After quitting law at the beginning of 2007, I became obsessed with helping people become the best version of themselves. From 2008 until 2012, I did that by helping my clients from the outside in when I worked as an image consultant. After moving to the United States in 2013, I went back to school and got a master’s degree in mental health counseling. In this new path as a professional counselor, I was able to help clients change from the inside out.
I also have been obsessed with reaching as many people as possible to spread motivation, inspiration, courage, and change. Seeing clients one-on-one in my office was simply not cutting it. During a session with a client at the end of 2021, I was inspired to create a magical holistic retreat in the middle of the Brazilian rainforest.
My business partner Michelle Barreto and I organized an incredible experience for people who want to reconnect to themselves, let go of what no longer serves them, and get closer to the best version of themselves. Twice a year, we host a week-long Ayurvedic-based retreat in Brazil called Spiritual Journey. Ayurveda is an ancient form of holistic medicine that originated in India over 3,000 years ago and combines physical, spiritual, and psychological health. The term comes from the Sanskrit words Ayur (life) and Veda (science or knowledge). Therefore, Ayurveda translates to “knowledge of life.” According to Ayurveda, our diseases are caused by imbalances and stress in our body, mind, and soul. These imbalances can be restored by adjusting the food we eat and our lifestyle by incorporating meditation, yoga practices, and sitting in saunas to warm up our bodies.
To help our attendees optimize their experience during that week and get the most out of the retreat, everyone goes through an individualized and confidential consultation one month before they travel. During this appointment, our therapists determine the attendees’ predominant dosha and what type of foods and spices will be cooked for them that week. Our therapists also suggest new practices and behaviors they should adopt before embarking on their Spiritual Journey in Brazil.
This week-long experience takes place in the middle of the Atlantic Forest in the state of Rio de Janeiro, close to the historic town of Paraty. We stay in a small ecological sanctuary surrounded by tropical rainforests, waterfalls, natural pools, trails, birds, monkeys, bobcats, and other wild animals. Nina, the sanctuary’s resident dog, is always there to ensure everyone is happy.
The first four days of the retreat are filled with rituals, yoga classes, massage therapy sessions, guided meditations, and teachings on Ayurveda, Brazilian-Indigenous traditions, and the power of plant medicine. The highlight of the retreat happens on the fifth and sixth days of that week. We bring shamans from the Amazon tribes Shawanawa and Huni Kuin to conduct traditional indigenous ceremonies filled with music, chanting, healing, and plant medicine.
I would like to share some powerful testimonials that we have received from people who have attended our retreat. I hope to inspire you to embark on your own transformational journey so that you can take one step further into becoming who you are meant to be: the best possible version of yourself.
Jason: “This trip to Brazil has taught me to let go. Let go of a lot. Let go of family trauma… and with that, I feel powerful. I feel like I can take on the world.”
Cindy: “Being here has helped me reconnect with myself and who I am. I want to keep eating better, and I bought a few Ayurveda cookbooks to help me do that. My biggest takeaway from this retreat has been forgiving my parents.”
Stu: “The biggest takeaway from this trip was me. I really became more Stu (me) than I had been in the past 20 to 30 years, and I am very proud of that; I am very happy about that. It seems that many things in my life have fallen into place.”
Tiffany: “This trip has been life-changing, and I am very grateful for this experience; with my intention in mind, it was a success. I intended to leave my traumas behind and go forward with peace… my experience was very intense. I felt the anger leave me while calmness and stillness took over like I had never felt before. I am very grateful for that.”
On Friday morning, we have our last yoga practice and guided meditation, the retreat’s closing ceremony, and a special brunch. In the afternoon, we head to Paraty to explore and have a celebratory dinner at one of the local award-winning restaurants.
If you are looking for an opportunity to stay immersed in nature for an entire week while connecting to your essence and your divine, Spiritual Journey in Brazil needs to be on your bucket list. Our next retreat is coming up in April, and the following one is scheduled for October. We only take ten people at a time, so jump at the opportunity – your true self is waiting.