Dear Qoya Family,
I invite you to gather for our annual spring retreat in Costa Rica April 6 – 13, 2024. I think of this time each year as a soul family reunion. We call on movement, ritual, nature and connection to nourish us individually and as a community. For the last 13 years, the Blue Spirit Retreat Center in Costa Rica has been a sanctuary for the Qoya Community.
Together, we are embraced by the warm ocean water to hold us and our tears. We invite the heat from the sun to ignite the fire of our spirit. We humbly and reverently offer our respect to the earth as a master teacher to show us our best next steps. And we dance. We dance in a way that we may feel like ourselves again. This time together is about reconnecting to our body, hearts, nature, spirit and each other.
We live in a time of accelerated change. This week is all about being with the body. Nourishing the body with healthy delicious meals, time in nature, community connections, Qoya Inspired Movement, rituals and ceremony to remember what a lifestyle of embodied reverence feels like.
The value of a retreat is the depth of a container to release what’s ready to go, contemplate deeply the truth that your heart and soul hold and recommit to live in alignment with your essence that is inherently wise, wild and free.
I invite you to explore the invitation below. I would be honored to journey together.
From my heart to yours,
Rochelle Schieck
Remember Your Essence Is
Wise, Wild and Free
PRAISE
“A few months ago, I was initiated into the magical world of Qoya by the fabulous founder, Rochelle Schieck, and the other Qoya Collective 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.
“Costa Rica called me—the nourishing opportunity to relax and dance for a whole week surrounded by love! It’s also a great time for me to pause my regular life, step into a space of just ME, and release what no longer serves me into the ocean. My favorite parts were connecting to the community of women because they are unreal and SO fulfilling, the downtime to relax in the sun because it nourishes my heart and soul, and the Qoya classes because they allow me to reconnect to myself! I feel that every woman deserves to be surrounded by beauty both in nature and in human form for a week to be loved on, celebrated, honored, supported, and held so gently.”
— Leigh Locke
“My first ever retreat of any kind was Qoya Costa Rica eight years ago. Since then, it has become my only Must Do every year. Doing Qoya at Blue Spirit, surrounded by so many amazing women is healing for my mind, body, and soul. Every year, I look forward to feeling as if I have come home to familiar comforting surroundings and to the opportunity to meet new best friends and sharing our stories. This year, I left with a sense of calm and peace that I have not felt before. I cannot stress enough how amazed I am by the healing powers that sharing the Qoya experience with other women has on me. It’s so easy to connect with my own emotions without the threat of feeling judged. On returning home, I have realized that somehow my ability to chill out has (almost) become second nature.”
— Linda Kannapell
“The 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. Sharing 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
“I'd never felt so alive, connected, and at home in my body and being. I was yearning for that re-connection once again and to deeply connect in and weave with the Qoya community. The women present always have such powerful heart and integrity. The Qoya retreats are a huge highlight for my life and sacred work. It feels like HOME all around.”
— Lainie Love Dalby
GATHER TOGETHER
For the last 13 years, Qoya has invited women to connect with themselves through movement and have an embodied experience of their essence as wise, wild and free. Qoya retreats build on this movement practice, adding rituals, community connection activities, and the pilgrimage to Costa Rica. We’ve returned to Blue Spirit retreat center every since the first Qoya retreat there in 2009 because of the sacred space they hold for transformation and a rich group experience. Many members of the Qoya community return year after year as an investment in themselves and in their feeling of connection and belonging. Whether you’ve been doing our videos online, are a Qoya teacher, attended a retreat, read the Qoya book, or feel inspired by a friend’s Qoya journey, if you feel the call, we invite you to experience the reunion with yourself and your soul family at this year’s Qoya Costa Rica retreat.
THE VENUE
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.
In addition to a beautiful spa, you can book excursions for exploring during your free time, including horseback riding, surf lessons, river kayaking, stand up paddle surf, and a waterfall hike.
On this retreat,
you will:
+ cultivate practical tools to support your embodied awareness at home exploring your nervous system, body mapping, and somatic listening
+ explore a sense of your inherent belonging as a member of our supportive, loving Qoya Community
+ receive encouragement to trust your body’s wisdom
+ connect to self, other, nature and spirit with reverence through ceremony and ritual
+ support your healing journey with nourishing daily Qoya movement, food, connection, and rest
+ luxuriate in the beautiful nature of Costa Rica rejuvenating you with the spirit of Pura Vida
+ notice what clarity feels like for the next steps on your life journey when they are in alignment with the wisdom in your body
+ learn integrative practices to support your journey home and beyond
Itinerary
With this sample schedule below, you can easily see how you can have an active and energizing retreat, a restorative and replenishing retreat, or a mix of both. There are many offerings and also spaciousness to practice choosing what feels right in your body each day. In addition to our itinerary, Blue Spirit has several offerings for free time such as horseback riding, zip lining, and spa appointments.
TENTATIVE Schedule
ARRIVAL
April 6, 2024
6:00pm: DINNER
7:45pm: OPENING CEREMONY
TENTATIVE DAILY SCHEDULE
(SUBJECT TO CHANGE)
7am: optional sunrise activities
8am - 9am: breakfast
9:30am - 12pm: qoya class with rochelle
12pm - 2pm: lunch & time to rest
2pm - 5pm: afternoon adventure or optional workshops
5pm - 6pm: optional sunset activities
6;30pm - 7:30pm: dinner
8pm - 10pm: evening ceremonies
DEPARTURE
April 13, 2024
8am - 10am: breakfast
11am: blessings for your next adventure
Rooms
Click on each image below to explore the amenities for each room.
EARLY BIRD PRICING: $300 OFF THROUGH OCTOBER 1ST
All pricing is per person for a single occupancy room, and payment plans are available through February 1st, 2024. If you have friends or family you wish to room with, please contact us directly for double-occupancy pricing.
Apply
While our time together often inspires healing and can be therapeutic, it is not therapy. It’s important to have a strong group container with a clear understanding of our community agreements. I ask each person applying to attend to connect for a 15-minute session to confirm that we are clear on the agreements of this container. I’m also inspired to offer as a bonus, a private personal session with me to do a gratitude ceremony, energy healing, or personalized movement ritual. We will also have a monthly call leading up to the retreat.
If you’re approved to enroll after your call, we’ll send you a registration form to pay, and you’ll also be required to sign our event policies and communications agreement in order to attend.
CANCELLATION POLICY: If you need to cancel for any reason (including COVID-19 travel restrictions) 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.
We will also hold your tuition as a course credit for a future retreat minus any housing expenses we incur. If you would be placed in financial distress in the event that you need to cancel without a refund, we encourage you not to register and to wait until closer to the retreat to register so that you may be more sure of your plans and current travel restrictions.
APPLICATIONS AND ROOM REQUESTS WILL PROCESSED IN THE ORDER IN WHICH THEY'RE RECEIVED.
Faq
Have a question that isn’t covered here?
Contact us at info@qoya.love, and a member of Team Qoya will support you.
WHAT ARE THE COVID-19 SAFETY PROTOCOLS?
You can learn more about Blue Spirit’s most up to date COVID-19 safety protocols here with acknowledgement that these might change depending on how the virus evolves: https://bluespiritcostarica.com/retreats/covid-19-protocols/
WHAT TIME OF DAY DOES THE COURSE START, AND WHAT TIME DOES IT FINISH?
It starts with dinner at 6pm on the 6th, and ends at 9am on the 13th. We recommend that you arrive around 4pm on the 6th 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). Make a shuttle reservation here.
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 26th.
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.
WHY DO I NEED TO APPLY? CAN'T I JUST REGISTER?
In order to ensure a good experience for everyone who attends the retreat, we want to make sure everyone who attends is willing to participate in a safe and sacred space, honoring our communication agreements.
WHAT IF I CAN'T TRAVEL DUE TO COVID-19? CAN I GET A REFUND?
If you’re not able to attend the retreat, there are no refunds regardless of the reason. We are happy to hold your tuition as a credit towards a future retreat.
If you don’t feel comfortable with this, please don’t sign up. You can get good travel insurance that covers Covid cancellations or wait until the last minute to register and attend to lessen your risk. However, as a small company, we can’t cover refunds in the event of an act of nature, like a global pandemic.
I HAVE MORE QUESTIONS. WHO DO I CONTACT?
Any questions we haven’t covered here? Email us at info@qoya.love.