Magic in Mexico: Light and Joy in Practice
March 21 - 27, 2027 | Todos Santos, Mexico
Join Emily Hyland + Erin Doerwald for 6 nights of beachside glamping at Yandara Yoga Institute in Todos Santos, Mexico.
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.
Any questions? Email emily@emilyhyland.com
Retreat includes
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
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.
Add-ons:
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.
Retreat Details
Typical Day (sample)*
6:45am: Coffee available
7:30am: Morning Meditation or Beach Walk
9:00am: Quiet Breakfast
10:00: Movement Practice/Workshop
1:00pm: Lunch
1:30pm: Open Time (write, read, nap, walk, swim)
4:30pm: Movement Practice/Workshop
6:00pm: Dinner
7:00: Evening Programming (soundbath, bonfire, restorative practices, dance party)
*all activities are always optional!
Accommodations and 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
Accommodation Types
WITH EN-SUITE BATHROOM: Glamping Cabana ONLY ONE LEFT!!!
WITH SHARED FACILITIES: Cabana, Canvas Tent or Hobbit Hut*
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Flying In:
Fly into San Jose del Cabo/Los Cabos International (SJD)
Transportation to and from SJD:
Car Rentals: You can rent a car at the airport; Yandara has parking onsite.
Yandara Shuttle: Yandara will help provide & coordinate shuttle services for guests to and from the airport, (which Emily used very easily on her past visit).
Arrival Shuttles for flights arriving between 11am and 5pm on Saturday 10/17: $40 per person. (shuttles outside these hours are $100 for one person; $60 each for two; and $40 for three or more).
Departure Shuttles between 1-4pm on Friday 10/23: $40 per person.
(shuttles outside these hours are $100 for one person; $60 each for two; and $40 for three or more).
* Shuttle drivers are usually tipped around $5 per person, up to $20 per group.
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Yandara is right on the ocean, in mid-March, temperatures will range from high 70’s during the day into mid 60’s when the sun goes down —bring light long sleeves in addition to your warm-weather attire. A jacket and a beanie are recommended for folks who like to err on the side of cozy rather than cold.
Bathing suit! The pool is lovely.
If you will be hiking, bring appropriate hiking shoes and outerwear
Comfortable clothing for movement classes
Reusable water bottle
Hat, sunglasses, mosquito repellent and sunscreen
Laptop, journal, and pens for writing workshops
Any medications you rely on
Passport! (must not expire 6 months after current travel dates)
Cash/Pesos: We encourage guests to bring cash for gratuities/tips for shuttle drivers, Yandara staff, etc. Tipping in pesos is best, but in this part of Mexico US currency is also acceptable.
We encourage you to pack casual, comfortable clothing; no need to be fancy!
An open heart and spirit!
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CONTACT:
If you have questions email Emily: emily@emilyhyland.com
BOOK:
You can make payment and book your spot here.
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Laundry: Hand washing clothes facilities are available, and Yandara provides a laundry service on Thursdays, with items returned either the same day or the following day (cost: $9).
Quiet hours are kept from 10pm-10am, including silent breakfast.
Yandara has a strict no alcohol, drugs, or smoking policy.
Yandara runs completely on solar energy—leave your blow-dryer at home!
Wifi is available, and most US calling plans include coverage in Mexico & Canada. Check your plan before arrival for more details.
TRAVEL INSURANCE: Due to unforeseeable events, we strongly recommend that our guests purchase travel insurance, including medical, for the duration of the trip. There are several companies that offer this at reasonable rates. We recommend:
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Cancellation Policy
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.