Dates: May 22 - 29, 2010
Sacred Sites Journeys joins AmaTierra to create a women’s retreat where the beauty of Mother Nature and You are the Sacred Sites! She will lead you through your own unique journey to access and strengthen your intuitive abilities. Learn more about Andrea Mikana-Pinkham on her website, or dowload the complete itineray and in-depth retreat description. Sacred Sites Journey Itinerary.
Women's retreat with intuitive and spiritual counselor Andrea Mikana-Pinkham of Spiritual Sites JourneysAndrea Mikana-Pinkham is the Director of Sacred Sites Journeys. She has been designing and leading spiritual pilgrimages to the world's most sacred sites for 14 years. Through group meditations and sacred ceremonies and rituals, Andrea will allow you access your Divine Feminine energies on a deeper level.
Andrea is a trained schamanic practitioner, spiritual counselor, Reiki Grand Master and an avid practitioner of the Goddess tradition. She brings the energy of the teachers of the Divine femine through intuitive and trance channeling.
Tour Itinerary:
Day 1, Saturday, May 22: This Women's Retreat is Land only. You are responsible to book your roundtrip international flight to San Jose, Costa Rica. Please arrive in San Jose, Costa Rica by noon on Saturday, May 16, 2009 in order to connect with our group transfer to Ama Tierra Retreat Center. We transfer from San Jose to the mountains east of the city, to Ama Tierra Retreat and Wellness Center, our home for the next seven nights. You'll feel at home in the arms of Mother Nature, amidst the mango trees and sounds of the living forest in your simple, elegant suite. Tastefully designed with unique decor to allow you to enjoy the serenity of your surroundings, each Suite comes with its own jacuzzi tub, private terrace and garden with outdoor seating. Hardwood furniture and a ceiling made of teak brings the ambiance of the forest into your room.
The sleeping area has comfy beds, ceiling fans, a refrigerator, coffee/tea maker, a phone, complementary snacks and TV/DVD player (choose a movie, free, from over 250 in (the retreat center's collection). And for any of you who feel the need to stay connected with the outside world, there is WI-FI Wireless Internet Service. After settling in, we'll gather for our Introductory Meeting. After introductions, Andrea will facilitate a Meditation and Opening Ceremony to assist you to begin making that deeper connection with the Goddess Within. The spiral at the left is the best known modern symbol of the Divine Feminine or the Goddess. It represents the womb, fertility, feminine serpent force, continual change, and the evolution of the universe. The life renewing potential of the Spiral appears in the stories of various cultures, as a representation of the universal process of growth, as well as the desire for diverse expressions of creativity.
When drawn clockwise, it brings things towards you, and when drawn anti-clockwise, it pushes negative energies away from you. It is a natural function for human beings to grow, change and evolve…and the Spiral symbolizes this process of growth and evolution. It is a process of coming to the same point again and again, but at a different level, so that everything is seen in a new light. The result is a new perspective on issues, people, and places.
We're in for a luscious and nutritious treat, as we enjoy dinner a la Ama Tierra, our first of many delicious meals. The local cooks serve up delicious dishes made with fresh fish (mahi-mahi, talapia, shrimp and corvina, or sea bass are commonly offered), chicken dishes (orange/mango chicken with coriander, served with brown and wild rice is one favorite) or occasional red meat dishes ("typical" picadillo made with green papaya and pork, or Iraqi meatballs in a delectable sweet and tangy sauce). They also easily accommodate vegetarian diets with such dishes as Sacred Sites Journeys - Women's Retreat - Costa Rica 2009.
Spinach Risotto and Vegetarian Thai Curry over rice. The goal is healthful, enjoyable dining, with attention to freshness and wholesome ingredients. A beautiful salad is part of every dinner. They use only healthful oils, real butter and local honey, often substituting honey or "dulce" (minimally processed sugar cane, for white sugar.) Desserts are homemade and generally light, though your love for chocolate, the Food of the Goddess, will be accommodated too! After dinner, take some time to sit out on your individual patio for some private meditation time, an extra special experience here in Costa Rica. Or take a walk to the stream or hike to where you can see the Nicoya Peninsula in the distance. And as you drift off to sleep tonight, invite the energy of the Divine Feminine in your dreams, to bless you with. Includes: (D).
Day 2, Sunday, May 23: Enjoy an optional Hatha Yoga Class this morning with Jill. It's for every body, no matter your age or ability level. Jill’s method of teaching is closely aligned with one of her teachers, Jean-Pierre Marques from North Africa who was a pioneer in bringing Eastern traditions to the U.S. in 1971, and who later initiated the Spiritual Awareness Center at Canyon Ranch Spa in Tucson, Arizona. Stretch and awaken to your day, as you open your energy to flow more freely and easily, thus allowing for better integration of the transformation you're inviting into your beingness.
Our breakfast each day will consist of: Fresh fruits or freshly squeezed fruit juices, traditional rice and bean "Gallopinto", eggs any style, fresh whole grain breads or muffins served with mashed avocado, cheeses, butter and jam, baked plantain, organic coffee or choose from a variety of black, green or herbal teas. After breakfast, we'll gather in the Yoga Studio for our morning session facilitated by Andrea: "Empower the Goddess Within". Bring with you any images of the Goddess that are meaningful for you. Or any sacred objects that have come to you during your life's journey that hold the energy of the Divine Feminine for you. We'll use these sacred items as a stepping stone to access and empower our Inner Divine feminine. Through meditation, She will communicate with you and reveal to you what you most need to know in that moment about You/Her. And what your path this week will be about.
Then, during our Sharing Circle we'll support each other's paths to the same center - the Goddess Within. After lunch, you have the afternoon free. Perhaps you'd like to book a massage or other wellness therapy to assist you to move out the old energies and make way for the new! Sessions are tailored to your individual needs and include Shiatsu and Swedish massage, abdominal massage, sound therapy, deep tissue massage, exfoliation and detoxifying mud treatments using the Mother Earth from Costa Rican volcanoes. Each day during free time Andrea will offer a private Tarot Reading for each member of our group. Dinner tonight will be a time to share with your Sisters about your day, as well as to enjoy the fabulous cuisine. Includes: (B), (L), (D).
Day 3, Monday, May 24: Enjoy another optional Hatha Yoga Class this morning with Jill. Relax and enjoy your session in the new open-air studio where the views will inspire profound transformation in your whole Self. After breakfast, you have free time. Sit beside the pool and write in your journal, or read. Maybe you've brought a book that's interested you, but you've put off reading? Now's the time! Andrea will be offering the individual Tarot Readings (as described in Day 2 above). After lunch we gather for a group channeling session with Andrea: A Message from the Kumaras - The Divine Feminine Within". Tonight is another fabulous dinner, during which we'll take time to share about our day. Afterwards pamper yourself and take some time for relaxation and integration. Includes: (B), (L), (D).
Day 4: Tuesday, May 25: Another great opportunity this morning to ground and center during an optional Hatha Yoga Class with Jill. After breakfast we leave for our Full Day at the Beach! (Includes lunch). We'll spend the day at Esterillas Oeste, a stunning Central Pacific Coast beach, one of Costa Rica's most beautiful! Just over an hour from Ama Tierra, it's truly a beach lover's paradise. Palm trees overhang the white, sandy beaches and exotic Scarlet Macaws make their homes in the trees. Located in a quiet coastal village, Esterillas Oeste, is known by locals as one of the best beach destinations in the country. Adventure lovers will enjoy excellent surf breaks. Sun lovers can soak up the rays. And everyone will enjoy the cool ocean breezes. The serenity will permeate your body, mind and spirit! We'll also include a bit of Retail Therapy in the day, as we stop on the way at one of the colorful local markets. We return to the retreat center later afternoon. You have free time before our group dinner. Includes: (B), (L), (D).
Day 5, Wednesday, May 26: Join the optional Hatha Yoga Class this morning with Jill and communicate with your body, mind and spirit. After another excellent Ama Tierra breakfast, you have free time again to hike the trails at the retreat center, relax at the pool, and/or enjoy wellness therapies. Again, Andrea will be offering more of the individual Tarot Readings (as described in Day 2 above). After lunch our afternoon Session with Andrea is "Deepen Your Connection with Your Intuition". In our fast-paced and often chaotic world of today, we have more and more need to open up to our intuition and develop it. As we search for more meaning in our lives and seek to create our dreams, following our intuition becomes a must. Developing our intuition, which is the voice of the Goddess Within, is the pathway to manifesting all that we need and want in our lives. Connecting with and using our intuitive abilities is our
birthright!
As a woman, you've most likely been aware for most of your life that you had intuition - that knowing, gut feeling, the unexplainable instinct about things and people. Perhaps you had precognitive dreams as a child. Or you knew what others were thinking and feeling, without them telling you. You just "knew" things, but didn't know how you knew them. If you were fortunate enough to have had support from your parents or another important adult in your life, you no doubt didn't lose contact with that ability, but rather were encouraged to develop it. Or, if your ability was made fun of and you were scoffed at or even shamed for demonstrating it, you no doubt shut down to using it. And lost it. Well, not to worry.
Intuition is like a muscle and like any muscle, the more you use it the stronger it becomes. In our session this afternoon, through using various exercises, Andrea will guide you to access and strengthen your connection with your own intuitive abilities. After dinner we're in for a very special treat! An evening of Toning/Sound Healing with Crystal Bowls facilitated by Jill. The special quartz crystal bowls used in sound therapy are tuned to the body's "chakras" or energy centers, and can help to push through stagnant or blocked energy channels in much the same way ultrasound therapy is used to ease pain and even to cleanse clogged arteries. People find it to be a mesmerizing and sensual experience that leaves them feeling renewed and energized, more in harmony with the natural rhythm and flow of the earth's own energy field. The bowls are aligned with the same electromagnetic frequency of the earth and made to resonate with the natural world which our bodies, when in balance, hum along with. Includes: (B), (L), (D).
Day 6, Thursday, May 27: Your optional Hatha Yoga Class this morning with Jill will prepare you for a day of adventure on all levels! After breakfast we're off to nearby Turubari Tropical Eco-Park (Includes lunch), the most complete tropical park in America, a fresh destination with unspoiled natural environment and a commitment to sustainable tourism. High above the Rainforest and only 15 minutes from AmaTierra, in the village of San Juan de Mata at Turrubares, Turubari is one of the biggest parks in Central America, set amongst 595 acres of breathtaking, unspoilt grounds. We'll learn about Costa Rica’s natural history and discover some of the most amazing and diverse wildlife species in the world. We'll hear some of the over 150 species of birds singing throughout the forest, and observe a wonderful array of flora, including orchids, palms, cactus, bamboo, bromeliads and ancient trees. We can stroll through the tropical garden and see unique botanical collections; discover the butterfly, orchid and bromeliad gardens as well as the Rio Grande de Tarcoles, which is recognized for its large crocodile population.
We can view the park from the Turubari Sky Ride, an aerial tramway that offers spectacular views of the park at 265 feet, suspended high above the rain forest canopy. Or, the Sensational Cable tour, which takes you on a mile-long journey through the forest at a maximum speed of 55 miles per hour and a height of 315 feet. Or, if you're feeling especially adventurous today, you can choose one of three different options for "zipline" (optional), an exhilarating experience of flying over the canopy of trees, safely. Turubari is known to have the best canopy tours in all of Costa Rica. We return to our retreat center later in the afternoon. Take a bit of time to rest and integrate before dinner. We have so much to share about
our adventures today!
Day 7, Friday, May 28: This morning is your last opportunity to attend an optional Hatha Yoga Class with Jill. After breakfast, you have free time again to enjoy any of the retreat center's activities that you've not yet enjoyed: hike the trails at the retreat center, relax at the pool, and/or enjoy wellness therapies. Andrea will be offering the last of the individual Tarot Readings this morning. After our last scrumptious lunch, take a siesta or sit out on your private patio to take in the blessings of Mother Nature for the last time. In the later afternoon we gather in the Yoga Studio for our Closing Ceremony and Meditation. What parting Gifts of Spirit will the Goddess bestow upon you? What have you learned about yourself and the Goddess Within this week? Where will that realization take you as you re-enter your life back home? We'll take time to integrate our experience and prepare for this re-entry.
Bring a small gift as a "Give Away" as we'll exchange mementoes with our Sisters in symbology of the bounteous and giving nature of the Goddess. (Price of gift not to exceed $20.00) Let's take time at dinner this evening not only to enjoy our last meal together, but as well to share our Attitudes of Gratitude for what we've received during our time as Goddesses in Paradise - the new insights, growth and blessings that we'll be taking home with us to make our lives fuller, deeper, juicer and more in alignment with the path of our Divine Feminine. Includes: (B), (L), (D).
Day 8, Saturday, May 29: After breakfast we check out and depart Ama Tierra for our group transfer to the airport in San Jose. Please book your international return flight to depart after noon.
Note: This itinerary is subject to change due to conditions beyond our control. Includes: (B).
Notes:
Airfare is not included in the tour price.
Price: $1752 p/p, double occupancy.
Price Includes:
- Roundtrip group transfer from airport in San Jose to retreat center
- Seven nights lodging, double occupancy, in a room with 2 beds and a private bath (Important: A few single rooms are available, so if
you want your own space for the retreat, please book as early as possible.)
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner daily
- Motorcoach transportation for all tour activities
- Sightseeing as per the itinerary, including entrance fees
- Pre-Paid Gratuities.
Price Excludes:
- Roundtrip international air to San Jose, Costa Rica
- Cost to obtain valid passport
- Any items of a personal nature such as laundry, drinks and telephone calls
- Any item that is not specifically detailed on the Sacred Sites Journeys website, in the retreat brochure or final trip itinerary.
Also see tour packages in:
Central America and Caribbean
Costa Rica
Spiritual Odyssey
Yoga & Spiritual Experience
Women Tours
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