Heart of the Earth: Yoga & Nature Retreat

🌿 Come into deeper connection with Mother Nature in the heart of the land of the Quetzal.

Join Michelle Fajkus and Ash Fletcher for a grounding, heart-opening retreat designed to help you slow your pace, immerse yourself in nature, and remember your place within the living web of life. Set in the ancient volcanic landscape of Lake Atitlán, where sacred waters are embraced by towering mountains in the highlands of Guatemala, this experience offers a true return to the Earth and to yourself.

Here, the land feels alive with wonder. The forests breathe, the lake glows, and the volcanoes seem to carry ancient wisdom. Throughout the week, you are invited to receive it all with openness and presence.

🌎 What We’ll Explore Together

This retreat is built around a simple but powerful truth: when we reconnect with the natural world, we reconnect with ourselves. Through movement, breath, listening, and reflection, we’ll gently find our way back to belonging — to this earth, this body, and this moment.

Our gathering begins on 13 K'at, a meaningful day in the sacred Mayan calendar, associated with the net, gathering, harvest, and holding abundance together. The first full day opens on 1 Kan, the beginning of the Kan trecena: a 13-day cycle of inner lightning, serpent energy, creative life force, and expanded consciousness.

🧘 Practices to Root and Rise

Each day will be guided by practices that honor both stillness and vitality, inner wisdom and the beauty of the world around us:

• Daily yoga and meditation: Grounding, breath-led sessions suitable for all levels, blending movement with presence and intention
• Sunrise cloud forest birdwatching hike: Awaken your senses in the misty highland forest and listen for the calls of birds of many feathers
• Tour of Pasajcap gardens: Visit Michelle and Ash’s homes and gardens
• Community service at Wellkind: Get your hands in the dirt and learn regenerative practices for tending land and life
• Cacao ceremony: Open the heart with the ancient sacred medicine of Mesoamerica
• Mayan fire ceremony and personal Mayan readings: Honor the sacred count of days, offer your prayers, and connect with the deep ancestral wisdom of this land

🌟 The Gift of This Land

Guatemala is a teacher. The volcanoes, the cornfields, the cloud forests, and the lake are all alive and speaking. This week, we practice the radical act of listening. Whether you arrive seeking healing, inspiration, deep rest, or adventure, you will find it here. You’ll be held in warm community, nourished by wholesome food, and surrounded by breathtaking natural beauty.

You’ll leave with a full heart and a renewed sense of your place in the living world.

What’s Included in Your Retreat Experience

• 🛏 1 night accommodation in Antigua — private hotel room — welcome dinner and brunch
• 🏡 6 nights at Bambu Guest House, Lake Atitlán — daily vegetarian meals at Bambu — picnic lunch included on travel day
• 🚌 Transportation — airport to Antigua arrival shuttle — Antigua to Lake Atitlán shuttle — Lake to airport departure shuttle
• 🧘 Yoga & wellness experiences — daily yoga, breathing, and journaling with Michelle & Ash — cacao ceremony — Mayan fire ceremony — personal Mayan reading
• 🌿 Nature & cultural experiences — sunrise cloud forest birdwatching hike — tour of Pasajcap coffee gardens at Michelle’s eco-house — reforestation service work at Wellkind
• Optional additional activities — massage/spa, cooking class, paddleboarding, waterfall hike, tarot reading, and more

Rates and Registration

$2,595 ~ Single/private room

$2,295 ~ Shared double/triple room (2–3 roommates)

A nonrefundable $500 deposit is required to reserve your space.

A minimum of 4 and a maximum of 12 participants will be in the group.

Early bird discount: book by February 28, 2026 to save $200.

About the Teachers

Michelle Margaret Fajkus is a heart-centered teacher and writer who has led retreats in Guatemala since 2010. She offers an accessible, rejuvenating practice for all levels, weaving together vinyasa flow, dharma teachings, yin yoga, mindfulness, pranayama, and the sacred Mayan calendar.

Ash Fletcher is a traveler with a spirit of wanderlust who loves engaging with diverse cultures and communities. Yoga found Ash during her training as a dancer. With her bright and playful spirit, Ash joyfully promotes healthy and regenerative practices for everyone. She is the founder of Wholesome Living.

Ash and Michelle have joyfully co-led yoga retreats in Guatemala together for over 16 years.