Waking Woman Retreat: In the Mirror of Water

Dear Women,

Water is where we often feel most at home within our inner world. It reflects the feminine nature in all its fluidity, adaptability, and quiet strength.

With love, we invite you to join us for the Waking Woman retreat, “En el Espejo del Agua,” at Mahai Retreat in Mahahual, Mexico, from March 7 to 13, 2027. Together, we will gather by the sea to receive the wisdom of water.

Join Us

In the Mirror of Water

From the perspective offered in this retreat, water becomes a loving and powerful space that holds all of who we are in this moment, including the stories we have carried within us since our time in the womb.

Water has the ability to hold us so completely that the boundary between the physical body and everything else softens and dissolves, drawing us back to the memory of safety in our mother’s womb. This can awaken old memories, some of them deeply painful. By surrendering into the embrace of water, these memories may briefly soften and begin to release from the confinement in which they have lived.

After leaving the water, and having touched something deep within ourselves, we give those experiences voice through creative forms of collective expression. In this way, we remember that our pain and our joy are shared.

From that space, we can always weave ourselves anew.

Our Time Together

Water therapy sessions in the beautiful saltwater pool and in the ocean, led by special guest Denisse Tatemura, an expert in Janzu, Watsu, and aquatic healing modalities.

• Live music every day
• A space to share stories, connect deeply, and learn from one another as women
• Writing and poetry
• Storytelling under the stars
• Rites of passage
• Different forms of dance and movement

Morning practices of silent meditation, yoga, and chanting

• Time for reflection and silence
• Magical evenings with live music and more

As we move through life’s transitions—our changing bodies, hormones, and different stages—we will discover the strength that comes from flowing together.

This week is an invitation to transform wounds into creativity and to rediscover the song and dance within you, beneath the stars and beside the waves.

You will be guided to:

• Trust your innate power to heal.
• Feel supported and held in a safe, nourishing circle of women.
• Reconnect with the elements and your true essence.

Spaces are limited, so we invite you to reserve your place soon to secure your participation in this transformative journey.

We hope you will join us for this incredible week of healing, learning, and sisterhood by the water.

With love and anticipation,
Angelika

Your Guides on This Journey

Angelika Baumbach

Beloved as both a singer and musician in the duo Mirabai Ceiba, Angelika Baumbach has been creating music that inspires deep self-discovery for more than 20 years.

As a devoted student and guide for women around the world, she is passionate about empowering women through transformative workshops and retreats. Angelika weaves together wisdom from diverse traditions, offering a nourishing space for connection, growth, and self-awareness.

Denisse Tatemura

Denisse Tatemura has facilitated aquatic healing experiences for more than a decade. She has studied a range of techniques, including Watsu, Janzu, Aguahara, and Aquadynamics.

Creating a space for relaxation, support, healing, and deep reconnection in the water is one of her greatest passions.

She is also a teacher of 7 Lotus Chi Kung and a certified Kundalini and Hatha yoga instructor.

Julieta Abdala

Julieta studied singing and dance and has collaborated with many important musical groups, learning African and Afro-descendant traditions and cultures. She shares the simplicity of art that nourishes us, shapes us, and connects us as humanity.

During the retreat, Julieta will share yoga, African dance, and songs. Her intention is to awaken pure joy, reminding us what it feels like to walk through life with lightness and an open heart.

Daily Schedule

• 7:00 – Silent sunrise meditation
• 7:30 – 8:30 – Morning practice
• 9:00 – 10:00 – Breakfast
• 10:30 – 1:00 – Morning workshop
• 1:00 – 2:00 – Lunch
• 4:00 – 6:00 – Afternoon workshop
• 6:00 – Dinner
• 7:00 – 8:30 – Group gathering

Rites of Passage

In the Waking Woman retreat, rites of passage are sacred spaces where women are accompanied and honored through profound biological, emotional, and spiritual transitions—moments that are often lived in silence or alone.

Each rite is thoughtfully created around the unique needs of the woman being honored, while held by the collective presence of the circle.

Women moving through major transitions share their challenges, lessons, and gifts with one another. They witness and support each other through this essential and sacred exchange.

Every story is medicine for the others; every transition deserves attention, reverence, and celebration.

This is the power of gathering.
This is the power of women holding women. ✨

Your Watsu, Janzu, and Aquatic Therapy Experience

At Waking Woman, participants receive a practical and deeply grounded introduction to aquatic therapy with Denisse Tatemura, integrating principles of Janzu, Watsu, Aguahara, and Aquadynamics.

The journey begins with a clear explanation of how water supports the body and the healing power that emerges when water and movement are combined. Denisse leads a group session where participants learn to float, breathe, and move with gentle guidance.

You will feel your spine and muscles relax, release, and subtly adjust to the movement of the water.

Afterward, the women pair up and exchange roles—practicing how to hold, rock, and support another person in the water, and experiencing what it feels like to be held and soothed by another woman’s presence.

Those who wish may also reserve longer individual sessions with Denisse for deeper therapeutic work.

These water sessions are grounding, calming, and physically restorative experiences that help soften the nervous system and create genuine connection through the remarkable healing power of water.

Our Home for This Journey

Mahai Retreat offers 130 meters of private beachfront. We will be in a small cocoon with our group of women, the ocean, the pool, delicious food, and a luxurious private retreat by the sea, journeying inward without distractions from the outside world.

Massage and Healing

There will be time to book a massage with Mahai’s incredible therapists.

Treatments:

• Deep tissue therapeutic massage
• Soma Fusion integrative massage
• Biofrequency healing
• Reiki healing
• Herbal baths
• Crystal therapy

Accommodation at Mahai

• 10 Suites
• 2 Penthouse Suites
• King bed
• 2 Mahai Suites
• King bed
• 3 Ocean Suites
• King bed or 2 twin beds
• 3 Double Ocean Suites
• 2 double beds
• Dormitory: a 4-bed dormitory room
• Camping Grove
• 4 camping spaces for your tent

Travel

Mahai is located in Mahahual, Quintana Roo, Mexico.

The nearest airport is Tulum International Airport (TQO), about 2.5 hours away by car. You may also fly into Cancún International Airport (CUN), which is approximately 5 to 6 hours from Mahai.

We work with a transportation company that offers transfers from Tulum or Cancún to Mahahual.

After registering for the retreat, we can help arrange transportation from either airport.

Chetumal Airport (CTM) is about 2 hours from Mahai by car.

A taxi from this airport is easy to find for the trip to Mahai.