ACTIVATING THE VOICE:
NEW YEAR'S RETREAT IN COSTA RICA
December 27 2023 - January 4, 2024
Join us for nine nourishing and soulful days in the jungle as we close out 2023 and welcome in the new year with creativity, music, time spent connecting to nature, yoga, ritual, community and space for our spirits to feel fully expressed.
Earth Medicine
“Nature itself is the best physician.” – Hippocrates
We are so thankful to be offering this retreat for a third year. As we collectively continue to navigate a rapidly changing and complex world - and step into the inquiry of our own evolving role within it - we have created this week with the intention of offering space to be inspired, to remember the medicine of joy, to make room for deeper wisdom and self-discovery to come through, to spark new and meaningful connections, and to quiet our minds enough to experience the profound guidance that comes from being with and listening to the voice of nature.
Activities
On-Site:
Daily yoga with Yoga Teacher Claudia Gallo
Edible garden and permaculture tour
Soundbath with Doe Paoro & Friends
Temazcal Ceremony (traditional sweat lodge) with facilitation from Somos Flor de la Vida
Cacao ceremony with local, small-batch Two Monkeys Cacao
Breathwork
New Years Eve Festivities!
Daily voice activation, chanting and medicine song sessions
Workshops with Brave Earth founders
Song and fire circles with drumming
Stargazing
Year-Naming Ceremony for 2024
Off-Site:
Day trip to healing hot springs in La Fortuna
Waterfall visit with rainforest hike
Hot river soak
Fuerza de Amor Community Day
Activating the Voice
This retreat is inspired by the “Activating the Voice” online course—a personal, artistic, and ancestral exploration that helps individuals connect to an embodied and empowered relationship with their voice through the medicine of music and singing.
This course is grounded in the chakra system and each day of the retreat is inspired by one of the seven chakras, and we offer daily voice activation workshops.
*All activities are optional and we invite everyone to honor their inner guidance if you feel like opting out of any activities.
You do not need to be a singer or have any experience in singing or a sense of musicality - these practices are just as valuable for anyone interested in feeling more confident and connected to their voice in everyday communication and creative endeavors.
The location of the retreat is itself a very vocal field, with many animals making noises and singing. Birds, cicadas, and frogs are some of the louder voices.
About Costa Rica
Costa Rica is one of the most peaceful nations on the planet and shelters 5% of the planet's biodiversity. It a true privilege to learn from and spend time in such a life-affirming place and culture.
You may have heard the phrase Pura Vida. Translating as “pure life,” Pura Vida is the Costa Rican philosophy and way of being, signifying a a relaxed nature, deep respect for life, and a humble appreciation for simplicity—the joy of watching a sunset or swimming in the sea. Once you have visited, you will know the feeling of Pura Vida and carry its wisdom with you.
About Brave Earth
Brave Earth, also known as Tierra Valiente, is where this retreat is being held. Brave Earth is a healing arts center, community, regenerative farm, and living laboratory exploring ways of being that are based on reciprocity, resilience, regeneration, solidarity, and ecological symbiosis.
Architectural elements at Brave Earth were designed according to the principles of biomimicry, anchored in nature’s inherent intelligence and sustainability. Spending time in these structures reignites the imagination, filling one with a profound sense of wonder at the brilliance of the workings of our natural world and the possibility that another way is possible.
Brave Earth is located in north central Costa Rica, near the sacred Arenal Volcano. A lush jungle thriving with plants and animals, the land has the power to impart a profound healing experience. The proximity to the volcano suggests an energy where things hidden beneath the surface have space to find release, and Brave Earth provides all the tools for healing: spectacular nature, rejuvenating hot springs, supportive community, and spaces for meditation and personal inquiry.
As part of efforts to minimize waste and live in harmony with Brave Earth’s intentions of sustainability, the community is equipped with compost toilets and shared bathrooms and shower units. Individual showers can be found in the Domes (see below for more information on lodging options).
Important to note...
While Brave Earth is quite a beautiful and luxurious space to move through, it is more than just a retreat center. Central to its philosophy is the creation of a space for people to root and remember things that we have forgotten in our dominant culture: how to live together in community, how to care for one another and the earth with greater humility and reciprocity, and the contemplation of how we can each individually be in deeper service to life. It is a space to explore non-hierarchical ways of relating.
In practical matters, this means that visitors to Brave Earth are expected to wash their own plates and silverware after meals and to navigate the retreat center with a sense of awareness of and respect towards others who live there (including the very delicate ecosystem with plants and animals and other non-human friends.)
We will be offering delicious, nourishing, and biodynamic meals and enjoying a vegetarian and vegan diet on this retreat. Some of the food is grown from the land at Brave Earth. Enjoy a smoothie filled with freshly-picked greens or some chocolate made down the road, for example.
Gluten-free options are also possible.
We will eat together, in an open-air community dining space. Alcoholic drinks are not available.
We will of course accommodate any food allergies. Please let us know your needs when you register.
Accommodations and Pricing
GAIA DOMES
Features
Nestled in tropical foliage where butterflies and hummingbirds delight, and illuminated by moonbeams and early morning light, the Gaia Domes are cozy, cocoon-like dwellings built from adobe and wood. They can sleep up to 3 people with a beautiful handcrafted queen bed and a daybed overlooking the jungle.
En suite sink
Writing desk
Handcrafted queen beds
Day bed overlooking the jungle
Forest views out of wooden window frames
Closet with dry element and safe
En suite hot showers including biodegradable shampoo, conditioner and body wash
Easy access to shared bathroom facilities with compost toilets
Pricing
Earlybird Pricing (until August 31st):
Queen bed for one person: $3799
Queen bed for one in shared Dome: $3599
Shared queen bed for two people: $3399 per person
Single bed in shared Dome: $3099
Regular Pricing (after August 31st):
Queen bed for one person: $3999
Queen bed for one in shared Dome: $3799
Shared queen bed for two people: $3599 per person
Single bed in shared Dome: $3299
JUNGLE HUTS
Features
Take in the sights and sounds of the rainforest in a Jungle Hut. Elegant, clean lines, high ceilings and artful, handcrafted touches gives these spaces a luxurious feel while immersed in Nature. Get cozy in the hammock with a book on the outside deck or take in the jungle sounds from the comfort of your bed. This space is made using locally-sourced bamboo and wood from the land. This is a great option if you are looking for a bit more privacy from the rest of the group as these are pushed a bit farther back into the jungle.
En suite sink with biodegradable soap
Handcrafted king bed or two single beds
Ceiling fan
Outdoor deck overlooking the rainforest with hammock
Sacred geometry wood detail on floor
Dry box with key
Easy access to shared bathroom facilities with hot showers and compost toilets
EARTH TAMBOS
Features
Earth Tambos are adobe structures made from red clay and bamboo from the land. The Earth walls and floors give the space a very grounding feeling and inspire a deep stillness. Intentionally designed using organic forms, materials, and textures to inspire the senses and connect to Nature. The tambos are illuminated through the spiral design of the bamboo roof bringing a defining quality to this sanctuary space. Earth Tambos sleep a maximum of 2 people.
Handcrafted queen bed
En suite sink with biodegradable soap
Ceiling fan
Writing desk
Outdoor deck with hammock overlooking the rainforest
Dry box with key
Easy access to shared bathroom facilities with hot showers and compost toilets