MEDITATION | MINDFUL MOVEMENT
Magic in Mexico: Light and Joy in Practice
Led By: Emily Hyland + Erin Doerwald
Yandara Yoga Institute, Baja, Mexico
March 21 - 27, 2027
Light & Joy in Practice is a retreat centered on whole-person wellness, resilience, and meaningful self-inquiry. Through yoga, somatic movement practice, reflective practices, discussion, insight meditation with Erin, and poetry with Emily, participants will explore practical tools for cultivating greater ease, inner steadiness, and joy in everyday life. Rather than focusing on yoga alone, this retreat invites a fuller exploration of what supports well-being—physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. Together, we’ll build insight and resilience skills that help us meet life with more clarity, softness, and light. All are welcome; no experience required. The vibes are supportive, kind, warm, fun & friendly.
For this retreat, we’ll be staying for six nights at Yandara Retreats, a serene glamping center located on the Pacific Coast of Baja California Sur, Mexico, in between the popular artist town of Todos Santos and Cabo San Lucas.
Yandara creates a calm container for exactly the kind of work we do with 3 healthy, mostly vegetarian meals a day, quiet mornings across the property until 10am, and low key evenings. Our daily retreat routine will follow a flow moving from breakfast into a morning session, lunch, open space every afternoon for relaxing: reading, napping, swimming, hiking, & journaling, late afternoon session, dinner, & evening offerings like a soundbath, beach bonfire, or restorative practices.
Yandara is located on the beach and accommodations are glamping-style. We will be spending the bulk of our time outdoors! Meals and craft talks will be held in a quiet, shaded area outside. All levels of experience welcome—only requirements are willing, open hearts & kind spirits. Full schedule will be provided in a pre-retreat Zoom meet & greet in mid-February.
What’s Included:
Accommodations:
6 nights (Sunday-Saturday) at Yandara
3x Daily Meals:
All meals are made by the Yandara chefs and are mostly vegetarian. Expect simple, clean, healthy food.
Tea + coffee, and light snacks are available throughout the day.
Programming:
Mindful Movement: Morning/afternoon sessions with Emily/Erin designed to tune awareness & support spaciousness, steadiness, & ease in the body & mind. Appropriate for all levels. (All props available on site)
Poetry Discussions: Exploration of retreat themes through the lens of contemporary poems. Reading, discussion, & writing prompts. Zero poetic experience required!
Insight Meditation: Guided meditation practices that support present-moment awareness and the ability to be with your experience as it is. Offered in an accessible, down-to-earth style with an emphasis on real-life integration.
Evening Offerings: Reading, Beach Bonfire, Restorative Practices, Soundbath, Dance Party
OPTIONAL ADDITIONAL ACTIVITIES:
Yandara offers Massage Treatments, Astrology, Reiki, Acupuncture, & Cranio-Sacral bodywork that you can book to bolster your experience. Prices vary and range from $70-$100 USD
Smoothie Bar at the pool, with smoothies & treats available for purchase.
Optional Excursions: Surf lessons or Beach Outing at Cerritos Beach, Afternoon in Todos Santos and Dinner out at Jazamango. Cost of transportation to and from excursions not included.
What’s Not Included:
Flights: Airfare and flight coordination is not included
Airport Shuttle: Cost of transportation from the airport to the retreat center is not included but coordination is—please see Getting There section below for more details.
Lodging and Pricing Options
With En-suite Bathroom
Glamping Cabana (limited availability left)
With Shared Facilities
Cabana
Canvas Tent
Hobbit Hut
PRICING
To make these offerings as inclusive as possible, Emily & Erin wish to minimize the effect economic factors have on peoples' ability to access this program. Accordingly, we’re employing the Green Bottle Sliding Scale Model For Social Justice to allow you to determine, with integrity & right action, within 3 tiered options, the appropriate cost of your respective purchase that best represents your financial situation. Please review the Green Bottle graphic below and opt into the category that reflects your economic situation.
Please note, there are two types of accommodations for this retreat, most of which are canvas glamping tents. As we are allotted a limited number of cabanas, huts & tents with en-suite bathrooms, priority for these accommodations will go to Tier 3 guests on a first-come, first served basis. Being a Tier 3 guest does not guarantee the highest level of accommodation once those are full. If you want to ensure an accommodation with en-suite bathroom, book ASAP at Tier 3.
Tier 1: $3,375
Tier 2: $2,595
Tier 3: $1975
Registration and Deposit
To reserve, you can pay your registraion in full online.
Your Teachers on Retreat
EMILY Hyland, RYT-200
Emily teaches grounded, strong, stretchy classes designed to help students “bring forth what is [already] within” them. In addition to yoga, Emily also teaches strength training as a vital component of staying healthy, resilient, & connected to one’s physical potential.
Her classes focus on making the choice to be mindful: to tune into—& invest in—relationships with body, mind, & breath as opportunities to inquire into deeper levels of awareness & build intimacy with ourselves, each other, & the gift of each moment in this astonishing world. Whether through mindful asana or intentional strength work, her approach centers the holistic integration of strength, mobility, & awareness. Expect welcoming energy, warm community, poems, joy & levity (at least one bad dad joke per class).
Hyland completed her 200-hour certification at Yogamaya in 2012, along with 75 hours of advanced therapeutics training, & has studied Yin yoga with Corina Benner. She’s currently completing her 300-hour certification with Jason Crandell. She is also an ACE certified group fitness instructor & personal trainer.
Her newest poetry collection, My Wise Little Ghost, was published through Trio House Press in July 2026; she is also the author of Divorced Business Partners: A Love Story (2024) & Emily: The Cookbook (2018), with a third collection, BREASTS, forthcoming from Cornerstone Press in 2027. Hyland is also the co-founder of the international restaurant groups Pizza Loves Emily and Emmy Squared Pizza. Learn more: emilyhyland.com / emmysquaredpizza.com / pizzalovesemily.com
ERIN DOERWALD, LCSW, CMT-P, RYT-200
Erin Sibley Doerwald is a psychotherapist, mindfulness teacher, and yoga instructor with over two decades of experience supporting holistic health and wellbeing. Based in Santa Fe, New Mexico, she integrates yoga, mindfulness, and resiliency practices to foster healing through workshops, retreats, clinical work, and her business, Hello Wellness. She has taught individuals from all walks of life in corporate, healthcare, educational, and nonprofit settings. A yoga practitioner since 1999, Erin’s teaching is rooted in Iyengar, vinyasa, and restorative practices, complemented by her expertise in interpersonal neurobiology and trauma-sensitive approaches. Certified by UCLA’s Mindful Awareness Research Center, Erin has been teaching mindfulness since 2012, blending modern science with ancient traditions. Her work embodies a deep connection to nature and community while inviting individuals to cultivate self-compassion and deepen their insight and awareness.
Refunds and Cancellations
If you need to cancel your spot, please notify us in writing as soon as possible.
Transfers: You may transfer your registration to another participant at the same pricing tier at no charge, provided the replacement is confirmed with us in writing at the time of cancellation. We reserve the right to approve transferees.
Rebooking: If we are able to fill your spot from our waitlist or through other means, we will issue a full refund of all payments received, less any non-recoverable third-party costs.
If your spot cannot be filled:
Cancellations received more than 120 days before the retreat start date (by November 20, 2026) will receive a 75% refund of payments made.
Cancellations received 120 days or fewer before the retreat start date (November 21, 2026 or later) are non-refundable. No further balance will be owed beyond payments already made.
We strongly recommend purchasing travel insurance to protect against unforeseen circumstances.