* Only 1 spot left for 2024!*
JOIN US FOR THE 5TH ANNIVERSARY OF our most POPULAR RETREAT! JOIN JOEY PAZ AND FRIENDS FOR A ONE-OF-A-KIND YOGA ADVENTURE ON THE BREATHTAKING TEHUANTEPEC COAST OF OAXACA, FOR OUR 5TH ANNUAL DÍA DE LOS MUERTOS ASHTANGA ADVENTURE RETREAT.
In this 8-day, all-inclusive retreat, you will:
Deepen your Yoga practice in a tropical paradise-
Connect with your ancestors during the week of Día de los Muertos-
Experience the beauty and power of Temazcal, the indigenous purification ceremony of Mexico with a local healer, feeling reborn into your highest purpose in life-
Enjoy the bliss and pure relaxation of one of Mexico’s most beautiful hidden corners-
Receive the tools you need to continue with a lifelong yoga and pranayama (yogic breathing) practice-
Connect with the local community and economically support the local economy, helping to preserve timeless indigenous traditions & cultural heritage
& Connect with a new group of friends from around the world
All during the most magical and sacred time of year in Mexico.
This retreat is suitable for all levels - complete beginners, as well as experienced yoga practitioners, are encouraged. Joey is experienced in meeting you wherever you are in your practice.
Our morning, open-air practice sessions with a breathtaking, panoramic Pacific view and a fresh, rejuvenating sea breeze.
Morning practice sessions include yoga philosophy lectures, building on the theme from the day before.
The week of Día de Muertos is the most vibrant and exciting time of the year to visit Mexico, and Oaxaca is considered to be the most traditional and colorful region of the country in its world-famous celebrations of this uniquely Mexican holy day.
The price of this ALL-INCLUSIVE retreat includes beach house accommodation, all yoga classes & curriculum, a fresh fruit breakfast and 2 meals per day of Mexican vegetarian cuisine freshly prepared by our local chef and his family; as well as a Temazcal Ceremony, and guided nature excursions into the stunning wilderness of Oaxaca.
Spend ample free time relaxing on the famously mellow beaches of Zipolite, Puerto Ángel, within walking distance from the retreat center, or enjoy the hip shopping and dining scene of Mazunte, a short taxi ride away.
*This retreat is limited to 10 participants only!*
This retreat is ALL-INCLUSIVE! Leave all the details to us. All you have to do is show up to Casa Faro, and we’ll take care of the rest.
What is included in the cost of the retreat:
All Yoga classes, lectures, and curriculum, including an extensive PDF study guide of all material covered for continued study
All meals during the retreat
Accommodation for 8 days/7 nights in Casa Faro (unless you choose the off-site accommodation option)
A deep understanding and foundation for a lifelong Pranayama practice, one of the most powerful yogic tools for maintaining resilient health and well-being- including step-by-step PDF guides and video downloads of Joey’s online Pranayama courses, detailing the principles, practice, and philosophy of Pranayama.
A download of Joey’s HD-quality Primary Series instructional video
A Temazcal ceremony with a local indigenous healer, Irma Luz, with whom we have been working for the past 4 years. This is a powerful experience and a highlight of the entire week- this year it will take place on Nov 2 - Día de Muertos, when the veil between worlds is at its thinnest.
Guided nature hike to the famous Punta Cometa coastal cliff formations - a sacred ceremonial site for the indigenous inhabitants of the land.
A new crew of friends and connections from around the world
Memories to last a lifetime!
*Off-Site Accommodation Option includes all of the above, except accommodation in the retreat house. You will be responsible for your own accommodation. There are many nearby Airbnbs that are reasonably priced, and Joey will assist you in locating and booking a place.
*Please note that because many people tend to arrive early and stay later after the retreat, airport pickup is not included in the cost of the retreat. We are happy to arrange airport transfer directly to the retreat house or your airbnb.
Pickup from Huatulco airport directly to the retreat: 900 Pesos (Approx $60 USD)
Pickup from Puerto Escondido Airport directly to the reatreat: 1,200 pesos (Approx. $70 USD)
A talk with Irma Luz, our medicine woman who will lead us through the profound experience of Temazcal.
Preparing to enter the Temazcal
Our retreat includes a Temazcal Ceremony led by Irma Luz, a local Zapoteca medicine woman who welcomes us each year into her healing center. This year, our Temazcal ceremony falls on Nov. 2, which is the actual Día de los Muertos, when the veil between worlds is at its thinnest. This synchronicity has the potential to be a life-changing experience for all participants.
Temazcal (an indigenous healing & purification ceremony and sweat lodge) offers many spiritual and health benefits. This is a profound experience, and each year our retreat guests report feelings of lightness, newness, and being reborn into their life’s path. The Temazcal ceremony is a powerful culmination of the week we will be spending together.
Relax at the retreat center during your free time, or head down to Mazunte or Zipolite beach.
The 2023 retreat crew at Mazunte Beach!
Our retreat includes a guided nature hike to the stunning Punta Cometa coastal cliff formations. This is the Southernmost point of Oaxaca, and a sacred ceremonial site for the original inhabitants of this land. The place where the sun and moon meet. A place of surreal beauty and highlight of our week together.
RETREAT ITINERARY
DAY 1 - (MONDAY, OCT. 28): ARRIVE AT CASA FARO.
11am-4pm - Guests arrive, unwind, relax, soak in the sea breeze
4 pm - Introductions, Retreat Syllabus
6pm - Dinner
7-8:30pm - Documentary: Mysore Yoga Traditions
Day 2 - (Tuesday, Oct. 29)
8am-11am Morning asana, mudra, pranayama practice
11am-12pm - Lunch
12-5pm - Free beach time
5-6pm - Mudra/Mantra/Meditation
6-7pm - Dinner
7-8:30pm - Mysore Yoga Traditions Philosophy Archive: Yoga Sutras of Patanjali with Dr. Nagaraj Rao
Day 3 - (Wednesday, Oct. 30)
8am-11am Morning therapeutics, asana, & pranayama practice
11am-12pm - Lunch
12-5pm - Free beach time
5-6pm - Mantra/Mudra/Meditation
6-7pm - Dinner
7:30-9pm - Mysore Yoga Traditions Philosophy Archive: Dr. MA Jayashree & MA Narasimhan
Day 4 - (Thursday, Oct. 31):
8am-11am Morning therapeutics, asana, pranayama practice
11am-5pm - Free time
5-6pm - Mantra/Mudra/Meditation
6-7pm - Dinner
7-8:30pm - Mysore Yoga Traditions Philosophy Archive: Sri Yamini Muthanna
Day 5 - (Friday, Nov. 1)
7am-9am Morning therapeutics, asana, pranayama practice
12pm-6pm - trip to Mazunte & Guided Nature hike to the famous Punta Cometa coastal cliff formations
7-8:30pm - Mysore Yoga Traditions Philosophy Archive: Sri Manju Jois
Day 6 - (Saturday, Nov. 2):
8am-11am Morning therapeutics, asana, pranayama practice
11am-12pm - Lunch
12-6pm - Free time
Temazcal (Traditional Mexican sweat lodge & Purification ceremony)
7-8:30pm - Mysore Yoga Traditions Philosophy Archive: Sri BNS Iyengar
Day 7 - (Sunday, Nov. 3)
8am-11am Morning therapeutics, asana, pranayama practice
11am- Lunch
12-5pm - Free time
5-6pm - Final afternoon session
6-7pm - Last dinner together
Day 8 - (Monday, Nov. 4):
7am - Sunrise practice, Farewell circle
Each day after practice we drink fresh coconuts to rehydrate!
Fresh coconuts each day to rehydrate after our morning asana practice!
Meals
Tacos Dorados… one of the crowd favorites every year!
Sharing our meals together in our beautiful outdoor dining area overlooking the Pacific Ocean.
We will have all our meals provided on site for us at Casa Faro. In the morning, fresh fruit will be available before we practice. Lunch and dinner is lovingly prepared by a local family who is experienced in fresh, regional vegetarian Oaxacan cuisine. Each meal during the retreat is an exquisite culinary experience!
About the Accommodation/Retreat Center
We will be staying and practicing in Casa Faro, a beautiful cliffside house overlooking the Pacific Ocean, built by a Humboldt native. Please note that this house was constructed in the spirit of communal living, and as such, the sleeping arrangements are not private. The beds are located on the open air deck in the shared space. It is for this reason that we are able to keep the price of this retreat so low. If you wish to attend the retreat but have your own FULLY PRIVATE accommodations, there are a number of hotels and Airbnbs within walking distance of the house, and you are fully welcome to arrange private accommodation at your own expense. In this case, we can assist with the selection and location of alternate accommodations.
If you choose the option of not staying at the house, but arranging your own separate accommodation, Joey will assist you in selecting nearby accommodation. Many of our guests each year choose to stay in a private airbnb near the retreat house, a 5 minute walk to Casa Faro. If you choose this option, Joey will assist you in choosing the Airbnb.
Also note that the house only sleeps 5 people, so it will be a relatively small group staying at the house during the retreat. Although the sleeping arrangements are all the same quality and comfort level, the first person to sign up gets first dibs on the beds, and so on. Another reason to sign up well in advance! We feel this arrangement will evoke the “ashram” style of the yogic tradition and facilitate an intimate growth and learning experience. Consider it like sharing an open-air beach house with your friends at Yoga camp! Read on for more information and photos of the house, and for even more photos and traveler reviews of the house, feel free to search “Casa Faro” in Oaxaca on Airbnb or Tripadvisor and read the many guest reviews. You won’t be disappointed!
About Casa Faro
Casa Faro is the essence of serenity. With 180-degree ocean views from every arch and doorway, with the caress of the ocean breeze and murmur of the sea below; this spectacular rustic retreat is the perfect sanctuary designed to revitalize and restore your sense of awe, wonder and tranquility. Casa Faro is a beautifully constructed 2-story (+ Loft) cliff-side dwelling, hand-crafted of tropical hard-wood & red brick over-looking the blue Pacific and close-by, off-shore rock islands. The house is adjoined by a half-acre of fruit-trees and surrounded by patios on three sides. Situated right next door to Puerto Angel’s historic light-house, amazing ocean views greet you from every angle.
Location
Our secluded, end-of-the-road dwelling is situated half-way between the towns of Puerto Angel & Zipolite. It’s an 8-minute walk to the nearest small grocery store and main thoroughfare or a 15 -minute walk to the beaches of either Puerto Angel or Zipolite. For those days when the sea is calm there’s a steep trail just 1-minute’s walk down from the house to a secluded, rocky/sandy swimming, fishing or snorkeling cove.
Garden & Orchard
On the northern section of the property, protected from ocean breezes, we've created a terraced garden & orchard that contains over 50 fruit trees including: Mango, Lemon, Mandarin, Orange, Grapefruit, Pomegranate, Plum, Guava, Guanabana, Chicozapote, Anona, and Banana. These fruits are seasonal and, when ripe, are readily available to renters.
Indoor Kitchen
Indoor kitchen is fully equipped with a modern, full-sized refrigerator, a 6-burner Stove with oven, a kitchen sink, a toaster, a microwave, a blender, and a coffee-maker. The kitchen includes basic cooking and eating utensils: cloth napkins, table mats, a teapot, flatware, knives, plates, cups, glasses and bowls including complimentary staples (coffee, sugar, salt, cooking oil, fruit basket, and purifed drinking water. The refrigerator will also be stocked with various fruits and snacks during the retreat.
Outdoor Kitchen
The Outdoor Kitchen is perched on a shaded/covered patio to the rear of the house directly overlooking the ocean 150 feet below. This outdoor addition consists of a large stone sink, large butcher-block countertop, a brick wood-fired grill with adjoining traditional clay “Comal” plus a wood-fired clay-oven (great for Pizzas), a picnic bench, a hammock and a bar that connects through to the interior living-room area.
Adjoining Downstairs Living/Dining Room
The downstairs living room/dining room consists of an 8-person dining room table/chairs, a lounge area with a corner L-shaped couch plus a coffee table.
Second Story Bedrooms, Adjoining Sleeping and Lounge Areas
The enclosed bedroom is located on the north end of the 2nd floor and contains two queen-size beds (the 2nd one directly up above the other on a window-surrounded 3rd - story loft). The third-floor loft-bedroom has wall-to-wall sliding doors that open onto its own private deck with dramatic views of the sunrise over the blue Pacific. The 2nd-floor master bedroom is surrounded by large, round, center-axis opening windows with gorgeous views of both garden, patio, and sea. The open floor plan is easily divisible into multiple sleeping areas. Two large mobile single sleeping cots are provided along with one mobile single bed allowing renters to customize their sleeping arrangements. The second floor also includes one turret-shaped section (more privately situated) which has its own double-size, suspended bed and an adjacent area equipped with two commodious hammocks. (Sheets, blankets, pillows and suspended Mosquito nets are provided for each sleeping unit.)
Upstairs Lounge Area
There are multiple hanging/hammocks/ hammock chairs, a couch, a coffee table and multiple benches in the upstairs prow-shaped living room area, again sporting spectacular views of the surrounding ocean 150 feet below.
Bathroom and Shower Facilities
The handsomely wood-crafted bathroom and (separate) Shower areas are located 15 feet from the front entrance of the house along the front patio’s stone walkway. Due to Oaxaca’s arid coastal climate we decided it prudent to provide an ecological/composting toilet to conserve water. There is little resulting odor in the bathroom and none in the house. The bathroom is supplied with sawdust, soap, toilet paper, and hand towels. The shower is connected to the bathroom but has a separate entrance and is supplied with its own towels. Both the bathroom and the shower have beautiful and very private views of the ocean.
Testimonials from previous guests of this retreat:
The Oaxaca retreat with Joey was amazing; more than I had ever imagined. The space was surreal; a rustic villa overlooking the ocean surrounded by a tropical paradise. As an amateur ashtangi, the practice was challenging but not aggressively so. The mantras and pranayama were a perfect culmination of each day's practice and the temazcal ceremony was a powerful experience. Looking forward to more yogic journeys in the future. Thank you for this magical experience.
- Tanvi B. , Cleveland, Ohio (2023 retreat guest)
I recently participated in the 2022 Dia De Muertos Oaxaca Ashtanga retreat with Joey Paz, and wow was that a life changing experience! The retreat was thoughtfully executed to include all aspects (or limbs) of Ashtanga while also incorporating the transitional wisdom of the national holiday of Dia De Muertos. Every morning was filled with 2 and half hours of ashtanga practice in a beautiful location with incredible weather. Suffice to say it was intense and there was a lot of sweating, but Joey kept all participant’s experiences and abilities in mind while teaching. Each morning asana practice began and ended with chanting mantras and ended in a pranayama practice with fresh and local coconuts to rehydrate. Everyday included amble time to head to the local beaches and towns or to just relax at the retreat house.
This retreat, ran by Joey Paz, who is well-versed in yoga philosophy, did well to honor both the roots of the practice as well as the lands and traditions of the culture of Oaxaca, Mexico. I left with a deeper knowledge of how to deepen my yoga practice and, in turn, my relationship to Self. This retreat was renewing for the mind, body and spirit AND incredibly affordable. I would highly recommend using yoga as a method to visit Mexico with this retreat.
-Jacquelin M.G., Portland, Oregon (2022 & 2023 retreat guest)
Ready to join? This retreat sells out in advance each year- don’t think about it too long! Get the best possible price and lowest monthly payment plan by registering early.
All-Inclusive Retreat Price, Accommodation at Casa Faro (1 spot remaining)
Early Bird Price - $799 if registered by July 31, 2024
Regular Price - $999 after July 31, 2024
Off-Site Accommodation Option (Sold out)
Early Bird Price - $599 if registered by July 31, 2024
Regular Price - $799 after July 31, 2024
The earlier you register, the lower your monthly payment plan will be.
Your retreat fees go towards supporting the local economy, and local indigenous ways of life. I feel very strongly that as guests welcomed into their land and culture, we should be supporting and uplifting the local economy, people, and traditions.
A $100 down payment reserves your spot and locks in the retreat price at the time the deposit is made.
Please note that due to the nature of this being an international retreat with very limited space and great cost/planning required, no refunds are possible for any reason once you commit to coming and begin making payments. You may however transfer your payments already made to another person who can come in your place if you have to cancel. By registering for this retreat, you indicate that you agree to these terms.
Contact Joey via WhatsApp at +1 4058239919 with any questions or for more information, and to discuss payment options.
About the Instructor:
Joey has been a devout practitioner of Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga since 2008. Practicing daily for many years with Andrew Eppler, Bryce Delbridge, and Jennifer Engleman at Ashtanga Yoga Studio in Oklahoma, he began to travel regularly to India in 2013 to initiate ongoing in-depth study of Asana, Pranayama, Mudra, Mantra, and Yoga philosophy with Sri BNS Iyengar, a direct student of T. Krishnamacharya and the world's elder living master in the Ashtanga lineage.
In addition to his E-RYT 500 certification from Andrew Eppler at AYS and the Himalayan Yoga Association of Rishikesh, India; Joey has studied in-depth for many years with a wide array of old school Ashtangis including David Williams, Nancy Gilgoff, Danny Paradise, David Garrigues, Gilad and Miriam Harouvi, Baptiste Marceau, Dominic & Stephanie Corigliano, & Boris Georgiev, among others.
Beyond asana, he is a student of Yogic chanting with Dr. M.A. Jayashree and Narasimhan of Ananta Research Foundation in Mysore & Kanchen Mala of Krishnamacharr Yoga Shala in Mysore; Yoga history & Sanskrit phonology/pronunciation with Seth Powell of Yogic Studies; and Yoga Darshana with Dr. M.A. Alwar of Maharaja Sanskrit College and his father, the late Dr. Lakshmi Tatachar, founder of the Samskrti Foundation in Melukote, India, and studies the texts of Yoga with Dr. Nagaraj Rao
In addition to his devoted practice and study, Joey is co-producer of the film “Mysore Yoga Traditions," a groundbreaking documentary that provides an in-depth look at the fabric of Yoga culture in Mysore; and currently co-hosts the annual Mysore Yoga Traditions Retreat and Conference held every year in Mysore- the birthplace of modern yoga.
While leading workshops and retreats around the world, Joey also curates an online continuing education program with the scholars of Mysore, India as part of the Mysore Yoga Traditions Continuing Education Program.
He returns to Mysore, India each year to continue his studies and maintain close ties to his teachers and mentors.
Email joey@omshalayoga.com with any questions or for more information, and to discuss alternate payment options.