Yoga. Travel. Recovery. Adventure!

We create transformational yoga and adventure experiences to inspire individual healing and cultivate connection to self, others, and the world.

"Yoga is not just a workout; it's a work-in." -Rolf Gates

Yoga is far more than just the poses, it is a spiritual path that can guide us in recovery and in every aspect of our lives!

Doors to the Wild Self Costa Rica Retreat

February 18-24, 2024
Daily yoga and meditation, special workshops, wildlife encounters, tree climbing, healthy food, and more!

Baja Yoga, Surf & Culture Retreat

October 26-30, 2023
Yoga retreat in Baja, Mexico with surfing, ziplines, delicious vegan Mexican food, and Dia de los Muertos

sedona glamping retreat

Upcoming Adventures

Transformational yoga and adventure experiences to inspire individual healing

Yoga retreats for deep healing

Everyone is recovering from something

Our retreats are designed with recovery in mind. We are both in long term recovery from addiction, and proud of it. It doesn’t stop there though.
Everyone is recovering from something, whether it’s trauma, substance use, heartbreak, stress, or just the disconnection of life in our high-tech world.

If you want to keep up with us you can check out our blog or sign up for our newsletter:

So how do we heal?

Our retreats combine the following healing elements

  • New adventures

    When you get the opportunity to go somewhere new, get outside your comfort zone, and create community with people you’ve never met before, that brings deep healing.

  • Nature

    When you learn to live with more connection to nature, that brings deep healing.

  • Community

    When you get to leave your labels and baggage at home and meet a whole new group of people who have embarked on a similar journey, that brings deep healing.

  • Yoga

    Yoga reminds us to stay present, with each breath, movement, and moment.

Who benefits the most from our retreats?

  • People already on the path of recovery or healing who know a retreat like this can help unlock more joy and fulfillment on their journey. You don’t have to be sober; you can be in recovery from anything.

  • People in pursuit of authentic, adventurous, like-minded community.

  • People who are sober-curious, yoga-curious, or just ready to explore a more connected way of living!

  • Yoga retreats provide vital opportunities for digital detox and intention setting. We want our yoga retreats to be accessible to everyone so we offer recovery scholarships.

Testimonials

Carrie and Zach are a wonderful team. I loved everything about the retreat! The yoga and meditation program were perfect for all levels and provided many useful tools for my home practice. The food was delicious and always an exciting part of our days. They provide a comfortable, open space to be vulnerable and grow! I have already booked another adventure with Carrie and Zach! I wish I had found them sooner!

Misti, Joshua Tree 2020

What a fabulous experience – beautiful space, lovely people, and I did something I was so afraid to do and it was quite amazing – thanks Carrie and Zach for making such a magical place!

Marci, Breathwork & Cold Immersion Workshop

The best view comes after the hardest climb 🧗‍♀️ what an amazing weekend filled with some beautiful, unique personalities. I had so much fun meeting all of you. From all the stories, the amazing vegan food, laughs to happy tears, forever travel buddies. Grateful for everyone this weekend. Huge shoutout @biggerlifeadventures for testing our fears, and creating healthy fears and habits, learning new mantras and meditations. Carrie, you are one of the best hosts. I’ll see you in the future again. Love you all ✨💕⛰

Sammy, Arizona 2021 and Colorado 2022

Carrie and Zach are perfectly in sync with their purpose and it shows. They both create the ultimate safe space for healing, creation and connection. Whether you come for Zach’s food (THE BEST) Carries awesome asana, mindful meditations, art projects, ancient lectures, hiking, meeting new friends & sangha, discovering new places around the world or within yourself, amongst many other fun things, you will without a doubt leave a different person even if you hadn’t intended to. These retreats are worth so much more than what you pay for them. Their retreats have something for everyone and I am very excited to make these retreats with my soul fam a yearly if not twice yearly must do. Thank you Carrie and Zach for all that you make possible for all of us. So much love!!

Jess, Joshua Tree 2022

The retreat in Costa Rica has the highest of recommendations I could ever give!! The entire week offered so much challenge, connection, adventure, restoration, rejuvenation, joy, laughs, insight, knowledge, awareness, jungle sounds, delicious meals, consistent practice, relaxation, and (insert at least 101 more wonderful adjectives here)! On every level, physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually, I grew and became a better version of myself! A group that started as friendly strangers completely transformed into an intimate and comfortable family by the end of the week! There was true magic, power and energy flow like I’ve never been apart of, and, if I may be so bold to say, EVERYONE was completely filled and changed in their own beautiful way! No one was even close to being ready to leave and didn’t want the jungle retreat to end! Of course, for anyone who knows Mr Zach (the baddest chef east of the Mississippi) and Sensei Carrie (the baddest yoga instructor I’ve ever known), they are such a beautiful and inspiring duo who offer their whole selves to the retreat and to everyone’s experience! They truly care about everyone and it shows in their personalized approach in how they communicate, educate, serve and enlighten their audience! They make the yoga practice (beyond just the physical movements) a beautiful journey that is so worth becoming intimate with! In a non-pressure, come-as-you-are way, you are treated with all the love and respect! I continue to reflect back on that week and know it will be one of my life’s highlights! Lifelong connection to the Sanctuary and to the people who I met, made a super great experience into a mesmerizing and awestruck one! Why you haven’t booked this retreat is beyond me! Do your heart, mind, body and spirit a solid by signing up for this impossible-to-regret experience!

Jamo, Costa Rica 2022

As a kid I had a VHS movie called “Behind the Waterfall”. There was adventure, mystery, and a wholesome message from some mystical creature who lived, you guessed it, behind the waterfall. That’s all I remember about that movie! 

This year in Costa Rica I found myself adventuring past the familiar waterfall I knew, climbing upwards and deeper into the jungle to find a never-ending river of waterfalls, pools of shade and sunlight, tantalizing Tarzan vines, and so much beautiful GREEN! As I’ve come to expect, I felt calmer and more alive than ever while exploring “behind the waterfall” at @thesanctuarycostarica . 

I fully believe we humans are meant for this. We’re in bodies because we’re supposed to move and climb around and swim and play. We’re not supposed to just get over that urge to move once we reach adulthood! Why should we be content to sit at a desk all day and go to the gym for an hour when there’s so much WORLD out there? 🌍💪

Your life can be bigger than your biggest dreams for it. What does that mean to you? Maybe it means it’s time to travel. Or get over fear and try a new way of moving your body. Maybe it means it’s time to ditch some toxic habits or relationships. I’m gonna keep moving and loving this amazing earth as much as possible while I’m here! 💭❤️🔮

We return for our next Costa Rica Jungle Yoga Immersion next February 18-24! Spots are already booking up. 1 more recovery scholarship is left. Discounted rooms for 3 people to share are now available too! 💚☀️🌊🌴🙈🦜

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Guiding this practice is not something I take lightly. I think the best teachers are the ones that keep evolving, changing, trying new things, and asking questions. 

I enjoy being multi-faceted. I want to be able to teach a challenging physical practice one day, and then guide relaxing yoga nidra the next. I want to show up in the space ready to adapt to what my students need in that moment. To come in with a loose plan and be willing and ready to throw it all out the window. 

One thing the physical practice can teach us is adaptability. How to react, change shapes, flow, respond, be confused, accept ourselves, etc. 

My yoga practice has changed so much over the years. I look forward to continuing to evolve and learn as a student and a teacher. 🙏🌅

ONLINE YOGA LIBRARY - find it on the “Shop” page of my site!
1 week free, just cancel to not get charged! 
⭐️Sliding Scale Subscription Options ✨
💰$25 per month - the cost of a single drop-in studio class in New York City or Telluride
🤑$20 per month - the cost of a single drop-in class in Los Angeles
💵$15 per month - the cost of single drop-in class in small town America
🧘🏼‍♀️
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