Yelapa

Yelapa Yoga and YOU!

Yelapa is a small coastal village reached only by boat 45-minutes from Puerto Vallarta. Yelapa is not an island. It is located on a part of the coast where roads have not been developed. There are no cars in Yelapa; mules and horses are still used daily for transportation. Yelapa offers spectacular nature experiences of beach, river, lagoon, plants, birds, village and sun. This group vacation package in Yelapa is best suited to participants who enjoy walking. The yoga studio is a five to seven minute hike up a mountain in a sacred space with a breath-taking view surrounded by the jungle and looking out on the ocean and beach. www.yogainyelapa.com

The lodgings are set below the yoga studio. www.yatesinyelapa.com and www.garciarentals.com offer a tropical beauty connected to nature with the comforts of hot water for showers and great places to hang out during a week stay in Yelapa. Choosing Yelapa for a Yoga Vacation helps directly support the local village economy even as it offers your group a unique and magnificent nature filled Mexican retreat setting . Casas de los Suenos www.yatesinyelapa.com was built by Hollywood producers in the 70?s. It has recently been remodeled by a lovely couple from Canada. One of the Casas stands out from all the others and there is a $75 extra charge per person for this casa

Our Yoga Classes

A lot of people are asking about the amount and intensity of the yoga they can expect. Here’s what I want to let everyone know: THIS IS A RETREAT! This is NOT yoga boot camp. The whole idea is that we have a luxurious amount of time to delve into some of the subtler nuances of yoga and meditation. I know that everyone going will have different levels of experience and mobility, and some will be very new to yoga. I plan to keep the level of asana practice, the physical part, very doable for everyone, even those with no experience. I will be talking to you about the Chakra system and we’ll explore movement and postures to support each energy center in our bodies. We will learn about mudras (hand positions). I will guide you through Yoga Nidra…a very relaxing and deep form of yogic rest. A yoga nap, if you will. I’ll also lead you through guided meditation. We will be taking advantage of the wonderful props at the Sky Temple, to do restorative yoga. As you can see, this is not typical of a yoga class with me. This is also not a yoga “workshop” where we spend time focused on specific types of postures and do them for hours. A yoga retreat is more relaxed, more easy going, and there’s time for everyone to find their way into what we are doing. This will look different every day. The stairs to the Sky Temple are many! You will get a bit of a workout just going up the stairs, so I don’t intend to push you into more of a workout through yoga. The Sky Temple will be our sanctuary…the place to let go of the outside world and all the worries and “pushing” that go with it. It is clean and beautiful there. Your view is the tropical jungle, the bright flowers, the lush mountainside and on the other side, the ocean and beach. The sounds will be the waves and the birds. It is amazing. I encourage you to look at the links Judith provided, above.

Water & Food In Mexico

Bottled water is abundant in Mexico. Yelapa has all the bottled water needed and our lodgings and our meals are all put together with bottled water. Never drink tap water and never brush your teeth with tap water. The food is a combination of delicious healthy meals made by our private cook and some tasty meals in the village.

Meals

Each lodging in Yelapa has its own kitchen facilities including refrigerator. If there is a certain kind of coffee, tea or special snack items you want, bring them. You will be able to shop in the village for any snacks/fruit you might want to have in your room. Your whole group will be sharing meals at Casa de Los Suenos. Each morning will begin with fresh fruit, yogurt, granola, oatmeal, hard boiled eggs, coffee and tea. We will have lunches and dinners cooked for your whole group at Los Suenos combined with some meals out in the village. On Tuesday evening I will be taking the whole group to my Mexican family in the village for special grilled fish dinner. Other things can be ordered there for people who do not prefer fish. One lunch and dinner is paid for by you: Friday lunch is out on the beach to give you more time to hang out on the beach. Thursday dinner is along the river at the famous Yelapa restaurant called Los Manquitos (under the mango trees) with a live band and rocking dancing.

Money

You can use American dollars or pesos in Yelapa. You can use an ATM machine with a debit card withdrawing from your checking account at the airport or in PV. NO ATM IN YELAPA. You CAN NOT use an ATM in Yelapa. There is no way to get money out of your bank in Yelapa. It?s handy to have small bills to buy things like pie on the beach from the pie lady. $4 gets you a very special and delicious piece of pie! A meal in the village can vary from between $5 to $25 dollars depending on your choices.

An Example of How We Might Spend Our Day

We’ll have a leisurely breakfast hour beginning at 8 a.m. Yoga class at Sky Temple will begin at 9:30-12 A healthy, delicious, local lunch will be provided at Los Suenos beginning at 12:15 The afternoon is yours. Hike, beach, read in a hammock, explore the caf?s…it’s up to you. Yoga at Sky Temple 5:30-7 Dinner at Los Suenos beginning at 7 The evening is yours….dancing to live music, hanging out with friends, an early bedtime, again, it’s up to you. A few nights we’ll be having dinner in the village…there are bands and music available, bars and even a wide screen TV or two to be found. The accommodations are also perfect for gatherings, and there are small stores in which you may purchase alcohol and snacks. There are also day tours and massages available for you, as well as a group outing one day during the week.

Extra Activities

Your package includes a guided hike to the waterfall with your whole group. Mountain Village Tour: A fabulous side trip that many visitors have loved is an SUV guided tour into the mountain villages surrounding Yelapa. Bascially my friend Brad has put together a tour that no tourists have ever had. He takes people to the homes, ranches, and villages where the people of Yelapa originally came from. This tour takes you back in time and is a heart to heart visit with many interesting people. This is a 1 day tour. You can visit this website: www.seldomseentours.com He only takes 4 to 6 people at a time. It?s $100 for the day. Many who have visited said this tour was their highlight. Snorkeling, Looking For Dolphins: A boat trip can be arranged for a group.

Your Puerto Vallarta Hotel

Hotel Eloisa, Lazaro Cardenas, 199 Col Emil, Puerto Vallarta Mexico 48380 Phone Number: 011-52-322-222-0286. Ask to speak with Lily. If Lily is not there someone else will help you. Lily and Ramon speak English well. The people at the reservation desk will check the group list of reservations. Tell them you are with Judith & the Yelapa Yoga Group. If someone carries your luggage to your room for you it?s generous to give them a $1-$2 tip per bag. Your hotel is set close to the beach. As you walk toward the beach you will come upon a wonderful walking area that lines the coast in downtown Puerto Vallarta. This area is filled with artists, performers, music and of course the beautiful view of the ocean. It is lovely and safe walking the ?Malacon? in the day and at night.

Dinner & Breakfast in Puerto Vallarta

Your group will meet in the Hotel Eloisa lobby at 6:30 and my friend Brad will take you to dinner. There is a continental breakfast on the roof of the hotel the next morning. Your Puerto Vallarta dinner is NOT included in the cost for your Yoga Vacation.
IMPORTANT:
All participants must put the name of the specific name of the LODGING and CASA in which you are staying on your luggage. You can mark it with a piece of masking tape. This way your luggage can be loaded and delivered to your exact lodging easily. Your leader will give you the name of your lodging. Please help make the arrival smooth by marking all your luggage.

Boat To Yelapa

Your private boat to Yelapa will arrive at the pier in Puerto Vallarta and your group leader will guide you to the pier. The pier is a few blocks from your hotel. The boat will take about 50 minutes to reach Yelapa from Puerto Vallarta. You walk to the pier and your luggage will be taken to the boat in Puerto Vallarta and to your lodging in Yelapa.

Your Arrival in Yelapa

You will arrive in Yelapa at the pier in the center of the village. I will meet all of you on the village pier and we will walk through the village and out to your lodgings. Your luggage upon arrival will be taken to your room. We will all join in lunch together after your arrival and then you can unpack, become familiar with your entire lodgings and settle into the schedule for your group on arrival day.

Testimonials:

?What an amazing week in Yelapa! It did me a world of good to be in 80 degrees and sunshine instead of snowy CO where the temperatures were below zero. Not only is Sabre a masterful yoga teacher, she arranged varied experiences for us that included an adventurous hike to a waterfall. Every minute of every day we were surrounded by incredible, natural beauty. I loved the nonstop photo-ops.
I am grateful for Sabre?s suggestion to bring our sisters. It was the first time my sister and I have spent time together as adults without our partners or children. I will always treasure the deep and meaningful conversations the two of us had on this trip. I will definitely go on another yoga retreat with Sabre!?
~Judy
?Wow! What a fantastic trip with a fantastic group of people! So much I could say. Sabre, you are fantastic yoga teacher and organizer! I want everyone I know to have this experience! Both the yoga and extra activities were great. My favorite, besides the yoga, was the island trip with Roberto and hike to the waterfall!?
~Vicki C.

A Way To Help The Village

Many groups enjoy donating to the village in an easy way. Clothes and shoes are expensive in Mexico. Good used tennis shoes are like gold. Having a pair of shoes in the village can be a big deal for many. Used tennis shoes for children and adults are deeply appreciated. Soccer shorts for boys and men, sweatshirts, pants and shirts for women are such valuable donations. Some of the yoga groups have left the clothes they brought to Yelapa at the end of their stay. Others have brought used clothes with them to donate, reader glasses passed out to people who don?t have glasses, medical supplies for our clinic. It?s been wonderful for the village to get this kind of support from the yoga community visiting the Sky Temple. What to bring: tennis shoes, soccer shoes, basket ball, soccer ball, clothes for women, soccer shorts for men and boys, clothes for kids, reader glasses, medical supplies for clinic, art and sport supplies for the schools. Contact me if you have any questions: Judith yogainyelapa@yahoo.com