New Retreat Offering: Soltara at The Sanctuary

New Retreat Offering: Soltara at The Sanctuary

Retreats beginning November 2024
Montezuma, Costa Rica

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As I reflect on the past decade, I’m filled with awe and inspiration for the profound journey we’ve been on together.

I came to the world of plant medicine and Indigenous knowledge systems from a science and engineering background, and it shattered the rigid Western framework I had been conditioned with – a view of the world as mechanistic and separate. Through my work with Shipibo Maestros and personal experiences with ayahuasca, I came to deeply feel the interconnectedness of all things and the aliveness of the world around us. Healing, I realized, is an interactive, participatory, and relational process.

Week after week, I bear witness to brave souls reconnecting with their own aliveness and the living ecosystem they are a part of, no longer viewing their lives solely through the lens of trauma, but able to access their deeper wisdom.

I don’t know where I would be without plant medicine. It has drawn me into a deeper relationship with myself, our Plant Teachers, the Maestros who have guided me, the community, and the Earth and land I reside on.

Since our inception, Soltara has been blessed to call the healing lands of Costa Rica and the Nicoya Peninsula our home. Our bond with this land and its people has only deepened over the years, echoing the collective need for healing that we have witnessed during this profound awakening. Trauma is ever-present, yet there is also a driving human spirit to discover something deeper – deeper connection to community, to the land, to the self, to the psyche, and to integrate our human experience into the living web of our ecology.

An Intentional Expansion

As our community has grown over the years, we have faced many challenges together, and come back with an even stronger conviction that healing is needed both individually and collectively. To support this, we have been called to find aligned collaborators to help support this mission.

Since 2021, we have had uniquely special collaborations at different times of the year – in the high mountain Amazon of Peru, in Sugar Beach of Costa Rica, and most recently, a limited series in the Sacred Valley of Peru through August of this year. Each has been its own blessing and healing medicine. We have always grown organically, tuning in to the needs of our community as well as the lands and teams of the retreat spaces we have been grateful to work with. As our community’s needs have evolved, so has our commitment to finding spaces that support our mission of healing the body, mind, and spirit in collaboration with our Plant Allies and Stewards.

Our search for a new, aligned space began as our collaborations across the sacred sites of Peru and Costa Rica unfolded. With a clear vision and heart, we listened to the needs of our community and the whispers of the land, guiding us to find a place where we could best continue our work as our collaboration in the Sacred Valley lovingly concludes this summer.

In this listening, we had some requirements, after years of experience and attunement:

• Intimate Group Sizes: We understand the importance of personalized care as well as a close-knit communal healing experience, and sought a space that supports intimate groups of 12 to 14 guests per retreat. We know that smaller group sizes foster a deeply nurturing environment, where guests leave feeling like family.
• Sacred Ceremony Space: The ceremonial space needs to reflect the highest reverence for the spiritual work we engage in and undertake together.
• Connection with Nature: Set & setting is foundational, and we wanted a space where nature is the medicine. We love our sun-drenched, mountainous beach location at Playa Blanca, and we wanted to welcome our community to a unique space that is conducive to medicine work – perhaps more jungle, perhaps a river, or even a waterfall!
• A Home Away from Home: Working with a venue team that is experienced in supporting transformational healing and also embodies a welcoming, familial spirit.
• Environmental Stewardship: Aligning with venues that respect and nurture the land, and are committed to sustainability through practices like solar power and greywater systems.

As the medicine works through us, we trusted. And our prayers were answered. With every ask fulfilled completely, we knew this was the right home for us to continue supporting our community.

The Sanctuary at Two Rivers: A Mirror of Our Values

Introducing The Sanctuary at Two Rivers, our intimate jungle retreat space, situated along the Rio Lajas just outside of Montezuma, on the Nicoya Peninsula.

The story of how we discovered The Sanctuary at Two Rivers is one of synchronicity and divine timing, reflecting the beauty of this medicine path and our ongoing commitment to provide environments where healing and growth are nurtured by the natural world and supported by experienced facilitators.

From our first contact with the retreat team there, we knew this was a match. They were warm and welcoming, and committed and enthusiastic to support the transformational work that happens with plant medicine.

With modern Zen architecture that flows with the abundant flora and fauna across 40 acres of a nature reserve, a private waterfall and the soothing sounds of the river Rio Lajas throughout the property, high ceilings and outdoor showers that allow for a full jungle immersion, intimate group sizes, and eco-friendly operations, we could not be more grateful to have our prayers answered and have found our second home in Costa Rica.

Join Us in This New Beginning

Starting in November 2024, after our final retreats in the Sacred Valley, we invite you to either of our Costa Rican retreats: our sundrenched and mountainous Playa Blanca location, or the even more intimate jungle immersion at The Sanctuary. Each offers a unique path to healing, surrounded by the unparalleled beauty of Costa Rica’s wild spaces.

We are deeply grateful to have found a place that not only meets our needs but also exceeds our expectations in every way—a true sanctuary where healing journeys unfold with grace and integrity. Bookings are now open, and we look forward to welcoming you to this sacred space.

With love and gratitude,
Melissa
Co-Founder, Soltara Healing Center