, we invite you to explore and celebrate your relationship with connection at this year's 10th Anniversary Qoya Collective Retreat!
“I am always looking for the best way to describe my role in inviting people to Qoya. Qoya teacher? Qoya facilitator? The truth is, what feels the most resonant is soul family reunion invitation maker. Never has this felt more true than the 10-year celebration of Qoya classes and retreats. I am so grateful for all of the people who have embodied the consciousness of Qoya into the world through the way they have chosen to move, perform rituals, support and be supported in community, deepen their connection with nature, and explore living a lifestyle of reverence that honors their own spirit and the spirit that lives in every thing.”
On this retreat, you will:
+ become a member of our supportive, loving Collective
+ feel true heart connections with other women
+ learn practices to tap into and trust your body’s wisdom
+ experience rituals to celebrate and facilitate connection
+ heal your body with daily movement, nourishing food, and rest
+ spend time in nature to rejuvenate your soul
+ dance with your relationship to connection
+ take inspired action to celebrate and build connection in your life
"The collective experience of focusing on "I am you, you are me, we are one" helped me realize that I'm really not as alone as I often feel in my struggles. The fact that there were so many different teachers to co-leading us felt really comforting. I enjoyed getting to see all the different styles and perspectives that the women leading this journey bring to to their practice and teaching. I think having shared this experience with so many amazing women will help me to deepen my own practice. I'm so excited to have taken the next step towards where I want to be in this world by practicing my own sacred work rather than just plugging along doing what I "think" I should or have to do to get by. This experience has truly helped me to discover that and to embark upon the next step of my journey."
MEGAN, Retreat Participant
ABOUT THE COLLECTIVE
This retreat will be co-facilitated by 6 Qoya Teachers:
"Qoya. A few months ago, I was initiated into the magical world of Qoya by the fabulous founder, Rochelle Schieck, and the other Qoya Coolective retreat facilitators. Having just spent a week studying with 30 or so other women, I can honestly say that Qoya is an essential way to connect with your own essence. Through dance, movement and meditation, you remember. You remember how to feel truth in your body. You listen deeply to your intuition. And you feel into how wise and wild and free you really can be!"
GEMINI A, Retreat Participant
ITINERARY
With this sample schedule below, you can easily see how you can have as active and energizing of a retreat as you like or as restorative and replenishing retreat as you like. There are many offerings and also spaciousness to practice choosing what feels right in your body each day.
March 23rd, 2019
Arrival
6:00pm: Delicious Dinner
7:45pm: Opening Ceremony
Tentative Daily Schedule (subject to change)
7am: Optional Sunrise Activities
8:00-9:00 Bountiful Breakfast
9:30am-12pm: Qoya Class
12pm-2pm: Lovely Lunch and time to rest
2pm-5pm: Afternoon Adventure or Optional Workshops
5pm-6pm: Optional Sunset Activities
6:30pm-7:30pm: Delicious Dinner
8pm-10pm: Evening Ceremonies (Gratitude, Cacao, Fire, and other Visionary Ceremonies)
March 30th, 2019
7am - 8am: Qoya Class
8am - 10am: Bountiful Breakfast
Blessings for your next adventure
Optional Initiation Teacher Training meets 8:30-9:30am Monday-Friday and 2-4pm Tuesday and Thursday.
INITIATION TEACHER TRAINING
If you are currently pursuing Qoya Teacher Training, the second step of our training Initiation Teacher Training ($600) will be offered at this retreat. In this training, you’ll learn the basics of how to lead another person through a Qoya class to prepare you to do this in our third level of teacher training, the Intensive. The Intensive is NOT offered at this retreat, but will be offered the week after also at Blue Spirit, March 30 - April 6, 2019.
You must complete the Intro to Qoya online teacher training ($250) prior to the Collective Retreat if you wish to take the Initiation training.
Simply add Initiation Training to your retreat tuition in the shopping cart to register, then register and complete the Intro to Qoya online training if you haven't already.
HOUSING OPTIONS
This retreat will be held at Blue Spirit, one of the foremost world-class yoga and meditation retreat centers in Costa Rica. Located in Nosara, the center is perched on a hilltop overlooking the Pacific Ocean and a three-mile white sand beach that is protected as a turtle refuge. The pristine nature, subtropical climate, dedicated staff, and the healing energy of the center provides an extraordinary setting for spiritual transformation, personal growth, and environmental sustainability.
Superior Ocean View (Single Occupancy)
These beautiful double rooms have step-out balconies and lots of windows with extraordinary ocean views. The room is elegantly furnished to provide the most luxurious space for couples or singles. Each room has a king-sized bed, a private bathroom with solar hot water and air conditioning. Superior Ocean View rooms have a safety box large enough to fit a 17" laptop computer.
Ocean View (Double Occupancy)
These double rooms have step-out balconies and beautiful ocean views. The rooms are tastefully furnished and provide the perfect space for two people. Each room has a king-sized bed or two twins, with a private bathroom with solar hot water and air conditioning. Ocean View rooms have a safety box large enough to fit a 17" laptop computer.
Mountain View (Double Occupancy)
This double room has a step-out balcony and large windows with an extraordinary mountain view. The room is tastefully furnished and provides the perfect space for two people. It has a king-sized bed or two twins with a private bathroom with solar hot water and air conditioning. Mountain View Rooms have a safety box large enough to fit a 17" laptop computer.
SOLD OUT: Pacifico Cottage (Single Occupancy)
The Pacifico Cottages are tucked away amidst the lush tropical gardens and close enough to the sandy Pacific Beach so that the sound of the Ocean will rock you into sleep. These beautiful and rustic new rooms feature a private porch with a hammock, one queen-size bed, an outdoor shower, air conditioning, and a safe big enough to fit a 17" laptop. From the main building the Cottages are a short walk down the hill towards the beach.
Nature Suites (Double Occupancy)
Nature Suites are very cozy and located on a hillside overlooking the lush vegetation. They are simple and natural wood frame structures and have private bathrooms with an outdoor shower overlooking the jungle. Each Suite sleeps two people and includes a separate enclosed porch with a desk. All Suites have solar hot water as well as air conditioning. The Suites are a short walk up the hill to the Main Building. Nature Suites have a safety box large enough to fit a 17" laptop computer.
SOLD OUT: Hermitage Rooms (Single or Double Occupancy)
These rooms are specifically designed for singles and provide privacy and elegance, while being cozy and inexpensive. Many of these rooms have partial views of the ocean and others of the mountains nearby, a queen-sized bed, a private bathroom with solar hot water and air conditioning. There are also a few Hermitage Rooms available with twin beds for two people. Hermitage Rooms have a safety box large enough to fit a 17" laptop computer.
Eco-Cottages (Double Occupancy)
The cottages are beautifully situated in lush vegetation, allowing for a sensual being-in-touch experience with nature. They are simple and natural wood frame structures with screening for natural ventilation. Each Cottage sleeps two people and has a private bathroom with ambient temperature water shower, or you can use our shared bathhouse with hot water showers. Everything runs on solar powered electricity to provide a comfortable and ecological setting. The Eco-Cottages are situated below the Main Building and involve a short hike up a stone stairway to get to the Main Building. Each Eco-Cottage has a safety box large enough to fit a 17" laptop computer.
Platform Tents (Single Occupancy)
Each Platform Tent has a queen-sized air mattress and is placed on a platform under a wooden roof for protection against the sun and rain. The Tents are surrounded by nature and close to a shared bathhouse. All linen, pillows, and towels are provided to guests. Guests in the Tents can bring valuables to be stored in the safety box at Reception at no charge.
COST + REGISTER
This retreat is for women only ages 18+. All movement levels are welcome.
If you wish to room with a specific person, please email us at info@qoya.love to let us know. Otherwise, if you register yourself for a Double Occupancy room, you'll be assigned a roommate.
Your all-inclusive retreat tuition includes:
7 nights eco accommodation
3 meals a day of delicious, nourishing food
Qoya classes and rituals
It does not include:
travel to Costa Rica
shuttle to the retreat center
$60 gratuity for retreat staff at checkout
massages or other spa services
add-on adventures, such as horseback riding, ziplining, etc.
Add-on adventures like horseback riding are optional but highly encouraged! After you've registered, you can book them with Blue Spirit or wait until you arrive and go where you're called.
Register for your spot below
SHARED ROOMS
SINGLE ROOMS
If you are a local resident of Nosara, you may be able to attend as a commuter. Contact us to inquire.
Cancellation Policy: If you need to cancel for any reason and we can find a person to take your spot, we will refund the amount paid minus a $250 administration fee. If we cannot find a person to take your spot, there are no refunds; however, you can transfer your paid spot to someone else, so you can send a friend or family member to the retreat in your place.
Step into this Collective Qoya Retreat.
Remember your essence through movement.
Support others on their journey and be lifted on yours.
Celebrate connection.
Expand your ability to connect with yourself, others, nature, spirit, and life itself!
Frequently Asked Questions
+ What time of day does the course start, and what time does it finish?
It starts with dinner at 6pm on March 23rd, and ends at 9am on the 30th. We recommend that you arrive around 4pm on the 23rd to have time to settle in before dinner.
+ What's the closest airport to Blue Spirit?
We recommend that you fly into Liberia, and book a shuttle through Blue Spirit, which costs $60 (not included in your retreat tuition): http://www.bluespiritcostarica.com/shuttle-reservations
+ If I arrive a day early, will Blue Spirit allow me to pay for an extra night and stay there?
No - you will need to book a room nearby and arrive at Blue Spirit on the 23rd.
+ Can I bring my partner as a guest?
Yes - contact us directly to register your partner and make payment for their cost of room and board. You may stay with them in most single occupancy rooms as well as the double occupancy. Please email us at info@qoya.love to book. We may add special activities for partners if there is enough demand.
+ What is the Initiation Teacher Training?
Initiation Teacher Training is our second level of teacher training for those people pursuing the journey of becoming a Certified Qoya Teacher or who wish to form their own home practice. If you are a regular Qoya participant, Teacher Training is an amazing way to bring more structure and inspiration to your personal practice, and to go deeper into the fundamentals of Qoya. Similarly, if you are new to Qoya and wish to dive deep with the practices, teacher training is a wonderful way to submerge yourself in all things wise wild and free.
After this training, you will be eligible to take our third and final level of teacher training, the Intensive. The Intensive is NOT offered at this retreat, but will be offered the week after also at Blue Spirit, March 30 - April 6, 2019.
For more information on the teacher traiing program: http://www.qoya.love/qoya-teacher-training/
+ I have more questions. Who do I contact?
Any questions we haven't covered here? Email us at info@qoya.love.