Madre Tierra Eco Art & Yoga Retreat
March 24-29, 2021
THE EVENT
Are you a mental health professional, or just someone interested in utilizing creativity to bring new dimensions in your way of seeing and thinking?
If you are in a transitional phase, feeling stuck in your personal life, business or practice then this retreat is for you!
Join us for a wildly liberating and relaxing retreat in the sacred land of Costa Rica. Let us teach you how to utilize creativity to examine fears and insecurities that are preventing you from living your best life!
When there is awareness, change may occur.
Practitioners in the field of mental health, creative art therapies and spiritual counseling will greatly benefit from this experience. However, this retreat is presented in a unique format that allows practitioners and non-practitioners to gain hands on experience using therapeutic art making and yoga in their own lives or practice.
The art guided sessions will focus on your creative process with the support and guidance of a trained mental health professional, emphasizing the use of art as ritual, interconnection, interaction, and relationships. The art making process will evolve around the unconscious and the conscious; on metaphor and symbol.
With the hustle and bustle of daily life, we oftentimes find ourselves alienated from our natural environment, which is why Madre Tierra Retreat focuses on our innate primal bond with nature, with an emphasis on grounding, creativity development, mindfulness and impermanence, making it effective for building coping skills, reducing stress and anxiety, and preventing burn-out.
We invite you to slow things down on this exotic tropical retreat, take your shoes off, feel the temperature of the ground, the texture of the earth. Breath in the evergreen air and feel the exhilaration of renewed energy after a challenging yet rewarding hike in the sacred mountains of Costa Rica. Let the tides of Costa Rica’s Pacific coast tickle your toes as we take you on a journey of all the senses.
No artistic skills or yoga experience necessary!
WHAT YOU WILL LEARN
- How to receive advice and guidance from the natural world on a current problem, question, or challenge in your life.
- Rekindling a natural spark for awe, wonder, and playful spontaneity in your life through creative self-expression and nature emersion.
- How to rediscover, reconcile, and/or embrace the creative mastermind within you and use it as a tool for examining negative beliefs, fears, or insecurities that that are preventing you from living your best life.
- How to explore and utilize your senses as a tool for self discovery, understanding nature from a different paradigm, and gaining a deeper awareness of your Self and mother earth through cross-pairing of the senses.
- How to expand your natural-self awareness and strengthen your ability to trust.
- How to utilize creativity as a tool reducing stress, anxiety, and reconnecting with your true-self.
- How to create a daily mediation practice.
- How to expand self awareness through the art of creative writing and journaling.
- Natural and healthy self care practices.
- Explore the mandala as a powerful spiritual tool for self discovery, healing, and meditation in nature.
- Learn how to recognize the best, healthy edible plants and leaves, and use them in your kitchen and everyday recipes.
- Learn fun and creative recipes, preparation principles and harvesting rules to enjoy jungle foods.
- Learn how to create a diet and lifestyle to suit your needs with Ayurvedic principles and qualities of the foods we will prepare.
YOUR MASTERS
ELLA DUFRENE
Ella believes that art is our most primitive style of communication and expression, dating back to our earliest forms of art making in prehistoric cave paintings. Driven by the instinctual knowledge of the innate and powerful healing powers of art, Ella received her Masters in Art Therapy & Creativity Development from the Pratt Institute in 2015.
Deeply connected to the restorative flow and wisdom fostered by Mother Earth, Ella began exploring eco-art therapy techniques, and moving toward an ecological artistic context that emphasizes collaboration and interconnection. This lead her to facilitate her first Eco-Art Therapy Retreat in 2016 in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, Colombia. Currently, Ella is based out of Miami, FL, where she works as an art therapist in hospice, as well as in her private practice, Lila Art Therapy Services, LLC.
She has experience working with people on the autism spectrum, children and adults with special needs and developmental delays, drug/alcohol addiction, eating disorders, as well as adults and children in both individual and group settings. Ella recently joined Guitars Over Guns non-profit organization with the intention to inspire and empower at risk youth through the arts.
Ella emphasizes a holistic approach to wellness and utilizes a playful ‘person first’ approach to therapy. All of those that know and work with Ella can feel her passion for the healing properties of nature, art and movement. Ella approaches her day to day and work life with a zest for life, a youthful spirit and a contagiously open mind.
Ryan Bean
Ryan Bean is an acrobat, performer and Yoga instructor. Ryan received his yoga training at the foothills of the Himalayas in Rishikesh, India.
He teaches Hatha, Vinyasa, Ashtanga, and power yoga, incorporating Meditation and Pranayama into each practice. Partner Yoga and AcroYoga are at the core of his style and he may include these fun elements into a class to help emphasize community and trust within the group.
Ryan brings a unique style, incorporating the traditional and spiritual practices of yoga learned in the ashrams of India with the playful acro practice. His classes are a mixture of spiritual, playful, powerful, and guided asanas to help you grow and work toward alignment.
I’ve been actively working for the last year towards acknowledging and confronting my demons such as anger, irrationality, self-pity, resentment, immaturity, etc…
A few months ago at the Madre Tierra Retreat, I moved from acknowledgement to acceptance. Since then i have felt freed from the burden of these traits.
I discovered that I am fully empowered and in control and I was taught some strategies to work on. It’s not easy for me to say I’m no angel, but at least now I no longer feel helpless towards self-improvement.”
I’ve benefitted immensely from the varied workshops and especially meeting from the fellow attendees. What a beautiful way to connect with like-minded people. Madre Tierra retreats combine nature and art with a focus on personal growth. It’s spiritual summer camp!
Personally, I was so inspired by the last retreat that I’ve continued to pursue art, painting, collage, and try all kinds forms of self-expression. I cannot thank Ella enough for creating these magical retreats and I feel lucky to have been a part of them. Can’t wait for the next time I can reconnect with myself and Mother Earth!”
The environment that was created was so unique and special that people including myself were able to release their inhibitions and truly be themselves. The tears, laughter, openness and appreciation that joined us all as one is something I’ll never forget. The Madre Tierra retreat came together in such a harmonious way that it left all of us who started as strangers – feeling connected, peaceful and as if we had known each other forever. I truly believe everyone found a little piece of themselves that they didn’t know they were searching for.
Regardless of any insecurities that I’ve had, I felt a sense comfort even in my own discomfort, and found myself being able to let go. The energy and support that was provided was the trigger to releasing known and unknown stressors and in return inspiring new thoughts, clarity and intentions.
The Madre Tierra team and facilitators worked tirelessly to bring together a truly exceptional and affirming experience. Throughout the retreat they did an amazing job striking the perfect balance between yoga, self development, creating positive affirmations through artistic influences and delicious vegan dishes. The Hostel in the forest also provided and taught me the respect and consideration nature deserves, shifting the mindset and whole being”
YOUR VENUE
We offer 17 Luxury Accommodations sleeping 15-44 people.
Each room is equipped with 850 thread count bedding for maximum comfort, high-speed internet, and clean drinking water derived from our artesian well.
THE BALI HOMES
our three Bali Homes are imported from Indonesia and boast hand-carved architecture.
THE JUNGLE BUNGALOWS
LUXURY TRANSPORTATION
Guests arrive refreshed, relaxed and you don’t need to coordinate a thing!
THE GEODESIC RIVER DOMES
Experience the soothing sounds of relaxing and sleeping next to flowing water. Amazing!
THE HOUSE OF MASTERS
THE SOCIAL SPACE
THE PATHS
THE WATERFALL
