OH MAN!!! We had a fantastic time in the desert with a really high-vibe crew of people and an awesome bunch of leaders and facilitators. Leaders: There were two main leaders, Greta and Rosie. Greta mainly handled the Kundalini Yoga and Human Design, while Rosie handled the Sound Baths and Yoga Nidra. There was also another facilitator and session leader, Aaron (Greta's S.O.) and Anna, the chef. All the leaders showed up with high integrity and warm-hearted intent for people to really succeed: at having a great time, at shifting their perspective on life, at finding a new level of self-love and self-acceptance, at expanding their sense of what's possible for themselves in their life. Greta brings a strength and encouraging tenacity bourne of her experiences using Kundalini Yoga, Mantra, Breath, Intention, Focus, Will and Belief to change circumstances dramatically in her own life. She is also funny, goofy, sweet, and considerate. Her kundalini sessions drive the energy of the retreat, and we did several meditations/breathing patterns to go along with the kriyas (movements, which were sometimes complicated squats - you won't miss leg day on this retreat!) that unlocked new states of consciousness and emotional processing for people. If the retreat were likened to an army, she would be the General that gives you the strength to overcome limitations. Rosie is a wonderfully bright and light soul who brings a real sense of magical surprise, especially with her sound bowls. I've been to many a sound ceremony, and she set herself apart as unique within the first minutes of her beginning to play - lying on my mat, I noticed my back and spinal muscles unlocking and relaxing even without my conscious volition to do so, which I found to be utterly fascinating. In the fictional retreat-army, she would be the Chaplain that gives comfort and helps point you toward the light. Food: Excellent, abundant, such a highlight. Care was taken for all dietary restrictions and substitions were offered. Some of the best mexican rice I've ever had, as well as two of the best soups! Everything was timely, available, and taken care of. Great coffee, matcha, tea options. We all felt really cared for, and nobody suffered for lack of anything. :D Yoga: Many people were not familiar with Kundalini Yoga specifically, though I was, and it was good for both the new and the experienced. As mentioned, I believe most people had some form of novel experience of consciousness, whether that was seeing themselves with new love, getting in touch with a deep desire for their lives, or simply feeling profound gratitude. There was a mixture of movement, breath, intention-setting, and meditation - so even if you think you only like traditional yoga there was something for everyone. Sound Ceremonies: We closed down most nights with sound ceremonies that were very relaxing, sometimes almost too much as many people drifted off to sleep in one particular session :D. Rosie is an ace at sending the vibrations through your body and doing them day after day, you could really feel the shifts taking place: shoulders steadily hanging lower and with less tension, etc. I personally reacted much more than I expected to the sound aspect as I mentioned above. Workshops, Journaling and Reflecting: We did a human design workshop on the first full day. It was really enlightening! I have been a big fan of personality systems throughout my life, including both so-called "woo woo" systems like astrology and enneagram, as well as more corporate systems like Strengths-Finder, DISC, etc., and academic psychology systems like Big 5 and Myers-Briggs. I was pretty dormant with my interest in this aspect of the workshop, intending to come more for the location/nature and the kundalini yoga; of course, you know by now that I was pleasantly surprised to get re-engaged with human design, and I found a good amount of my chart to be spot-on and give me food for thought and validation of myself. Given that this was a manifestation retreat, its important to give yourself permission to be who you authenticaly are, to set firm intentions that honor your personality and don't contradict who life is encouraging you to be - the human design workshop and especially being able to discuss it with the participants was an aid to that process, and it also helped a bunch of strangers in the process of getting to know one another. Greta is also very skilled at writing journaling prompts that help you frame up what you want to achieve and to believe and know that you can achieve it. Nature Experiences: The nature experiences were phenomenal! We were only three miles away from Joshua Tree - though it being California, we still managed to find traffic to plod through on one day, lol -and we had an opportunity to get to the park on each day (I skipped a sunrise hike one day in favor of some additional Z's). We did a hard hike that I appreciated a lot, and the last day we visited an absolutely stunning vista and were treated to an IMMACULATE sunset and one of the brightest-shining moons I can ever recall. Clambering around on the rocks was also a treat! Extracurriculars: We recieved these awesome swag bags that were actually nicely constructed backpacks that we could take with us on our hikes! They were full of goodies - I particulary appreciated the deck of manifestation cards that was included. :)