• 6 nights accommodations 
• 3 meals per day (excluding alcoholic beverages) starting with dinner on the first night and ending with breakfast on the last day
• Group Ground Transportation to/from Gustavo Diaz Ordaz International Airport (PVR) Airport to Retreat Center
• Daily yoga, meditation & mindfulness practices
• Personal retreat time (your time to nap, explore, walk, swim, read, and just be)

Accommodations

Welcome to Chacala, the crown jewel of the Riviera Nayarit. Nestled in a pristine bay, this coastal paradise enchants with golden sands, turquoise waters, and lush beauty. Just 90 minutes nouth of Puerto Vallarta Airport, it feels worlds away. Discover the cultural charm of this area, from the town’s relaxed pace to more active adventures like hiking, snorkeling, surfing, horseback riding, and boating. Unwind on the beach, embraced by coconut trees and palapa restaurants. Immerse yourself in Chacala’s warm and welcoming spirit for an idyllic travel experience. 

Maria Bliss

Maria is a passionate yoga teacher and has enjoyed owning a yoga studio in the Seattle area for over 20 years: Yogabliss.org. She holds numerous certifications in the yoga world and has had the honor of mentoring many new yoga teachers on their own paths. Maria’s love for movement began as a young dancer when she experienced a sense of physical freedom, self-expression and deep discipline that fed her soul. Her desire to share this passion led her to realize her gifts as a teacher of dance, fitness, and many other physical modalities as the years unfolded.  

While dancing in a regional ballet company, Maria was introduced to yoga for strengthening, stretching and healing. Yoga soon became a form of self-study and life practice for her. Years later as a young wife and mother, her weekly yoga class became a dedicated and grounding practice that helped her navigate the beauty and challenges of life. 

A deep curiosity for spiritual exploration and personal growth brought Maria to meditation nearly 30 years ago. Her path of practice led her to study Mindfulness Meditation with many of the great modern teachers. The late Michael Stone helped Maria establish the personal practice that inspired her to embark on the two-year Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Certification offered by esteemed teachers Jack Kornfield and Tara Brach.

Currently, Maria finds her deepest calling as a both student and teacher of Mindfulness. Her classes focus on the breath as an anchor for fluid movement that is steady without rushing.  Maria is known for skillful alignment-based instruction and intelligent functional movement sequences that offer students the freedom to listen, explore and enjoy! Whether on the mat or on the cushion, Maria brings her vast understanding of the practices, her own lived experience and her sweet sense of humor to each practice. She encourages going deep and getting juicy when it feels right, slowing down and backing off when it doesn’t. Always allowing time for noticing, resting, and connecting.

Maria teaches weekly yoga and meditation classes, extended practices & workshops and is delighted to lead retreats so that she can share these powerful practices more broadly.

Richard Guevara

Richard is known for his authentic, non-judgmental teaching style and compassion-centered philosophy. His classes are playful and begin with and build upon the fundamentals as he believes it takes time to truly learn something well. With that, you can expect to move at a smooth pace that doesn’t feel rushed and gives you time to find what is exactly right.

Richard is a local Seattle teacher and known for his accessibility, humor, and ability to empower his students through one of yoga’s oldest messages, “compassion first.” Richard is always seeking more knowledge, which led him to San Francisco to train with his beloved teacher, Annie Carpenter, of Smart Flow Yoga. Smart Flow is a methodology that focuses on alignment of the shoulder girdle and pelvis to bring balance to the body, mind and spirit. With over a decade of experience in his field, Richard continues to bring change to his students and his community through love and compassion one student at a time.

You can expect joyful playfulness in Richard’s classes, as well as movement, sweat and breath. He often fuses classical Hatha style with strong Vinyasa flow.

Richardguevarayoga.com

Testimonials

“When I think of Maria, I think of a yoga teacher who has an remarkable ability to tune into her students bodies, and a meditation teacher who brings personal experiences to each practice. As a yoga teacher, Maria gently supports and kindly encourages each student to coax just the right amount of effort for each pose. She is so experienced and effortlessly brings individual attention to each class participant – making all feel special and uniquely seen. As a meditation teacher, Maria does not stray from recognizable, comfortable & achievable practices – this helps all students feel welcome and supported. She brings varying perspectives to those basic practices allowing each student to take the practice deeper, as is appropriate for them.” – Sally T.

“I started practicing yoga for the first time at Yogabliss over 10 years ago. Maria is an excellent teacher – she provides practical guidance on yoga poses in a supportive way, with gentle humor as appropriate. She is also a wonderful presence. I recently had the opportunity to participate in two meditation and yoga retreats that Maria led. Not surprisingly, Maria is also a talented meditation teacher – able to share concepts effectively and demonstrate that mindfulness meditation positively impacts her own life on a daily basis. Our retreat cohort immediately connected thanks to the welcoming and supportive atmosphere that Maria and her co-teacher cultivated and everyone left renewed, wishing only that our retreat session had lasted a week rather than a weekend.” – Kirstin

“Whether it’s yoga movement or mindful meditation, Maria’s intention, care, and wisdom, and yes, her wonderful, silky voice – flow through her teaching to everyone in the room. Her sessions energize and refresh the body, the mind and the spirit. I highly recommend any and all yoga experiences with Maria Bliss.” – Claire G.

Take advantage of the many opportunities for adventure, exploration, and learning: 

• Snorkelling
• Hiking
• Whale watching, 
• Horseback riding 
• Surfing 
• Community-supported initiatives
• An endless list of eco-excursions and local activities from Spanish classes to local market expeditions

Please be sure to review Our Policies.

Registration

Click Here to Register Now! 

Paying an initial non-refundable deposit of $350 and $35 Payment Processing Fee (added to the tuition rate upon registration) will lock in your tuition rate and hold your space for the trip.

For technical questions or alternative payment options, please contact us.

Getting There 

You will be booking your flights for the Gustavo Diaz Ordaz International Airport (PVR). Before booking tickets, please be sure you have received your official confirmation note that the retreat has met its minimums. There will be one group airport shuttle each way based on our flight window guidelines. Be sure your flights align with the provided flight windows if you wish to use the group shuttle. The drive time to the center is approximately 90 minutes.

Travel Insurance

We cannot emphasize more the importance of travel insurance. As we all know, especially as travelers, “life happens.” Whether it’s family, work, mother nature, or a change of heart, it is important to be prepared in case you need to unexpectedly change your travel plans. Often for less than $150, you can purchase a travel insurance policy and be protected in the event that you need to make a change or need to be covered financially prior to or during your trip. 

We have partnered with two insurance companies: Trawick International and CSA Travel Insurance (available for U.S. Residents only). 

Read more about our insurance partners and their policies here. We encourage you to research the insurance company and policy that best meets your needs.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Do you have questions about traveling abroad? After you register, we will provide you with a Participant’s Package with helpful information. Also, be sure to check out our Participant FAQs. If you have other questions, feel free to write to us at info@truenaturetravels.com and let us know how we can help!

Triple Shared Accommodations – $3195 USD

Standard Shared Accommodations – $3295 USD

Garden Shared Accommodations – $3495 USD

Deluxe Shared Accommodations – $3595 USD

Standard Single Accommodations – $3795 USD

Garden Single Accommodations – $4095 USD

A non-refundable $35 Payment Processing Fee will be added to the tuition rate upon registration.

For technical questions or alternative payment options, please contact us.

Cancellation

• Initial deposits and the $35 registration fee are non-refundable and non-transferable.
• 50% of payments are refundable up to 90 days before a retreat excluding the initial deposit and the $35 registration fee.
• 89 days prior to a retreat, tuition is non-refundable and non-transferable.
• Full tuition is refunded* if the trip is canceled due to low enrollment. The $35 registration fee is not refundable.
• True Nature Travels is not responsible for any loss incurred due to currency conversion rates.

*Refundable amounts do not include applied credits.

If you wish to cancel your spot on a trip you must submit your cancellation by email to info@truenaturetravels.com.