Winter Retreat with Mark Stephens

Set along the lush Pacific coast near Sayulita, Mexico, Haramara offers a rare jungle-and-ocean setting where nature shapes the pace of each day. This retreat is designed around the powerful energies of the Winter Solstice, the close of the year, and the transition into a new beginning, creating space to slow down, reflect, and renew your commitment to wellbeing.

Daily Rhythm & Practice

Participation in any or all activities is fully optional and flexible, allowing each guest to follow their own rhythm. The retreat schedule includes a variety of practices to support both grounding and exploration:

• Sunrise Pranayama & Meditation: Begin the day with breath awareness and quiet meditation as the sun rises over the jungle and sea, inviting clarity, calm, and presence.
• Morning Vinyasa Flow: Enjoy an energizing all-levels yoga practice that combines strength, alignment, breath, and mindfulness. Each session ends with restorative postures and meditation, making it accessible from beginner to advanced levels.
• Mid-Day Workshops & Tune-Ups: On select afternoons, take part in short interactive sessions focused on topics such as sun salutations, alignment principles, breath techniques, and individualized modifications.
• Sunset Yin/Restorative Practice: As day turns to evening, slow and grounding classes encourage surrender and deep relaxation with the support of blankets and bolsters.
• Evening Conversations & Satsangs: After dinner, gather for inquiry, philosophy, and open discussion on themes including yoga, consciousness, life purpose, relationships, and how practice meets everyday life.

Beyond the formal program, there is plenty of time for rest, connection, and enjoyment. Guests may relax in a hammock, swim, explore Sayulita, surf, enjoy spa treatments, or simply take in the Pacific sunset.

Accommodations & Nourishment

Haramara’s open-air casitas are tucked between jungle and ocean views, blending rustic character with comfort. Each accommodation includes private bathing facilities and open-air showers, bringing you closer to the surrounding natural rhythms.

Meals are included and prepared with care using all-organic ingredients, local produce, and fresh seafood. The dining space, set above the jungle with wide ocean views, naturally becomes a gathering place for meals and conversation. Special dietary needs, including vegan and gluten-free, are welcomed and accommodated.

Community & Connection

One of the retreat’s greatest gifts is the group itself: a diverse community of participants coming together with different backgrounds and levels of experience. Whether you are seeking spiritual depth, physical challenge, rest, adventure, or a pause from routine, the retreat environment supports personal discovery in a warm and welcoming setting.

Retreat Fee

The retreat fee varies depending on your chosen accommodation and includes:

• Seven nights lodging in Haramara casitas
• All meals and daily yoga classes/workshops
• 19% Mexico tax

Add-ons such as spa services, private excursions, and personal transportation are available but not included. Transportation from Puerto Vallarta International Airport (PVR) is coordinated for guests to make arrival seamless.

Pricing

Make the $500 registration deposit by August 1st to receive early bird pricing:

• Women’s Group Casita (per person): $1,900
• Triple Occupancy Casita (per person): $2,300
• Double Occupancy Casita (per person): $2,600
• Single Occupancy Casita (per person): $3,750

Pricing Special

• Early Bird Discount: 15% off the regular price with deposit by August 1st
• First-come, first-served priority in choosing your casita

About the Instructor

Mark Stephens is a yoga teacher, educator, and author with more than three decades of experience exploring the meeting point between ancient practice and modern understanding. A yoga practitioner since 1991 and a teacher since 1996, he is known for blending classical yogic teachings, careful scholarship, and practical application.

He has written several widely used books, including Teaching Yoga, Yoga Sequencing, Yoga Adjustments, Yoga Therapy, Yoga for Better Sleep, and Breathing: The Art and Science of Pranayama (forthcoming October 2026). Mark teaches internationally, leads teacher trainings and intensives across North America and Europe, and mentors generations of yoga teachers. His work emphasizes inquiry, discernment, and respect for the strengths and limits of spiritual, philosophical, and scientific models alike. He lives in Santa Cruz, California.