A Yoga Retreat in Central America - Matthew and Liv

Matthew and Liv here to give an update on our travels!

We arrived in panajanchel after a long journey hiking through the beautiful mountains and valleys of Guatemala. After a yummy lunch at a local restaurant, we jumped in a boat to head to the yoga retreat! Once everyone arrived, we were very thankful for some warm showers and a nice bed to jump into.

The next morning we jumped right into yoga starting at 6:45 am! it felt good to finally stretch out the muscles that were in use during our long week of trekking. We ate a yummy vegetarian breakfast (a theme for the week, all the food was vegetarian or vegan) and then had a free morning to chill out, unpack and explore our accommodations for the next week! That afternoon we had an empowerment session with Doron himself and learned many things about perception, yoga and much more.

On Friday we had another early morning and then a dynamic yoga session after breakfast! that afternoon we went to a temezcal ceremony in a traditional Mayan sauna. it felt amazing on the muscles and joints and we also participated in some chanting with Doron and Kasia. Throughout the week we also had the opportunity for some optional activities such as massages from the local women from the village, early morning paddleboarding, and visiting a neighboring town called San Marcos, where we could get food, gelato, and swim in lake Atitlan!

On Saturday we had a zen dancing class which was so much fun to just let loose and dance around with each other! After we split up Sunday morning for either paddleboarding on lake Atitlan or a normal yoga session, we came back together for some partner yoga. See if you can try to do double plank with a partner at home! After dinner, we came together for a bonfire and some failed attempts at singalongs. It was great to be together around a fire and not exhausted, as we often were on our hikes.

The next day went as all the other days had so far, but this time our afternoon activity was doing something called yin yoga. The basic idea of it to release the tension in your joints, which is not often focused on. This meant that a lot of the poses were the same, but not done to the fullest ability in order to stay in the poses longer. it was very relaxing! After a chill night, we went to bed, knowing we had to leave the next morning. Which brings us to the day we are writing this! After our final yoga session with Kasia, we said our goodbyes, ate our final cookies and chocolate bliss balls, got on a boat, and arrived back in Panajachel.

As of time writing, we are currently on a van heading back to Guatemala City, where we have a very VERY early wake-up to head to San Jose. While we are saying goodbye to Guatemala, we won’t forget the activities we did (hikes, paddling, yoga) and what it taught us about what we are capable of. see you next week! :)